Hard Luck: The Triumph and Tragedy of "Irish" Jerry Quarry Review

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Hard Luck: The Triumph and Tragedy of "Irish" Jerry Quarry ReviewAny boxing fan who lived through the 1960's and 1970's will never forget heavyweight boxer Jerry Quarry. Any boxing fan regardless of their age, or what generation of boxing they lived through... should know about Jerry Quarry. Quarry was without a doubt one of the best heavyweights who never won the championship. The time period that encompassed Jerry's career... just may have included the most talented overall bunch of heavyweights active at one time in history. And as the reader will find out... Jerry is probably the only one who didn't shy away from fighting these behemoth bombers. Before I go any further in this review... my opening statements can easily be confirmed by no greater an authority than former Heavyweight Champ and master-blaster George Foreman. Big George states in the foreword he so graciously wrote for this super-well-documented Quarry biography: "JERRY QUARRY WAS THE BEST HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTER NEVER TO HAVE A CHAMPIONSHIP BELT. WHEN I BECAME HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, I DODGED HIM PURPOSELY."
In hindsight... what can rightfully be called "The Golden Age Of Heavyweights" Jerry fought at least FIVE DIFFERENT MEN WHO AT SOME POINT WERE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS! Jerry's opponents included among others, MUHAMMAD ALI (TWICE), SMOKIN' JOE FRAZIER, KEN NORTON, RON LYLE, EARNIE SHAVERS, MAC FOSTER, FLOYD PATTERSON, THAD SPENCER, JIMMY ELLIS AND GEORGE CHUVALO. Many of these fighters were avoided by other fighters by any means necessary. Jerry never avoided anyone... and he always came to fight.
I grew up in Southern California during the Quarry years... and I even went to some fights with my boxing loving Dad, and yet I still learned an awful lot of behind the scenes information about the Quarry clan. The reader will learn about his tough as nails Father, Jack... who was the epitome of a relentless-street-fighting-give-no-quarter-depression-era-grapes-of-wrath-hardass. He had all his sons boxing each other from an early age. That included younger brother Mike who wound up fighting for the Light Heavyweight Championship and getting knocked into outer space by one of the greatest Light Heavyweight Champions of all-time, Bob Foster. One of the most surprising things I learned was how even as professional fighters, Jack had Jerry and Mike spar against each other in such no-holds-barred battle royals... that other professional boxers almost couldn't bear to watch. And if that wasn't bad enough... many times they both fought each other without headgear. Many believe that is one of the reasons they both wound up dying from dementia pugilistica.
The author provides a wonderfully detailed roadmap of Jerry being a great athlete in high school who ran the 100 yard dash in 9.9 seconds (That blew me away... a heavyweight boxer with that type of speed!) through his Golden Glove years and on through the pro's. A local Los Angeles fight favorite with his original home base the famed Olympic Auditorium (Where my Dad and I went.)... and then the biggest stage of them all... *MADISON SQUARE GARDEN IN NEW YORK*. Among others, Jerry fought Muhammad Ali there in his now infamous first bout back after his refusing the military draft. Jerry was thrown into a role that he never liked... that of *THE GREAT WHITE HOPE*. Jerry never backed down in any fight regardless of the outcome. From a job changing tires on Greyhound busses to being close personal friends with *ELVIS*, Jerry... just like "THE KING" loved his Mother more than anything else, and always took care of her.
The reader will have no punches pulled, as Quarry starts drinking... doing drugs... and starts to rapidly decline... almost assuredly from all the blows to the head he received... as he never stepped backwards... whether in victory or defeat. The end is exceedingly sad... and is like a modern day "REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT". The author at times goes overboard with his metaphors and analogies, such as: "AT THE END OF THE ROUND, JERRY HAD FINALLY FORCED ALI TO TASTE WHAT HE HAD IN THE KITCHEN, BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS ALI HAD A RAVENOUS APPETITE THAT JERRY COULD NOT SATE." Or, "JERRY HUNGERED FOR ANOTHER TITLE SHOT, JACK THREW HIM A STEAK, BUT IT WAS AS TOUGH AS HELL. THE STEAK WENT BY THE NAME OF "SMOKIN" JOE FRAZIER. A GUY COULD LOSE A MOLAR OR TWO BITING INTO THAT GRADE OF MEAT." And, "FRAZIER STAYED ON QUARRY LIKE A COUCH ON A FURNITURE DELIVERYMAN'S BACK." At first you think it was just a coincidence... but then you think it may be an inside tongue-in-cheek-joke... but by the end you just don't know.
Either way, the author did a great job and really defined this tough as nails boxer to the "T", including when "IN 1995 DR. PETER RUSSELL, JERRY'S NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST DURING THIS PERIOD STATED, "JERRY QUARRY'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE THE INSIDE OF A GRAPEFRUIT THAT HAS BEEN DROPPED DOZENS OF TIMES."
Jerry always loved his fans... and we still love you Jerry.
Hard Luck: The Triumph and Tragedy of "Irish" Jerry Quarry Overview

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