What did Jerry Quarry in?

I don't think you know what you're talking about.

 

Did Shavers even get a single clean shot off against him? He completely steamrolled Shavers.

 

Yes

 

A long hard career trading blows.

quarry, especially in the 1970s, once he worked out he could still beat most guys to the draw, would stay in punching distance and trade that little bit too much.

You see it most in the Norton fight where he would unload without giving much regard to what was coming back.

Rather than change position, step back and slip a blow, step back in then counter…hed just stay there and trade. Too much work. He could get more punches off staying there and that is where he paid that price.

 

Everything, an accumulated amount of punishment over the years, and pure damn bad luck.

 

I read an article about this many years ago. The author was of the opinion that Quarry turned pro too soon. He had won the national AAU championship and the author thought that Quarry should have stayed an amateur, matured some physically and tried for the next Olympics.
Instead he turned pro at 18 and had some very tough fights right from the beginning.

 

That's what confused me about Quarry. It's not like he fought in a caveman era where defense was an afterthought, there were guys who specialized in good defense and footwork such as Machen, Young, Ali, etc. Guys in previous eras such as Johnson.

Quarry had quick hands and was naturally good at counter punching, yet he often willingly got into slug fests or had lazy defense despite his relatively smaller size and tendency to get cuts. Had he simply worked on being a better defensive fighter, which would have suited him more in my opinion, he'd likely have been more successful and had less health issues.

That, and not taking on so many elite killers all the time and managing his health better in general.

 

has nothing to do with any GENES goodness The Quarry's fought all day every day sparring whatever, after they should have both been retired They only thing they had in their Genes was that they were fighters!!!
besides Jerry fought any HW PUT IN FRONT OF HIM
And Michael Wayne fought every Light heavyweight and Jerry put in front of em!
their countless sparring sessions day in day out were brutal.

Jerry was very impaired when those hoodlums got him in the ring in Colorado at age 47 which has no Boxing Commission and these thugs shoulda been up on criminal charges of attenpted man slaughter, and Mike had no biz slugging it out with heavyweight Ibar Arrington. and sustained a terrible mouth cut

 

I've always thought the Bodell fight did Jerry's knuckles in

 

I think that was a lady from Wisconsin talking about Aaron Pryor

 

Too brave . Know when is enough. RIP

 

Could not agree more.

Quarry himself was a smart fighter. The moves he showed up to the Ellis fight were really advanced. Against Thad Spencer he turned and made Spencer face the ropes a couple of times. And Spencer was a good fighter. As a kid quarry was outsmarting Floyd Patterson on even terms.

Into the 1970s he became a balls to the wall fighter. He’d gave up on most of that. Too hard to do. But he was landing more punches. Shavers found that out. But there was a price to pay. And he paid it.

 

That speeded up the deterioration alarmingly, taking years off his life. But sadly, he was probably already a lost cause by then.

 

Agreed. Nurture, not nature. I believe the youngest brother, who also boxed but much less so, is fine. He also said that he didn’t have that same type of “never say die” attitude and attachment to boxing.

Jerry’s later complete lack of D didn’t help but what an era of fighters to have to punch along with? Quarry had a great chin but sometimes that can be a curse, allowing him to see far more punishment than other fighters whose nights might’ve been mercifully short circuited much sooner.

 

George Chuvalo must have had a head of rock. Whilst I agree he did not take anywhere the beatings people will have you believe he did, George still really had a lot of very competitive fights. A longer career than Quarry, not many easy matches and so many more fights.

Chuvalo remained remarkably lucid until well his seventies. So far as I know he personally lived a clean life outside the ring himself.

Maybe that was the difference?

less gym wars and living clean outside the ropes?