A Ghetto Nerd’s Notebook: Evander Holyfield And The Ghost Of Jerry Quarry

Evander Holyfield’s first-round knockout loss against Vito Belfort brings back frightening memories of the former California contender’s last fight and steep decline.

Bellflower, California is a four-and-a-half-hour flight to Evander Holyfield’s Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1906, It was a farming community for the bulk of the century, drawing immigrants of all colors to work in its apple, milk, and potato production centers. What they were paid and how they were treated was another matter. The poverty that came from its bulk housing was a pure indictment of United States labor conditions. In a barely abstract sense, it was also fertile ground for Jerry Quarry, a 5–11, the 190-pound heavyweight fighter who went by the name of the Bellflower bomber and was every bit as tough as his last name.

In this writer’s opinion that, if he had fought now, he easily would have been the world’s heavyweight champion. At his peak, Quarry had a forward, all-action fighting style burnished by a solid defense, excellent technical skill, and a first-rate straight right. At his best, he fought under a deceptive crouch, where he would allow such muscle men like Mac Foster and Earnie Shavers to throw haymakers while picking them off. From 1966–1974, he knocked off several grizzled contenders to establish himself as a formidable box office draw and a contender of impeachable…