Floyd Patterson vs Jerry Quarry 2

Two early knockdowns secured a narrow victory which the former champion’s late rally could not overturn. Jerry Quarry advanced to the semi-finals of the WBA heavyweight championship tournament by taking a majority decision over Floyd Patterson at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on 28 October 1967. The twelve-round contest ended amid protests from spectators, with the scoring officials divided and ringside opinion far from unanimous.

The tournament had been organised after the WBA withdrew recognition from Muhammad Ali following his refusal to enter the United States armed forces. Patterson, twice previously heavyweight champion, was seeking another opportunity at the title at thirty-two. Quarry, ten years younger, was developing into a serious contender. Their first meeting, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on 9 June, had ended in a draw after ten rounds. Quarry had knocked Patterson down twice in the second, but Patterson recovered and subsequently floored Quarry. The return match therefore offered both men a chance to settle an inconclusive encounter, with advancement towards the vacant championship now also at stake.

Aileen Eaton’s promotion drew 5,300 paying spectators to the Olympic, while another 3,576 watched a closed-circuit transmission at the nearby Los Angeles Sports Arena. ABC carried the contest to a national television audience. Patterson entered with forty-six wins, five defeats and one draw; Quarry had twenty-four wins, one defeat and four draws. The contrast was between Patterson’s experience and quick combinations and Quarry’s ability to deliver short, damaging counters when his opponent came within reach.

Patterson made a useful start, but the second round brought a repetition of his earlier difficulties against Quarry. During an exchange in a neutral corner, Quarry landed first and sent him down into a sitting position with a short right to the head. Patterson recovered and continued, only to be dropped again in the fourth by another short right. This time he went to one knee. The second fall was less emphatic, but it was ruled a knockdown. Quarry’s success in these exchanges gave him an important early advantage under California’s scoring system, which allowed additional points for decisive rounds rather than simply recording the number of rounds won.

Patterson answered in the fifth, although Quarry regained the initiative in the sixth with effective body punching. Thereafter the older man increasingly took charge. Quarry became less active, using clinches and brief bursts of punching to contain Patterson’s advance. Patterson continued to press, while Quarry’s earlier authority diminished. The contest had changed from one in which the younger man was landing the decisive blows to one in which he was trying to preserve his lead. Quarry later acknowledged that a hard right in the ninth had shaken him.

The late rounds strengthened Patterson’s case, but did not produce the knockdown or stoppage that would have removed the uncertainty. At the finish, judges Lee Grossman and Joey Olmos each awarded Quarry seven points to six. Referee Vern Bybee scored it six points apiece, making the result a majority decision. These were California points totals, not a statement that Quarry had won seven rounds against Patterson’s six in a twelve-round fight. His knockdowns had carried particular weight in determining the outcome.

The announcement provoked an angry response, with cups of beer and other objects thrown towards the ring. The disagreement extended beyond the spectators. United Press International and the Long Beach Press-Telegram favoured Patterson, while the Associated Press scored a draw. Writers from the Los Angeles Times and Pasadena Star-News also differed over the winner. Quarry’s early punching success was clear; whether it outweighed Patterson’s more sustained work in the latter stages remained the central argument.

Quarry’s record advanced to twenty-five wins, one defeat and four draws, while Patterson’s became forty-six wins, six defeats and one draw. The Californian moved forward to face Thad Spencer in the tournament semi-final. Patterson was eliminated despite finishing the stronger of the two. Their rematch had again demonstrated his capacity to recover from early trouble, but Quarry’s short right hands and the points they earned proved sufficient to secure the official verdict.

I favour Patterson here. Quarry’s short right hands deserved credit, and putting Floyd down in the second and fourth gave him a good lead. But Patterson recovered and did enough of the later work for me to prefer his overall performance. California’s scoring system made those early knockdowns expensive, and Quarry protected his advantage rather than building on it.

Their first fight had already shown the danger of letting Quarry land early. Patterson repeated that mistake, then had to chase the contest again. What impressed me was his ability to keep working after being dropped. Quarry admitted that Patterson’s right in the ninth rocked him. Floyd still had punching power worth respecting.

I understand why Quarry’s counterpunching attracted attention, but his second half disappointed me. Clinching and occasional flurries helped him survive the rally; they didn’t make him the better man throughout. This was close enough to argue over, certainly, but I’d have sent Patterson through to the next round.