Jerry Quarry vs Cleveland Big Cat Williams, Both Prime.

“You beat me to a few points I was going to make for Williams.”
I wish I didn’t. You would’ve put it better than I ever could.

And yes I agree Williams was a much better boxer than Lyle and Shavers.

 

Are you using that as a put down? Just trying to be clear. Could be reading it wrong.

 

Not at all. He was a very good professional prize fighter who won 80.3% of his fights against stiff competition in one of the toughest eras in heavyweight boxing. I just don’t think he was historically elite, ever had a legitimate chance to become heavyweight champion or packed the awesome power in his punches that some people here seem to think he packed.

 

Glad to hear. Is there no one in your opinion he’d have beaten who held the title not one? Your definition of historical elite might be different to mine but beating 9 ranked opponents and stopping 2 number one ranked contenders is an honest effort and uncommon. I personally have never said anything about how hard Quarry could hit but you were directing that elsewhere.

 

At least two people in this thread said he hit harder than Williams….

 

I agree. I can see why he’s the favorite in this match up.

He seems to have a styles advantage on paper (which Williams superior hand speed would negate much of imo), and has the better resume.

But he had both of those advantages to an even greater effect against Chuvalo, didn’t seem to help him much there.

Does this mean he loses for sure? Of course not. But it’s certainly not the foregone conclusion most here seem to think it is.

 

I would say Quarry. He was one of the best 'big man slugger' beater ever. Or one of them.

 

I dare say a prime Quarry who boxed and didn't slug, would stand a good chance vs. Foreman.

 

I didn’t notice. Do they have any mutual opponents that have said anything?

 

I posted multiple endorsements of Williams' power from those who felt it. Quarry lacks even one endorsement of the same kind.

Common opponnents Chuvalo, Mitef, and Daniels have all spoken highly about Williams power with Chuvalo saying a past prime Williams was one of the hardest punchers he ever faced. No mention of Quarry from either three men.

 

Lie.
Chuvalo never mentioned Williams but he said that DeJohn and Foreman hit him the hardest.

 

I’d pick him against some of the Pnklon Thomas/Bonecrusher Smith/Mike Weaver level champions, absolutely. Thinking about it, I might pick him over the Braddock/Ingo level lineal champions. He might have a chance against Baer unless Baer was in shape and motivated.

But he couldn’t touch Ali in two tries. He ain’t beating Joe Louis, Larry Holmes, Jack Johnson, Rocky Marciano, George Foreman (people can bring up his record against big men from now until Christmas but he had nothing for prime George unless he had a tire iron in one hand and a .357 magnum in the other), Joe Frazier (tried twice and managed a decent round or two before the inevitable happened; and he was about to get hurt bad before Joe Louis snapped out of his cognac daze and stopped the second fight), Sonny Liston, Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis. (That’s my own top 10.)

He ain’t beating Evander Holyfield or Jack Dempsey or the Klitschkos or any of the pituitary cases like Fury. I don’t think he could keep Wilder off him.

People like Walcott, Charles, Sharkey, Schmeling, etc., wouldn’t run him out of the ring but smart boxers like that would feast on his lack of defense.

IMO he should have been 0-2 against Patterson.

That’s off the top of my head.

Ranker had him at 40 in its list of the top 50 heavyweights. I don’t think that’s out in the ozone. He was elite. Maybe that even qualifies for historically elite. But he wasn’t as good as people here are claiming.

 

Between Quarry and Williams which one knocked out more rated contenders? Just curious, since someone is so triggered by the idea that Quarry was a banger…. You know, just the guy who for years held the record for stopping all five of his opponents in the national golden gloves.

 

Quarry absolutely could bang but some people seem to be acting like he could bang to Foreman/Liston/Shavers/Frazier level, and I watched the guy in real time and I never saw that. And I think the fact that he topped out as far as being able to bang with the most elite folks in the division is why he topped out as a contender.

 

He banged Shavers and Foster.
He almost knocked Norton while being drug addict and past prime plus he punched Ali in the body very hard that Ali was hurt.
Did Williams ever achieved anything close to that?