Ketchel was one ot the greatest punching middleweights that ever lived, but his best weight was 154 pounds...Great as the Michigan Assassin was ,Quarry was much too big for Stanley....
I must admit that i am not as big a fan of Quarry's abilities as most seem to be on here. Ketchell's wasnt stopped by Langford, although some seem to question the validity of the bout. They both managed to fight all time great fighters in Ali and Johnson and were both outclassed. Difference being though that Ketchell lasted a lot longer than Quarry did in his two matches, although again many question the circumstances. Based on their records, i think that Ketchell definitely lasts the distance with Quarry. I think he handles the size and weight reasonably well and his power will need to be respected. I think that class succeeds in this one, which means Ketchell gets the victory.
he grant and boilmaker i am not sure who wins this but with a very aggressive fighter like ketchel and his do anything to win approach am i very wrong in thinking quarry could be in danger of perhaps losing this one on cuts
K-Man, many posters here feel size, weight and strength can be overcome by will , especially in the case of Marciano so I am making like kind comparisons to see if Rocky is an exception ... In this case, Ketchel was a legend for his stamina, his chin, his power and his will. Quarry was a very good contender but one step below world class. There was about 32 pounds between them on prime weight. Reall little different than matching Marciano with some of the better superheavyweights ...
i have to say this isn't that crazy. quarry was a small heavyweight in an era before the true superheavies: he's a cruiser. the size difference, while large, is not insurmountable. add to the fact that quarry was not the hardest punching heavy every and you have a reasonable fight
Well, you are making what you judge to be like kind comparisons. Marciano was an exceptional fighter but not the only exception. Size, weight and strength cannot always be overcome by will, even by the most iron-willed fighters. Marciano would have lost to some superheavyweight-type fighters who weren't as good as him p4p, and not least because they would be able to use those particular advantages in a manner as to win themselves the fight. But Marciano wouldn't have lost to all the super-heavyweight-type fighters who weren't as good as him p4p. And when two men square up they square up with all their skills, strengths, dimensions, attributes and qualities. You cannot seperate them out or abstract them into vague generalizations. To judge a specific match-up between two specific fighters you have to discuss the specifics. ...... of which Frank Bruno wasn't one !
Jerry wins in my opinion. If you watch his fight with Shavers you'll see that Jerry got hit flush more than a couple of times by Earnie and kept coming at him eventually stopping him. I think we all agree that Shavers is in the top tier of HW's when it comes to punching power and he couldn't stop Jerry. Frazier did in thier 1st fight after landing hundreds of clean shots in a brutal give and take fight and Jerry was still on his feet at the end. As hard as Ketchel hit I don't think he beats Quarry who was accustomed to taking shots from much bigger men. I see this as a Quarry/Alexander match where Stanley might get a good shot on Jerry, maybe even dropping him (And that's a big maybe) and Jerry getting pissed off and finishing him. I can't see a prime Quarry losing to a middleweight. Even one like Ketchel.
Ketchell died at about 24 years of age, with his highest weight being 170lbs that he fought against Johnson. Quarry fought Jimmy Ellis and lost. At 24 years of age, Jimmy Ellis had never weighed more than 170lbs. He also fought and drew with Patterson (his best result?), who did not weigh more than 170lbs until after his 20th birthday either. Ketchell fought three significant heavyweights. A loss to all time great Jack Johnson, who he did actually knock down! Though he was stopped in the last round. A close No decision fight with Sam Langford, one of the hardest hitters ever. And an early KO over a decent (but not really good) 200lb plus Heavyweight in Dan Porky Flynn. Even at this lighter weight, (unless you want to assume that certain fights were not on the level) it would seem that it is more likely than not that Ketchell is not going to drop the first punch that Quarry lands, and Quarry is not going to be able to walk through Ketchell like, well Johnson did in the last seconds of his fight.
Quarry was six foot one and weighed 200 pounds. He was an excellent counter puncher, had a great chin, and could bang. Calling him a step below world class is a joke. Are you kidding me? This is the guy that George friggin Foreman was scared to even spar with. Stanley Ketchel was known for his stamina, ferocity, and power. His chin was good but its not like he was KO proof. He was dropped and hurt during his career by men smaller than Quarry by 40+ plus pounds. Jack Johnson toyed with Ketchel based primarily on size and strength. You think Quarry (who was at least the same size as Johnson) wouldnt either? What exactly would Ketchel do to beat Quarry?
This always cracks me up. The whole Ketchel Johnson argument. Anyone who has seen that fight can tell you that Johnson hurts and toys with Ketchel throughout, actually pick him up bodily more than once to keep him from going down. Johnson gets "KD" by a punch that doesnt even land and the drops Ketchel with a single blow... You wanna argue that somehow makes Ketchel look great for fights against Heavies??? And as for his weight that 170 happened to be inflated by weights in Ketchels pockets. Ketchel never saw the day he weighed 170 in training. Jimmy Ellis was a raw boned middleweight standing over 6 feet tall who was killing himself to make weight. The analogy is flawed. Even more so considering he beat a Quarry who suffering from a broken bone in his back and still only managed a split or majority decision. His fight with Langford was a six rounder. Not ten or twelve or fifteen. Langford was a middleweight/light heavy at the time (and not a large one at that) and most experts feel that fight was not fought on the level. Sorry but the evidence just isnt there that Ketchel could compete in the deepest division in the sports history. In fact I cant even believe Im arguing this, thats how silly i think it is.
I actually meant that he was a step below the Ali/Frazier class that dominated his day ... of course he was world class, he was a top contender ... Is it true Ketchel weighted 170 for Johnson? That's heavier than I have read ...