Jerry Quarry

Jerry Quarry, also known as "Irish" or "The Bellflower Bomber", was an American professional boxer who gained fame during his peak years from 1968 to 1971. Quarry's career spanned more than 27 years, from 1965 to 1992, with a total of 66 fights, 53 wins, 9 losses, and 4 draws. He was a cruiserweight and heavyweight fighter, standing at 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) with a reach of 72 in (183 cm) and an orthodox stance. He was born in Bakersfield, California, on May 15, 1945, and passed away on January 3, 1999, at the age of 53 in Templeton, California, due to severe dementia pugilistica.

Quarry made his professional boxing debut at the age of 19 on May 7, 1965, against Gene Hamilton. He won the fight via 4 round PTS and went on to win 11 consecutive fights after the debut, including 7 via stoppage. Quarry had his first world title fight against Jimmy Ellis for the WBA (vacant) title when he was 22 and after 31 professional fights. However, he lost to Ellis via 15 round majority decision, failing to win his first world title.

Despite not winning a world title, Quarry had notable victories over several world-class fighters. He defeated Hall-of-Famer Floyd Patterson, Earnie Shavers, Randy Neumann, Jack Bodell, Eduardo Corletti, Mac Foster, Brian London, and Joe Alexander. Quarry had a total of nine losses in his professional career, two of which were in title bouts and seven in non-title bouts. Eddie Machen defeated him via a 10 round unanimous decision on July 14, 1966, putting an end to his 17-fight win streak. Quarry lost three times via decision and was stopped six times. For more details about these defeats, refer to "All of Jerry Quarry's losses".

One of Quarry's most famous bouts was against Muhammad Ali, who was at the peak of his career at the time. The two boxers faced off in 1970 and again in 1972, with Ali winning both matches. However, Quarry was known for putting up a strong fight against Ali, which earned him respect in the boxing community.

Quarry's boxing style was aggressive and powerful, leading to 32 knockout wins in his career. However, it was also a factor in his later-developed dementia pugilistica. Accumulated damage from lack of attention to defense against larger men at the top level, no head guard sparring, and attempted comebacks in 1977, 1983, and 1992 eventually led to this unfortunate condition. As a result, Quarry was unable to perform everyday tasks and became dependent on his family. The fortune he had earned was frittered away, and he passed away at the young age of 53.

In summary, Jerry Quarry was a talented boxer who gained fame during his peak years from 1968 to 1971. He had a total of 66 fights in his career, with 53 wins, 9 losses, and 4 draws, and was known for his aggressive and powerful boxing style. Despite not winning a world title, Quarry had notable victories over several world-class fighters, including Hall-of-Famer Floyd Patterson. Unfortunately, his later-developed dementia pugilistica cut his career short, leading to his passing at a young age.

Jerry Quarry Fight Record