Joe Frazier vs Jerry Quarry II 1974

[ChrisPontius]

Just rewatched this fight, anyone else think Frazier looked very sharp and focused?

Quarry had a good first round but from there on it was all Frazier. Frazier was fast, had good head movement and although the fight didn't last long, he looked close to the form of the 70/71. His weight was 212lb, somewhat more than the 205 from FOTC, although he probably put on a few pounds naturally too because of the aging. He also made more use of the right hand, which in turn made the left hook more effective.

Although he was out of shape for the first Foreman fight, i don't think he was shot from that point on as some claim. He looked fresh and sharp against Quarry II.

[clark]

Joe did look sharp in that fight. Great fight for Joe.

[TheGreatA]

Quarry was also coming off what was probably his best year in 1973 with wins over Lyle and Shavers.

Great win for Joe and he got a deserved title shot for it. He left it all in the ring against Ali.

[MRBILL]

Just rewatched this fight, anyone else think Frazier looked very sharp and focused?

Quarry had a good first round but from there on it was all Frazier. Frazier was fast, had good head movement and although the fight didn't last long, he looked close to the form of the 70/71. His weight was 212lb, somewhat more than the 205 from FOTC, although he probably put on a few pounds naturally too because of the aging. He also made more use of the right hand, which in turn made the left hook more effective.

Although he was out of shape for the first Foreman fight, i don't think he was shot from that point on as some claim. He looked fresh and sharp against Quarry II.

Considering that Quarry was made-to-order for Frazier like a fish sandwich, YES, Frazier looked awesome and smokin'.....

To my knowledge off the top of my skull, Frazier only fought three more times before calling it a career, until, his ill fight in 1981.... In 1975, Frazier butchered Jimmy Ellis again and got TKO'd by Ali to close out the year.... In 1976, Frazier had another nightmare with George Foreman in New York....... Done Deal.....

MR.BILL

[Bokaj]

Just rewatched this fight, anyone else think Frazier looked very sharp and focused?

Quarry had a good first round but from there on it was all Frazier. Frazier was fast, had good head movement and although the fight didn't last long, he looked close to the form of the 70/71. His weight was 212lb, somewhat more than the 205 from FOTC, although he probably put on a few pounds naturally too because of the aging. He also made more use of the right hand, which in turn made the left hook more effective.

Although he was out of shape for the first Foreman fight, i don't think he was shot from that point on as some claim. He looked fresh and sharp against Quarry II.

Yeah, I've been saying the same thing. His feet probably weren't quite as fast they were in for example FOTC, but it was only against Ali that he needed to be that fast. I think Quarry II might be his best perfomance after the Ali fights.

[Longhhorn71]

Quarry was kinda forced into that fight .....when he should have got a title shot against Foreman.

Foreman was at that time trying to fight Ali.....but Quarry had earned his shot.

Quarry's style really had no chance against Frazier....and that had been proven before.

[ChrisPontius]

Quarry's style really had no chance against Frazier....and that had been proven before.

I agree.... and although he probably had a better chance against Foreman because of styles, don't you think he [George] would've bashed Quarry, especially at that point?

[MRBILL]

Quarry would've died back in the 1970s had he ever fought Foreman in the ring........ Quarry was lucky to have MISSED Foreman in the ring..... Quarry was too short and light for Foreman......... The 6' Quarry at 207 puffed-up pounds gets creamed by Foreman at 6' 4" and 217 to 224 pounds..... NO CONTEST!!!

MR.BILL

[ChrisPontius]

Quarry would've died back in the 1970s had he ever fought Foreman in the ring........ Quarry was lucky to have MISSED Foreman in the ring..... Quarry was too short and light for Foreman......... The 6' Quarry at 207 puffed-up pounds gets creamed by Foreman at 6' 4" and 217 to 224 pounds..... NO CONTEST!!!

MR.BILL

You're just saying that because you're on a picture with him and his million dollar smile.

[AnthonyJ74]

Quarry would've died back in the 1970s had he ever fought Foreman in the ring........ Quarry was lucky to have MISSED Foreman in the ring..... Quarry was too short and light for Foreman......... The 6' Quarry at 207 puffed-up pounds gets creamed by Foreman at 6' 4" and 217 to 224 pounds..... NO CONTEST!!!

MR.BILL

Just for the record - I don't think Foreman was ever 6'4"...6'3" tops! The 6'4" thing came about during his comeback years. He must have had a middle age growth spurt!

[groove]

he was said to be 6'4'' when he fought Ali in Zaire.

[mr. magoo]

..

[ChrisPontius]

I think he always looked 6'4 rather than 6'3. If you watch the staredown in the Ali fight, i think he looks a bit taller. And he literally towers over Frazier, also during the spare moments that he didn't knock him down.

[OBCboxer]

Frazier had showed that he could throw the right hand a little bit in this fight. What I want to know is how Quarry didn't go down from that massive left hook in round 4.

[MRBILL]

:bbbJust for the record - I don't think Foreman was ever 6'4"...6'3" tops! The 6'4" thing came about during his comeback years. He must have had a middle age growth spurt!

Foreman is 6' 4" tall.... I have a photo of Foreman and Ali standing in ring center between referee Zack Clayton and you can see that Foreman does indeed appear to be an inch taller than the 6' 3" tall Ali....

MR.BILL:bbb

[round15]

Quarry would've died back in the 1970s had he ever fought Foreman in the ring........ Quarry was lucky to have MISSED Foreman in the ring..... Quarry was too short and light for Foreman......... The 6' Quarry at 207 puffed-up pounds gets creamed by Foreman at 6' 4" and 217 to 224 pounds..... NO CONTEST!!!

MR.BILL

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.

[jowcol]

Frazier had showed that he could throw the right hand a little bit in this fight. What I want to know is how Quarry didn't go down from that massive left hook in round 4.

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.

[jowcol]

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

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.

[Curtis Lowe]

Just rewatched this fight, anyone else think Frazier looked very sharp and focused?

Quarry had a good first round but from there on it was all Frazier. Frazier was fast, had good head movement and although the fight didn't last long, he looked close to the form of the 70/71. His weight was 212lb, somewhat more than the 205 from FOTC, although he probably put on a few pounds naturally too because of the aging. He also made more use of the right hand, which in turn made the left hook more effective.

Although he was out of shape for the first Foreman fight, i don't think he was shot from that point on as some claim. He looked fresh and sharp against Quarry II.

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.

[spittle8]

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

[round15]

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 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.

[Sardu]

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.

[Curtis Lowe]

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 asshole. One thing is for sure, Quarry would not have been scared of Foreman. Jerry wasn't scared of anybody.