January 2002 - October 2006 - The Jerry Quarry Foundation

YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT AL JONES RECORD YOU SEE THAT HE FOUGHT A LOT OF JOURNEY MEN,
AND ALMOST ALWAYS IN MIAMI BEACH. INCLUDING A DRAW WITH ZORA FOLLEY IN 1968
(FOLLEY HAD TO BE CLOSE 40 AT THE TIME); AND A DRAW WITH LOUIS PIREZ (WILLIE
BURTONS CONQUERER) IN 1970. IF HE GOT A DRAW IN HIS HOMETOWN WITH THESE GUYS HE
PROBABLY LOST THE FIGHT. HE WAS ALSO A SOUTHPAW, THAT OF COURSE DID NOT HELP
HIS CAREER.|
|3/6/03 10:04:49 PM|FOREST WARD|SOUTH CAROLINA||JOEKEVIN@CS.COM||||10|HI, SORRY
I MEANT TO RATE THE SITE A 10 IN MY LAST 2 POSTINGS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT
HAPPENNED, BUT I APOLOGIZE FOR THE MISTAKES|
|3/7/03 06:55:25 AM|John Gerard|NYC||rock289z@yahoo.com||||10|FOREST; Thanks so
much for the update. Do you remember Blue Lewis and Jeff Merrit? Lewis was
beating the heck out of Bonavena in Argentina and the ref just disqualified him
for no reason. Merrit hit Ron Stander with a left hook that put him flat on his
back and Stander could take a punch. Also a Rocky Graziano clone middleweight
out of Chicago named Rocky DiFazio. A very exciting kid who fought in Chicago
and Vegas. I think he quit when Denny Moyer beat him on decision. Thanks for
the memories!|
|3/7/03 11:53:37 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
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