I'm watching an interview with Jerry Quarry's wife.

Quarry wasn't really a racist, he just claimed that black fighters were avoiding him and Kenny, rightfully, called him out for being an idiot.

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Kind of silly knowing that pretty much all the great black fighters from the era beat his ass.

 

Kenny may have meant what he said but he could be wrong or mistaken.

 

Because Norton was hypnotized before his March 31 1973 bout against Ali, he must have still been under. Ha Ha.

 

Maybe he just didn't like Ken Norton?

 

Considering Quarry knocked Ken Norton out cold in sparring and then Norton refused several offers to face Quarry until Quarry was well past his best maybe Quarry has a point.

 

Braddock would have mopped the floor with Quarry. A massacre it would have been!

 

Well he did put Joe Louis on the floor.. So yes, maybe mmmm.

 

Based on what is considered racism today, everyone was racist in the 1970s.

You can also idolize someone and be racist, too.

People idolized Joe Louis, but they didn't want him staying the same hotel with them in Miami in the 1960s and barred him from getting a room in hotels or swimming in hotel pools that didn't allow "colored."

But they'd still ask for a photo with him or an autograph.

 

Conversely, Ali's views as a younger man were racist, but he had plenty of white friends.

Historically, some racist people maintained personal relationships with people they were racist against in the abstract. Even when those friends were also racist against them in turn.

 

Hitler can't be racist! Why would he work with Japanese people? The man's even got Jewish officers! No, but seriously, this is so true. Cognitive dissonance is very powerful. Quarry could've had a lot of racist ideas and still loved and admired Ali. It's very possible, if not very likely. It's very likely Ali dug Quarry's family and talked about white devils too. It's just human nature to be blinkered about things like that. In reality, it was irrational for either of them to have liked the other, on account of both having awful ancestry. I'm not being racist, it's just...only my ancestry is inherently sinless. It's in our religion, from God, not from me. I wouldn't make that stuff up, as I am not racist.


...God is racist.

 

Ordinarily I would dismiss this as the rantings of one of those Boxed Ears-related people, since nobody can trust their kind.

But since you are the actual Boxed Ears, I'll believe you. You I trust.

 

I’m pretty sure racists often make personal exceptions.

 

Norton accused Jerry of being racist, because Jerry claimed he couldn't get a title shot because he wasn't black. And if I'm remembering correctly, he said something about disliking Ali's antics and saying if he said the stuff Ali did he'd be crucified.

Personally I think Norton knew Quarry wasn't a racist, but his real animosity stemmed towards Quarry embarrassing him and knocking him out in sparring. Not sure Norton wanted Quarry very much until he was noticeably past it.

Jerry was certainly not racist at all. Him and Frazier were good friends, and after beating him, Frazier went to his room to ask him if he was OK. Quarry's wife said Frazier was "all class".