Yeah we all know Jerry took one too many blows to the head and in the end tragedy struck. What took the most out of him? Those two fights with Frazier? The Ali fights? Fighting Ken Norton on two weeks notice (not even sure he trained for that fight honestly) Or was it his alcohol and drug abuse outside of the ring? (I could be wrong I heard somewhere he was hitting the bottle and went broke in and out of failed marriages.) He had the style of boxer puncher not sure why he took as much damage as he did. What do you think took the biggest toll on his health?
I think it was a combination of factors. Drugs, alcohol, too many punches, etc. The Joe Frazier rematch should have been the last fight of his career.
Just think, Jerry faced: Muhammad Ali x2 Joe Frazier x2 Floyd Patterson X2 George Chuvalo Earnie Shavers Buster Mathis Ken Norton Ron Lyle Mac Foster Jimmy Ellis I've probably left out a few notables, but that amounts to at least 13 fights with world class opposition and some of them beatings.
Taking punches in sparring usually accounts for much of the brain damage fighters get too. The Quarry brothers were trading punches in the ring from a very early age.
This was probably a big factor, brother Mike suffered with pugilistic dementia as well. Probably even something in their genes as well. Some fighters ie Chuvalo just don't seem to get it.
Agreed. Jerry looked really bad in that fight, that and Joe looked better in that fight since the FOTC. Quarry didn't seem to have any snap on his punches. Prior to that fight Jerry looked sloppy and vunderable vs. Joe Alexander, getting dropped. The Norton fight didn't help matters either. But Jerry sounded sharp after that fight working as a commentator for CBS. The Quarry brothers sparring sessions were notoriously brutal. The fight that push Jerry over the edge dementia wise was his very last fight against a sub-journey at age 52 (?). Word is Quarry took a tremendous beating.
Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and whats his name Kramner did Jerry in...whether he did alcohol and drugs or not.
Jerry should have held a press conference after the 2nd Frazier beating and announced his retirement...and stayed retired.
I think relationship trouble was a factor as well. Wasn't his wife notoriously crazy and demanding? A bad relationship can be exhausting and distracting just working 9 to 5. Imagine having a jealous, neurotic wife on your case when you're getting ready to fight world class killers. That combined with a work ethic that he admitted could waned inconveniently at times can put you in a position to get pounded. Throw in a willingness to go into fights injured as well as tactical miscalculations meant he absorbed some serious head trauma.
I have to think that if Jerry brought the same focus and intensity he showed against shavers and Lyle into every fight and he retired sooner his life would have had a happier ending.
I definitely agree with lifestyle. His dad was toxic, and showed an amazing lack of concern for his sons. the poundings he took when he was past his prime had to have done exponential damage to his health.I recall watching him take a pounding against Lorenzo Zanon I'm lonely like we left residual effects not to mention all the words he had been in before. Looking back would be shocking if he hadn't suffered permanent damage.
I read somewhere a long time ago that some shady promoter conned Jerry into coming back and consequently he got his butt kicked and for no money. Sad story all the way around.