Joe Frazier vs Jerry Quarry II 1974

Apparently Foreman ducked Quarry after getting his butt whupped by him in an early sparring session.

Frazier certainly looked good in this rematch against Quarry and I'd bet this version doesn't get knocked out in two rounds by Foreman. Two years later wearing contacts and nothing left to offer, Frazier changed his style and made the 1976 match more competitive than the first.

Foreman still dominated, but he wouldn't dominate pre-FOTC Frazier.

 

Somehow I've always believed that shot, in no small way, moved along Jerry's eventual melt-down to dementia.

I've always thought, in retrospect, that Jerry's downside began sometime in mid-late 73, even before the Shavers fight. He looked chiseled in the early 73 Lyle scrap and somewhat pear shaped against Earnie. Not to mention 3 months after Earnie and 3 months before Frazier 2, journeyman Joe Alexander absolutely torched him in the first round with a text book left hook that sent Jerry flying to the canvass.

 

I don't believe that and I don't believe Quarry could ever have been competitive against George after the first few minutes of a match.

 

I agree, Joe looked like a million bucks in the fight, very focused and trim. True Jerry's style was made to order for Joe, but Joe did all that was ask of him in that fight. Joe was truly a great fighter.

One observation I would like to make, though Jerry had recently clobbered Shavers and schooled Lyle, he looked very poor vs Joe Alexander in the immediate fight prior to taking on Frazier. I think Jerry's brain had already incurred a vast amount of damage and his motor skills were already starting to suffer. The beating he took in this fight and the Norton fight, as well as the disasterous comeback fight vs Zanon, in which he rallied and won, sealed his fate.

Damn shame.

 

Ali was 6'2.5", Foreman 6'3.5".

 

I was told that this was a sparring session in after the Chuvalo and Peralta fights. Maybe George was being nice and complimentary of Quarry after his passing, but he himself said in interviews that Quarry would have been a tough fight for him. Quarry's pressure is different than Frazier's, moreso with less head movement and motion. Frazier's downfall against Foreman in the first fight was not showing up in shape, underestimating Foreman's atheletic ability as a gold medalist, and Mercante's blind eye to Foreman's wrestling tactics.

Certainly the brave Quarry who fought Frazier the first time and the Quarry who KO'd Mac Foster and Earnie Shavers probably makes a competitive fight against Foreman. Too many people use the Jamaica fight as an barometer for matching swarmers against Foreman which is wrong. FOTC or pre-FOTC conditioned Frazier doesn't get knocked out in two rounds by Foreman and I'd greatly increase his chances of winning IF he makes it past the early rounds.

 

Why would Quarry get 'creamed' by Foreman when he handily beat Ron Lyle in early 1973? Lyle is very similar to Foreman in size, punching power, style, etc. If Quarry was in shape and focused and foughtly smartly he could have beaten Foreman. By 1974 he was weakened by too many wars and too much fast living. He partied too much and was rumored to be drinking heavily and using cocaine by the mid-1970's.

 

Quarry would have given Foreman hell. Foreman was somewhat mentally scared from a sparring session years earlier with Quarry. Apparently George's sparring mentality that day was to try to crush Quarry, whom in turn got pissed off and pretty much tore George a new *******. One thing is for sure, Quarry would not have been scared of Foreman. Jerry wasn't scared of anybody.