Jerry Quarry, Alan Goldstein, and Telling Stories With Sport
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Jerry Quarry was a boxer. When he died in 1999, I had no idea who he was.
Turns out he fought Ali twice, and traded punches with Joe Frazier and Floyd Patterson. He was considered a fairly notable fighter, a “great white hope” of sorts. He was also punch-drunk, nearly broke, and 53 when he passed, barely conscious of who he was or what he was doing.
I learned these things via his obituary in the Baltimore Sun. I remember that when I first read it, I cut the columns from the paper and hung them up on the bulletin board at work. I highlighted two phrases that I thought everyone else should read. It felt like the thing to do.
I got to thinking about Jerry Quarry the other day for no particular reason. But I couldn’t remember what it was that had fascinated me so much. I had some vague idea of the quotes I had been compelled to share, but nothing specific. So I went digging.
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