Jerry Quarry

Born in Bakersfield in May 1945, heavyweight boxer Jerry Quarry is considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight never to wear the title belt.

Quarry took to boxing at an early age. Trained by his father, he won the Junior Golden Gloves 45-pound division at age eight. Quarry came to national prominence by winning the 1965 National Golden Gloves championship when he was just 19, knocking out five opponents in a three-day span.

Quarry turned pro in May of that year, running off 12 wins in a row before meeting heavyweight contender Tony Doyle, who held him to his first draw. His first loss came in his 20th pro bout, against a tough veteran Eddie Machen. Quarry bounced back with a string of victories, leading up to a disputed 15-round loss to Jimmy Ellis for the WBA version of the heavyweight title that had been stripped from Muhammad Ali.

Boxing Illustrated named Quarry the most popular professional boxer in the world in 1968 and 1969, and he shared the honor with Ali in 1970. It was Quarry who fought Ali in his return to the ring after a three-year absence. He also dueled heavyweight champions Jimmy Ellis and Ken Norton; and had victories over notables such as Floyd Patterson, Buster Mathis, Ron Lyle, and Thad Spencer.
He ended his professional career with a record of 53-9-4 with 32 knockouts. In 1995, he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Quarry died in 1999 at the age of 53 due to dementia pugilistica, the atrophy of the brain from repeated blows to the head. A foundation works in his honor to battle the condition, which has afflicted countless other boxers.