Hard Luck The Triumph and Tragedy of "Irish" Jerry Quarry

by Springer, Steve,; Chavez, Blake; Foreman, George

• ISBN13: 9781599219967
• ISBN10: 1599219964
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-04-01
• Publisher: Lyons Press

Summary

The story of boxing legend Jerry Quarry has it all: rags to riches, thrilling fights against the giants of the Golden Age of Heavyweights (Ali-twice, Frazier-twice, Patterson, Norton), a racially and politically electric sports era, the thrills and excesses of fame, celebrities, love, hate, joy, and pain. And tragedy. Like the man he fought during two highly controversial fight cards in 1970 and '72--Muhammad Ali--boxing great Jerry Quarry was to suffer gravely. He died at age fifty-three, mind and body ravaged by Dementia Pugilistica. InHard Luck,"Irish" Jerry Quarry comes to life--from hisGrapes of Wrathdays as the child of an abusive father in the California migrant camps to those as the undersized heavyweight slaying giants on his way to multiple title bouts and the honor of being the World's Most Popular Fighter in '68, '69, '70, and '71. The story of Jerry Quarry is one of the richest in the annals of boxing, and through painstaking research and exclusive access to the Quarry family and its archives, Steve Springer and Blake Chavez have captured it all.

Author Biography

Steve Springer is the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller American Son: The Oscar De La Hoya Story. Formerly a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, he is currently colunnist for ESPN Los Angeles. Blake Chavez is a professional writer who enjoyed a successful career as an amateur boxing trainer for more than a decade. Both authors live in California.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. v
Top of the World, Ma	p. 1
Vintage Wine from the Grapes of Wrath	p. 3
A Clan of Their Own	p. 19
Hard Luck	p. 23
Best Laid Plans of Jack and Men	p. 28
Prodigy	p. 31
Down on Main Street	p. 45
Kicking Ass and Taking Names	p. 52
The Lord's Prayer	p. 82
Bridesmaid	p. 91
Defying Neptune	p. 108
Of Garden Parties and Great Whites	p. 112
Come Out Smokin'	p. 119
Scratching the Seven-Year Itch	p. 132
Big Mac Attack	p. 141
Return from Exile: Ebony and Ivory	p. 147
He Ain't Heavy	p. 163
Chillin' with The King	p. 167
Of Soul Brothers, Mad Dogs, and Irishmen	p. 178
Ex-Cons, Acorns, and Madame Cocaine	p. 189
Another Cup of Joe	p. 204
Mandingo These Nuts	p. 214
Last Call	p. 222
Requiem for a Great White Hope	p. 229
The Lost Men	p. 236
Of Last Temptations and Rotten Bastards	p. 243
Harbinger	p. 247
The Abyss	p. 250
The Pipes Are Calling	p. 258
Stairway to Heaven	p. 265
Sources	p. 271
Acknowledgments	p. 292
Index	p. 294
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.