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40 years ago tonight, Muhammad Ali made his return to the ring in Atlanta. He faced one of the top contenders in the heavyweight division, Jerry Quarry. Although looking back this many years, it may seem that it was a relatively safe fight, it actually was a serious test for Ali.
First, Quarry was a tough fighter. He was a good counter-puncher, and had serious power. He had already won four fights in 1970, including a big upset when he knocked out the previously undefeated Mac Foster (24-0, with 24 KOs).
Ali had not fought since March, 1967, when he TKOed aging contender Zora Folley. At the time of Ali's forced inactivity, young Jerry Quarry was being considered for a title defense. In the three and one-half years since then, Quarry had fought twenty times.
Ali had not taken much time to prepare for Quarry. The Champ was too focused on getting into the ring to fight Smokin' Joe Frazier, the new heavyweight champion. Angelo Dundee knew that Ali needed "laps around the track" before fighting Joe, and had worked with promoters who dealt with the political machine in Georgia; the machine believed that Quarry would be their "Great White Hope," and could beat Ali.
There is some confusion about the relationship between Ali and Quarry. The two engaged in some pretty heated trash talking over the years. However, it was entirely an act. The two had great respect for one another, and were casual friends outside the ring. Michael Arkush's 2008 book "The Fight of the Century" provides some fascinating information on how the two promoted their first fight. I've written about how Quarry strongly disliked the "White Hope" bit, which boxing writers had begun applying to him soon after he turned professional. His father Jack told reporters that access to Jerry would be restricted to those who called him "Irish" Jerry Quarry, and absolutely denied to those who wrote about "white."
The crowd that attended this fight included the "beautiful people" who normally thought boxing was too brutal. It was an event larger than sports: it was highly political, and Ali was correctly viewed as representing the anti-war, pro-civil rights Americans. Unfortunately, Quarry -- like Joe Frazier -- would be incorrectly cast as a pro-establishment puppet.And that is a shame, because both Jerry and Joe were outstanding men, who believed strongly in social justice.
Ali would score a 3rd round TKO, having opened an ugly gash over Quarry's eye. It was one of the most intense nights in sport's history, at a time when sports played an important role in the political and cultural life in the United States.
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