January 2002 - March 2004 - The Jerry Quarry Foundation

think he believed he was invincible. It's possible that the fierce beating Ali
gave him, even though he lost, could have rendered JF less able to cope with
future beatings, and shots to the head. He stood up well in Manila though,
succumbing more to facial swelling than to Ali's punches, per se. Blind that he
was in his left eye, it's possible that Ali could have put him down in the 15th,
with a right Frazier never would have seen. Some rumors say Ali wouldn't have
come out for the fifteenth, but I don't believe that. As demolished as both were
at that point, it could have almost hinged on luck. Would Ali have landed one
too many rights, or would Frazier's left have gotten through one more time?
Whichever happened could have determined things in a final round that never
was.|
|9/8/03 01:11:57 PM|Gerry Schultz|Cleveland, Ohio||jgschultz11@msn.com||||9|Some
good comments on Joe Frazier, whose physical stature, like Marciano, would
determine what type of fighter he would become. Joe was very savvy in the ring,
very tough, and and came forward with a lot of intensity, a huge puncher. Jerry
loved a good fight also, of course, but could have boxed Joe better and had a
real chance to defeat him, instead of giving Joe two great bouts. Even in
watching JQ against Chuvalo, he could not just box an opponent and take the
easier road. A puncher brought out the fight in him and he would trade with him
rather than box and counterpunch, you couldn't do that with Joe, unless you were
a punching mountain like Foreman. Even though George was clearly better in his
matchup with Joe, I still prefer Joe to George all-time, especially when Joe's
bouts with Ali are considered. I don't think Foreman could have challenged Ali
to that degree. Of course, I'm glad to hear Mike and Robert are doing well. I'd
wish nothing else for any ex-boxer. This talk of skull compression and MRIs only
again goes to boxing's loud need for some type of head gear or protection. Since
boxing is clearly not going to go away, as some have wished, something or some
organization needs to step up and care what happens to former and current
boxers. Football players have helmuts, hockey goalies have masks, even baseball
hitters have helmuts. When does the boxer get something?|
|9/8/03 03:51:22
PM|Roadscholarette|Chicago||roadscholarette@hotmail.com||||10|Gerry - with heavy
gloves and head gurards, and stuff, I've sparred before, and react badly to
being hit. It totally infuriates me, and I lose all sense of practice of the
sweet science I might have had before, so I can understand JQ's instinct against
Frazier. Not that Joe ~let~ fighters do anything else. Only the superbly
talented Ali even managed a semblance of boxing with Joe, and then it wasn't
pure boxing, but rather an odd combination of that, mixed with slugging, and
rope a dope (which didn't work with JF). While Ali was a better athlete, Quarry
was a better pure boxer in terms of strict adherence to fundamentals. Ali did a
lot of things wrong that only his athleticism and ability to take a punch
allowed him to get by with. A young Ali is probably the only fighter who might
have boxed Joe successfully, and even then I doubt he could have pulled it off.
Only his style, or that of a bomber like Foreman could beat Frazier, and those
are the only people who ever did. Frazier was never even in the hole against
anyone, and needed to KO them, as was the case with a couple of Marciano
fights.Re head guards: these are somewhat effective, but still won't
protect against torqueing, collision injuries. Beyond that, as I commented to
someone in email, I wonder about boxing fans. Most say they like to see skill,
but do they really, totally? A skillful fight is great, but fight fans like
Manilas too. How many would take two really sharp guys putting on a brilliant
display of boxing, all padded up, as opposed to a Foreman-Lyle, or Thrilla?|
|9/8/03 04:52:24 PM|Angelo|Washington, DC||funktron@yahoo.com||||10|Scholar: I
agree that most people, even fans of the real "science" want to see smashmouth
boxing with headshots and KOs. But I have to tell you, back in the 70's, as a
young fan, I loved watching Jimmy Young and Eddie Gregory (later, Eddie Mustafa
Muhammad) take opponents to school on crafty boxing, defense, counter punching,