QUARRY OUTPUNCHED AND EYE BADLY CUT Clay was masterly; t.k.o. in 3rd round

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32439, 28 October 1970, Page 34

QUARRY OUTPUNCHED AND EYE BADLY CUT Clay was masterly; t.k.o. in 3rd round

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) ATLANTA. The former world heavy-weight champion, Cassius Clay, made a spectacular return to the ring when he scored a technical knock-out over Jerry Quarry at the end of the third round of their scheduled 15-round fight yesterday.

Quarry’s manager and father, Jack Quarry, asked the referee, Mr A. Perez, to halt the fight after his son had suffered a bad cut over his left eye.

The father took a look at the cut after the third round ended and motioned to Perez that he wanted the bout stopped. Quarry began to sob and show anger at his father’s action, but the referee halted the fight. During the nine minutes of boxing, Clay appeared trim and fit—much the same as he had back in March, 1967, when he last appeared in a boxing ring, defending his heavy-weight championship with a knock-out over Zora Folley.

Following instructions shouted at him by his handler, Bundini Brown, Clay stabbed and stabbed and stabbed at Quarry’s eye at long range and dominated the punching. Longer reach For two rounds those ripping lefts stung and reddened Quarry’s face, and Clay, scaling 15st 3}lb to Quarry’s 14st IJlb, easily won those two rounds as Quarry landed only a half-a-dozen effective punches.

Midway in the third round Quarry, desperately trying to get inside Clay’s longer reach of sJin, pummelled the former champion to the ropes with two thumping lefts, but just when it seemed Quarry might have his best moment of the fight, Clay ripped l another of those trip-hammer lefts and that one did the damage by opening the cut over Quarry’s eye.

The California - Irishman fought desperately for the closing minute of the fight and managed to avoid further damage. But his father stepped in front of Quarry when he returned to his comer, took one look at the cut, and signalled that he was stopping the fight.

Implored referee

“No, no, no,” shouted Quarry, leaping off his stool and resisting the efforts to pull off his blood-stained gloves. Quarry rushed to the centre of the ring and implored the referee to keep the fight going, but Mr Perez waved his arms, signalling a technical knock-out at the end of the third round.

Quarry needed 11 stitches to close the gaping wound. ■ Clay showed no effects from nis enforced lay-off. He danced and jabbed in masterly fashion, and several times exhibited blazing speed by landing left-right combinations that shook Quarry. Clay won all three rounds on the scorecards of all three officials—Mr Perez, and the judges, Messrs L. Eskin and W. Graham.

Still undefeated The victory was the thirtieth for Clay, who has never been defeated in his career, and paved the way for the bout he has been seeking for a long time —a shot at regaining the heavyweight crown that was taken away from him in 1967 because of his conviction for draft evasion. The title is now held by Joe Frazier, of Philadelphia, who will defend it on November 18 against the world light heavy-weight champion, Bob Foster. There is a strong likelihood that Clay will be matched with the winner at Madison Square Garden next year. After yesterday’s fight, Clay predicted that “Joe Frazier will be easier to hit,” Associated Press reported. “Quarry hits harder than Frazier,” he said. "Quarry is also harder to hit.

‘Artists’s’ impression

“See this drawing,” he said, holding an amateurish bit of artwork. “I drew that several days ago. It’s the boxing ring and the referee is telling me, ‘lt’s all over, Ali, go to your comer’.” Quarry said: “I missed him with a right hand by that much.” Holding two fingers an inch apart. "If I had landed that, they would not have had to worry about cuts.” , , The defeat was the fifth of Quarry’s career against 37 wins and four draws. It was only the third time the tough Californian had been stopped; he bowed in 1969 to Frazier and to George Chuvalo. Clay, aged 28, was expected to earn more than $1 million for his return to boxing, this representing his 421 .per cent share of the expected $3 million revenues

from closed circuit television at 210 locations throughout the nation.

Doubled winnings

Quarry, receiving 22i per cent, was expected to receive more than $500,000, thus doubling in defeat the purses he received for all 45 of his previous ring appearances. The bout was held without incident in Atlanta’s Municipal Auditorium, which seats only 5000 the smallest crowd to see Clay fight since he reached the big time. There was no picketing or demonstrations of any kind, although it had been declared a “day of mourning” by Governor Lester Maddox, who opposed holding the fight in Georgia because of Clay’s draft conviction.

Atlanta City officials, however, were in favour of the bout and Mayor Sam Masell spoke words of greeting to the crowd from the ring before the main bout.