Jerry Quarry did spar w George Foreman

Ok so just to be clear, after all the posturing you're now claiming they would have fought Holyfield as a mandatory if need be? You are all over the place like a mad woman's poop Rich.

 

Ok now you are being stupid intentionally kind of like GCC who doesn't even know how small a 16 ft ring is or how big a 22 ft ring is but still thinks it was Foremans ring mastery and of course the ring size had nothing to do with Ali laying on the ropes gee wiz it makes one wonder why negotiate anything.....quit being a child and trying to pretend that every new situation you propose does not make a difference especially when it is out of the teams hands.....jeeeez

 

Rich it's brutally obvious you are just making it up as you go along and trying to sell off various opinions as fact.

I'll leave it here as i don't think I've ever had a barney with you and i'm not about to start now.

 

You are completely right. Quarry was a great, fast counter puncher and he easily beat out big, avoided by other boxers, men (for the time) Lyle and Foster.

 

I never said that the smaller ring made no difference in Ali having trouble moving. You made up an argument nobody said and then attacked it to achieve a false victory...a straw man argument. Try to actually respond to what someone said before attempting to insult them.

You haven't answered ANY of my questions or addressed anything I said. We are done here.

 

They should have had a 24 foot ring.

 

The referee Zach Clayton said he couldn't believe Ali agreed to fight Big George in a phone booth.

 

No. The Quarry talks were far deeper and looked like being settled. Then George's camp decided on Norton instead for a much smaller payday. A worthy challenger no doubt. But still, George reputation as a champion (not fighter) wasn't very high in 1973.

I don't want to get into the sparring stories/rumours (as I imagine Jerry being the far more experienced fighter at the time had some success, and I'd guess George did too, hence Quarry compliments about how strong he was) but there's no doubt Quarry's team sought out this match way before George was champ- two example-

Original offer- October 1970 at MSG, turned down by Sadler (felt George wasn't quite ready no doubt)

Next one- early 1972 in London (which Quarry mentions after he KO'd Bodell in 1 round too)- example headline in Boxing Illustrated "Quarry to meet Foreman in London next March".

It seems Sadler didn't want to risk George and was happy to go along with opponents less of a threat in his quest for a title shot- which turned out to be the right decision in fairness (although prior to fighting Joe, George was a big underdog mainly due to who he'd fought beforehand)

...and then when George was champ-

$1 million for face Jerry in MSG in June 1973- turned down because George wasn't ready for a fight. To which Clancy said it didn't have to be June, it could be July, August, didn't matter. Shavers then filled that slot, had his jaw bust by Candy Slim and that fight was off (rearranged at end of year).

The same offer stood in September, but again turned down just when it looked like it was about to be signed "at the end of the week" (George's words) contract talks stalled so much, Quarry's team thought he was negotiating for a fight with Bob Stallings.

It was then George was offered the winner of Quarry-Shavers- after the fight George said Quarry was as deserving as anyone of a shot, but by this time his camp he started negotiating with Norton too, although that fight wasn't signed for another month or so.

Yes, much less... Dung King and some brown envelopes in airport toilets are rumoured to have surfaced.

The breadcrumbs were so clear, they started calling George "The Pigeon".

 

Good stuff.

 

Sock puppet for noneck?

 

Lol while both are terrible posters, they’re as different as the mind can conceive.

 

Given reputations and skillets, Big George's team likely saw Norton as a stylistically preferential fight for Foreman. By the time, Foreman gets to Norton and Frazier, I have no doubts about him doing similar to Quarry.

The ropes were not intentionally as loose as what they were in the Kinshasa fight. The extreme humidity had its contribution. If it was intentional, Dundee certainly wouldn't have been screaming at Ali to get off the ropes.

Ali could dance, not as well as his 60s self, but from 72 - 74, he regained a semblance of his body mechanics but lacked the leg speed and stamina to do it as well and, certainly, as coordinated as he once did.

Ali did train on absorbing, deflecting and negating offence against the ropes as early as training for Liston I. It was something he was well rehearsed in and something he utilised in Kinshasa out of necessity as he soon realised just how effective Foreman's footwork could be.

Foreman, despite what is oft repeated on these forums, is one of the most formidable and intimidating fighters to ever step in the ring. Gigantic power in both hands and the ability to land uppercuts and hooks on a moving target with both hands in combination.

The Ali fight and not getting a rematch killed Foreman's psyche - I don't look at the Young fight with the same conviction as others do.

 

Angie said he tried to tighten the ropes as much as could before the fight as he was afraid Ali would fall out of the ring.

 

That's a great post.

 

Good point mate. I still think Joltin' Jimmy wasn't a good match to make at the time (Teflon Don was happy enough, of course) but there's no doubt George's endless, vociferous campaign for a rematch (heightened by broken promises from both Ali's camp and the governing bodies (who stripped Spinks in no time, obviously) must have gotten to George mentally.