Muhammad Ali remained suspended from boxing at the time, dividing the heavyweight championship between various organizations and state commissions.
Frazier entered the ring as the New York State Athletic Commission Heavyweight Champion. At just 25 years old, he brought a perfect record of 23-0 with 19 knockouts into the competition.
Quarry entered the fight with a record of 31-2-4 and was considered one of the heavyweight division’s top contenders.
Both fighters landed blows during a busy opening round.
Frazier spent much of the second and third rounds pressing forward and forcing exchanges at close range. He continued to target Quarry with left hooks to the body and head as the fight progressed.
A cut under Quarry’s right eye became the central issue as the fight progressed. At the end of the seventh round, the ringside doctor stopped the fight. Quarry protested the decision and wanted to continue, but officials determined that the injury was too severe.
By the end of the seventh round, the ringside doctor had seen enough.
Over Quarry’s objections, the fight was stopped due to the worsening eye injury. Quarry reportedly protested the decision and wanted to continue, but officials determined the fight could not safely continue.
Frazier was awarded the win by technical knockout and improved to 24-0.
The fight earned Fight of the Year honors from The Ring magazine and is still remembered as one of the best heavyweight contests of the era.
Less than a year later, Frazier defeated Jimmy Ellis to unify the heavyweight championship. In 1971, he handed Ali the first loss of his professional career in their historic “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden.
Quarry came up short on the scorecards and in the final result, but his performance helped create one of the most memorable heavyweight fights of the 1960s, a fight that is still highly regarded more than five decades later.
