Columnist Ron Kantowski: Quarry bouts show times have changed

Thursday, Dec. 12, 2002 | 9:50 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's insider notes column appears Tuesday and his Page One column appears Thursday. He can be reached at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

Much to my delight and amazement, ESPN Classic on Tuesday night featured an hour of programming that actually transpired before 1998 -- a couple of fights featuring the original Great White Hope, Jerry Quarry.

The first pitted Irish Jerry against a chiseled Ken Norton in 1974. The second had Quarry going against a Smokin' Joe Frazier in 1975. Both fights were at Madison Square Garden, and I probably don't have to tell you that Quarry finished second in both.

But watching those fights was still more eye-opening than a movie usher's flashlight.

For starters, I still can't believe I was able to get a date in high school dressed like that. But even more stunning was the ferocity of the fights. My wife, who has witnessed her share of $49.95 pay-per-view snoozers, was amazed that two guys could punch like that for three minutes at a time.

And these were heavyweights!

But more remarkable than Quarry's guts, Norton's resiliency or Frazier's relentless attack was the way the bouts were officiated. Basically, they weren't.

The referee for the Quarry-Frazier fight was Joe Louis. Maybe that's where the designation of "Third Man in the Ring" originated, because calling the Brown Bomber a referee is like calling Larry "Bud" Melman an actor.

For starters, Louis was allowed to preside over the bout in a polo shirt that look like it came off the rack at T.J. Maxx. Basically, all he did was greet the fighters, something he would later do for a living in Las Vegas, and then get out of the way.

Sometimes, that's not so bad. But with Quarry and Frazier fouling more often than Dennis Rodman in a loose ball situation, it would have helped to have had someone with authority within the same area code as the fighters.

After the bell to "end" the second round, Quarry and Frazier traded more blows than Jameel McCline and Wladimir Klitschko did in their entire fight at Mandalay Bay last weekend. Had it been Mike Tyson, there would have been a disciplinary hearing the next day. Instead, after about the third vicious combination, Frazier simply tapped Quarry on the biceps out of respect.

Had there been a knockout, it would have come at 3:25 of the second round.

I like a brawl as much as the next guy, but it was disturbing to see how much abuse Quarry sustained before the referee showed any mercy.

It's no wonder that Quarry couldn't dress, feed or go to the bathroom by himself at the time of his death in 1999. By the fourth round, he was bleeding profusely from gashes above his eyes, and Frazier was snapping his head back violently with virtually every punch. Quarry looked like one of those crash test dummies.

At one point, with those at ringside screaming for Louis to stop the fight, Frazier stopped punching. He repeatedly motioned for Louis to step in, but Louis just stood there, mesmerized.

The beating Quarry took would become part of a Richard Pryor routine. "He looks OK to me, Joe. Hit 'em some more," the comedian cackled in parody of Louis' reluctance to intervene.

In many states, fights seemingly are still officiated with the bloodthirsty public in mind. Thankfully, that's not the way it's done in Nevada.

So the next time Joe Cortez steps between the fighters while I've still got a few cold ones on ice, I'll try to remember that this is a good thing.

Because I don't think I'll ever forget the sad sight of Jerry Quarry getting his butt kicked in the Garden.