January 2002 - July 2006 - The Jerry Quarry Foundation

IN JAIL FOR ARMED ROBBERRY (THIS WILL BECOME IMPORTANT LATER IN THE STORY).
MERRITT AND FOREST WARD WERE RISING PROSPECTS ON THE HEAVYWEIGHT SCENE IN THE
LATE 60'S IN NYC. MERRITT KEPT YELLING FOR A FIGHT WITH WARD, AND CLAIMED WARD
WAS DUCKING HIM. HE MAY HAVE BEEN RIGHT. IF THEY FOUGHT AT THE TIME SOMEONE
DEFINETLY WOULD HAVE BEEN KNOCKED. BOTH OF THEM AS IT TURNS OUT HAD GLASS JAWS.
IRONICALLY, I SAW THEM BOTH KNOCKED OUT ON THE SAME NIGHT IN MADISON SQUARE
GARDEN, IN SEPT OF 1968. MERRITT WAS KNOCKED OUT IN THE 3RD ROUND BY JOHNNY
GAUSE OF PHILA.,AFTER KNOCKING DOWN GAUSE A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THE SAME ROUND,
IT WAS A SENSATIONAL FIGHT. FOREST WARD WAS KNOCKED OUT IN THE 7TH ROUND BY
CHUCK WEPNER, IN A BEAUTIFUL COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY BY WEPNER. WEPNER FLOORED
WARD IN THE 2ND ROUND; BY THE 4TH ROUND WARD PUMELLING WEPNER SO BAD THE REFEREE
ASKED WEPNER IF HE WANTED TO CONTINUE, THERE WAS NO QUIT IN CHUCK WEPNER. YEARS
LATER I GOT TO KNOW WEPNER AND I TOLD HIM I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THE WARD FIGHT
WAS HIS BEST FIGHT, HE TOLD ME HIS FAVORITE WAS HIS WIN OVER MANUEL
RAMOS.MERRITT HAD A BUSY YEAR IN NYC IN 1969 AND WON EVERY FIGHT.
IN 1970 HE MOVED AWAY FROM NYC AND FOUGHT OUT OF MIAMI, WITH ANGELO DUNDEE. HERE
IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING. AFTER MUHAMMAD ALI FOUGHT QUARRY IN ALANTA, ALI
SUED FOR A LICENSE IN NYC. IN ALI'S LAW SUIT IT STATED THAT THE NEW YORK STATE
BOXING COMMISSION LICENSED FELONS TO BOX, AND AS A RESULT HE WAS ENTITLED TO A
LICENSE UNTIL HIS COURT APPEAL WAS DECIDED, AND GUESS WHO'S NAME WAS GIVEN AS AN
EXAMPLE? JEFF MERRITT! ALI GOT THE LICENSE AND FOUGHT BONAVENA 5 WEEKS LATER.
FAST FORWARD, A FEW YEARS LATER, DURING A TRAFFIC STOP THE POLICE CHECKED THE
TRUNK OF JEFF MERRITT'S CAR AND FOUND A DEAD BODY. HE WAS SENT BACK TO PRISON.
I CAN ONLY GUESS, BUT I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO I HEARD HE WAS OUT OF
JAIL, AND A CRACK ADDICT BEGGING IN THE STREETS OF LAS VEGAS.BLUE LEWIS,
WAS A GOOD FIGHTER, MOST FIGHTERS DUCKED HIM, MOST NOTABLY BUSTER MATHIS. THE
DETROIT BOXING COMMISSION SUSPENDED MATHIS FOR NOT HONORING A CONTRACT TO FIGHT
LEWIS. LEWIS FOUGHT A PRETTY GOOD FIGHT AGAINST ALI IN DUBLIN. NO QUESTION
ABOUT IT LEWIS WAS A CAPABLE AND GOOD FIGHTER. BEFORE TURNING PRO, LEWIS DID
TIME IN JAIL FOR MANSLAUGHTER, I UNDERSTAND HE LEARNED HOW TO BOX IN PRISON.
ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT LEWIS WAS DESTITUTE IN
DETROIT.JOHN, I WAS LOOKING AT PAST POST AND I SAW ONE YOU MADE ABOUT
TED GULLICK. I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THAT AT THE TIME BUT I FORGOT. BUT
YOU RAISED A GOOD POINT AND I WILL GO INTO THE NEXT TIME.|
|3/7/03 11:53:39 AM|FOREST WARD|SOUTH CAROLINA||JOEKEVIN@CS.COM||||10|HI JOHN, I
REMEMBER BOTH JEFF MERRIT AND BLUE LEWIS, VERY WELL. BOTH WERE EX-JAILBIRDS
LOOKING FOR A NEW START IN LIFE THROUGH BOXING. I DID NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT ROCKY
DiFAZIO, EXCEPT FOR WHAT I SAW IN RING MAGAZINE.I REMEMBER WHEN JEFF
MERRITT STARTED FIGHTING, BOY COULD HE PUNCH; ESPECIALLY WITH HIS LEFT HOOK. HE
BEGAN FIGHTING IN THE LATE 60'S IN NEW YORK CITY. MERRITT WAS TRAINED AT THAT
TIME BY SANDY SADDLER. AT THE TIME HE WAS A RECOVERING DOPE ADDICT, WHO DID TIME
IN JAIL FOR ARMED ROBBERRY (THIS WILL BECOME IMPORTANT LATER IN THE STORY).
MERRITT AND FOREST WARD WERE RISING PROSPECTS ON THE HEAVYWEIGHT SCENE IN THE
LATE 60'S IN NYC. MERRITT KEPT YELLING FOR A FIGHT WITH WARD, AND CLAIMED WARD
WAS DUCKING HIM. HE MAY HAVE BEEN RIGHT. IF THEY FOUGHT AT THE TIME SOMEONE
DEFINETLY WOULD HAVE BEEN KNOCKED. BOTH OF THEM AS IT TURNS OUT HAD GLASS JAWS.
IRONICALLY, I SAW THEM BOTH KNOCKED OUT ON THE SAME NIGHT IN MADISON SQUARE
GARDEN, IN SEPT OF 1968. MERRITT WAS KNOCKED OUT IN THE 3RD ROUND BY JOHNNY
GAUSE OF PHILA.,AFTER KNOCKING DOWN GAUSE A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THE SAME ROUND,
IT WAS A SENSATIONAL FIGHT. FOREST WARD WAS KNOCKED OUT IN THE 7TH ROUND BY
CHUCK WEPNER, IN A BEAUTIFUL COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY BY WEPNER. WEPNER FLOORED
WARD IN THE 2ND ROUND; BY THE 4TH ROUND WARD PUMELLING WEPNER SO BAD THE REFEREE
ASKED WEPNER IF HE WANTED TO CONTINUE, THERE WAS NO QUIT IN CHUCK WEPNER. YEARS
LATER I GOT TO KNOW WEPNER AND I TOLD HIM I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THE WARD FIGHT
WAS HIS BEST FIGHT, HE TOLD ME HIS FAVORITE WAS HIS WIN OVER MANUEL
RAMOS.MERRITT HAD A BUSY YEAR IN NYC IN 1969 AND WON EVERY FIGHT.
IN 1970 HE MOVED AWAY FROM NYC AND FOUGHT OUT OF MIAMI, WITH ANGELO DUNDEE. HERE