Jerry Quarry's position among 70's heavyweights

Is this head to head? Or overall resume and if it is that, do accomplishments outside the decade count?

I suppose my 70's list would look something like this,

1. Ali
2. Holmes
3. Foreman
4. Frazier
5. Quarry/Norton
I can see Quarry being number 5, I don't think Norton has to be rated above him. What other fighter did you have ranked above Quarry if you don't mind me asking?

 

Right around six.

 

I think 5 or 6 is fair. There are some who have even rated Jimmy Young higher, but I'm not so sure that I would. Ali, Holmes, Foreman, Frazier and ( maybe ) Norton are the only ones that stand out from the period who I'd place higher.

 

****, Jimmy Young.

I knew I forgot someone

Quarry belongs at either 6 or 7. Absolutely no lower.

 

about 6 or 7 looks good, then you've got shavers and lyle and a couple more to make a good top 10.looks a bit better than the 50's doesn't it ??

 

Even though Larry Holmes won the title in 1978 when the decade was still in progress, I'm not sure if he belongs being mentioned in the discussion... Its not that he wasn't good enough, as he most certainly was, but I think that with the start of Holmes' reign came a totally different era. When most people talk about " the golden era " of heavy weight boxing, they are generally referring to the time frame of about 1970 to 1976. By 1977 Foreman, Frazier, Quarry, Ellis and Bonavena were all gone.. Ali and Norton were past it...

 

Off the cuff I'll go with:
1. Muhammad Ali (70's wins over Foreman, Frazier, Norton, Young, Quarry, Lyle, Shavers, Bugner, Patterson, Ellis, Bonavena, Spinks, Chuvalo. Losses to Frazier, Norton, Spinks)
2. Larry Holmes (70's wins over Norton, Shavers, Weaver)
3. George Foreman (70's wins Frazier, Norton, Lyle, LeDoux. Losses to Ali, Young)
4. Joe Frazier (70's wins over Ali, Quarry, Bugner, Ellis. Losses to Ali, Foreman)
5. Ken Norton (70's wins over Ali, Young, Quarry, Bobick. Losses to Ali, Shavers. Draw with LeDoux)
6. Jimmy Young (70's wins over Foreman, Lyle. Losses to Ali, Norton, Shavers. Draw with Shavers)
7. Jerry Quarry (70's wins over Lyle, Shavers. Losses to Ali, Frazier, Norton)
8. Ron Lyle (70's wins over Shavers, Bugner, Ellis, Bonavena, LeDoux. Losses to Ali, Foreman, Young, Quarry)
9. Earnie Shavers (70's wins over Norton, Young, Ellis. Losses to Ali, Holmes, Quarry, Lyle. Draw with Young)
10. Joe Bugner (70's wins over Ellis. Losses to Ali, Frazier, Lyle)
11. Floyd Patterson
12. Jimmy Ellis
13. Oscar Bonavena
14. John Tate
15. Leon Spinks
16. Duane Bobick
17. George Chuvalo
18. Leroy Jones
19. Mike Weaver
20. Scott LeDoux

I'm out of time, so I can't do the "70's wins over" and "Losses to" for 11-20. It's an interesting exercise, though.

 

I think that there are probably several men who can take the #20 spot over Scott Ledoux

 

Jerry doesn't fit entirely neatly into the 1970s either. Patterson was the greatest opponent he recorded a win over, while many consider his two finest performances to have come against Spencer and Mathis. Also, Jerry's only two shots at a championship came during the late 1960s. His prime years straddled the late 1960s and early 1970s, and an argument could be made that he actually peaked prior to the start of the decade, although his 1973 campaign clearly earned him a shot at Foreman.

 

What would make me rank Young higher than Quarry is the fact that he held his own when he stepped up. He beat Foreman and damn near beat Ali - perhaps should've. Norton, same story.

Quarry, on the other hand, completely folded against first tier heavies like Ali & Frazier. Admittedly, he had to deal with better versions of Ali, but the fact Ali barely dropped a round in both fights combined does say something..

Quarry was a very like able and exciting boxer, but I think he was mentally not as strong as some others when he fought the creme de la creme. Poster Bummy Davis has some stories on him and how his father treated him, may have had some influence.. Hopefully he can add some of his thoughts to this discussion. :good

 

Good points, and I don't have a problem with those who rate Young higher, but just wouldn't do it myself. I think that both men have a fair number of losses to lesser fighters, as well as a reasonable number of good showings to speak of.. The tie breaker for me, would probably be that Quarry defeated a larger list of quality fighters.. Young's biggest wins are over Foreman and Lyle, while Quarry has claim to having bested Shavers, Lyle, Patterson, Mathis, and M. Foster. Young may have fallen victim to some bad verdicts, but dropping some close decisions to the elite ( who were aging ), doesn't quite cut it for me...

 

1. Ali
2. Holmes
3. Foreman
4. Frazier
5. Norton
6. Quarry
7. Young
8. Lyle
9. Shavers
10. Bugner

 

Pretty good effort.