Muhammad Ali vs Jerry Quarry in a 15 round non-title heavyweight bout
Date: October 26, 1970
Venue: Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta
Ali stance: orthodox
Quarry stance: orthodox
Muhammad Ali beat Sonny Liston in February 1964 to become undisputed heavyweight champion. He defended his belts nine times. Soon after his ninth defence, Ali was stripped of his titles and boxing licence for refusing to serve in the US army after being called up. Ali was out of the ring for three and a half years, and his bout with Quarry was to be the start of his comeback.
Jerry Quarry turned pro in 1965, and just two years later he faced Jimmy Ellis for the vacant WBA title, losing on a split decision. That was the 32nd fight of his career to date. A few months earlier, Quarry had broken his back, and the wound had developed into gangrene. It was a minor miracle Quarry was able to walk, let alone box. Over the next couple of years, Quarry suffered losses to Joe Frazier and George Chuvalo, but enjoyed wins over Buster Mathis and Mac Foster. The sixth round stoppage of Foster was especially impressive as he was 24-0 with 24 KOs at the time, and the number one ranked contender.
For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:
Muhammad Ali - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/000180
Jerry Quarry - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/9385