January 2002 - October 2006 - The Jerry Quarry Foundation

with Ron Lyle and designed the plan to avoid Lyle.***There's every
chance Lyle would have won that. I have nothing against Norton at all, actually
like him, but you're right - he did have trouble against power punchers, and
seemed to unravel instantly and totally when really hit.|
|9/3/03 05:20:34 PM|Gerry Schultz|Cleveland, Ohio||jgschultz11@msn.com||||9|Wow,
some big postings. Was surprised to see some very good heavies placed in a
"weak" or "poor" catagory for the sake of comparison. Becoming a top10 or top20
heavy is a real accomplishment, no weak or poor guys there. Tubby, Wilt was
underappreciated as a player, and labeled a selfish super-athlete during his
day. Bill Russell was legendary in just a couple phases of the game, a super
role player on a team of Hall of Famers. Wilt's game covered more ground than
any player ever, he embarrassed the league. As he correctly said himself " No
one roots for Goliath", and few did... Got to defend Rocky also, who beat
Walcott, Charles, Moore among others. It isn't just that he went undefeated, he
beat better guys overall vs. Foreman as champ, though Foreman did have Frazier
and Norton. Rock also lasted longer and clearly conducted himself better. Few of
Rock's matches were even close. A lot said about boxing's crookedness and health
hazards. Senator John McCain (who should be President) has himself lobbied for a
governmental agency of some sort, and many have stated the need for some type of
headgear, perhaps similar to sparring gear to better protect fighters. Fact is,
few respect the sport in the general public, which is also why the current push
for a union, while clearly necessary, is not likely to materialize. Boxing needs
to establish a credibility as a sport in the eyes of the general public to gain
these considerations, a real uphill road.|
|9/3/03 05:24:36
PM|Roadscholarette|Chicago||roadscholarette@hotmail.com||||10|The brain's a
funny and mysterious organ. Fighters can have a long career and be pretty much
unscathed, while some ordinary guy can fall off a ladder and become a vegetable.
Just as some fighters are more prone to brain damage, others are not as much.
Those with it can find it's unpredictable too. Some guys will remember
everything about their career, or perhaps about something else, but forget other
very simple things, or not be able to figure out very basic things. Some
experience wild emotional swings, others do not. This is the same as with real
old people with senile dementia, who may be able to remember every detail of
their wedding day, or a poker game during WW2, but have difficulty with a simple
kitchen appliance, or forget where their shoes are (that they maybe took off
five minutes ago).|
|9/3/03 05:27:58
PM|Roadscholarette|Chicago||roadscholarette@hotmail.com||||10|Gerry -I
sure have to second that sentiment about McCain!|
|9/3/03 05:33:52 PM|Angelo|Washington, DC||funktron@yahoo.com||||10|One fight
that damaged Ali, that people seldom bring up, is the first Spinks fight.
Already at an advanced fighting age, Ali absorbed punch after punch, trading
hard shots right through to the end of the fight. In fact, Ali threw and landed
more power punches in that fight than he had in years. I have his last career
KO on tape (Richard Dunn) but even in that fight, I don't think he landed like
he did against Spinks. Ali was slow and old, without the defensive reflexes he
once had. It was a tremendous job he did in the return match, getting into
better shape and giving young Spinks a boxing lesson. Later, Holmes took it
easy against Ali, which is why Ali lasted 10 rounds with him. But I have to
say, Ali's last fight, the loss to Trevor Berbick, surprised me because Berbick
was a top 10 fighter and Ali wasn't even a shell of his former self. He simply
had nothing left at all on offense or defense, yet managed to go the distance
against Berbick and have a few close rounds. Basically, it amazes me that a 40
year old guy already suffering physical nerve damage and slowed down by age AND
physiological factors still managed to hold his own against a top 10 heavyweight
in his 20's. |