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Mike Quarry (March 4, 1951 – June 11, 2006) was a light heavyweight boxer. He had a record of 63-13-6 with 17 knockouts during his career, which began in 1969 and ended in 1982.

Mike Quarry was born in Bakersfield, California. He first began boxing at the age of 8 and obtained his license to fight as an amateur at 17. In 1968 he tried out for the Olympics but was disqualified for ducking below the waist and using the ropes to provide additional momentum for his punches.

Mike Quarry tried to emulate his older brother Jerry, a renowned heavyweight fighter.

"(Mike) always felt like he didn't have his own identity," Robert Pearson, his brother-in-law, told the Los Angeles Times. "At one time Michael said, 'They might as well put on my epitaph: Here lies Jerry Quarry's little brother.'"

Mike Quarry had his one chance at a title shot in 1972, when he went up against Bob Foster for the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association light heavyweight crowns. Quarry lost on a fourth-round knockout.

After retiring from boxing, Quarry married and converted to Judaism.

Mike Quarry's death was attributed to pugilistic dementia, which also caused Jerry Quarry's death. Quarry's widow is a marriage and family therapist in the West Los Angeles area.

Mike Quarry's grave is in Shafter, California, near the grave of Jerry Quarry, in Shafter Cemetery.

External links

• Springer, Steve. (2006, June 13). Mike Quarry, 55; Boxer Fought in His Brother's Shadow. The Los Angeles Times
• "What About Mike?" on the Jerry Quarry Foundation site