A Collector's Cut

JOE FRAZIER -vs- JERRY QUARRY I
(Complete Fight)
Madison Square Garden, New York
June 23, 1969

This Collector’s Cut features the complete fight between Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier and challenger Jerry Quarry. This, the first of their two fights, which took place at Madison Square Garden, New York, on June 23, 1969, and was later recognized as the Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. Parts of the original ABC-TV broadcast were lost by the network. This was not unusual at the time. Video tapes, expensive at the time, were often recycled for later broadcasts. Some shows were archived and have since been preserved, but other programs, perceived as less important, were discarded. 

However, ABC-TV was not alone in filming the fight. The venue, Madison Square Garden, routinely shot films of major fights from a single in-house camera. The events were captured from just one angle, but the perspective and the quality were often very good. There was also a documentary film crew on hand. The filmmakers used multiple cameras to capture the fight, including ringside action and footage of the fighters and corner men between rounds. A more complete copy of the ABC broadcast came into circulation some years ago. The source of the tape is somewhat mysterious, as VHS or BETA recorders were not available until the 1970s. In any case, the recording is of marginal quality but still very watchable. 

Accessing all the available footage, I re-cut and reassembled the entire event, along with bonus material. Enjoy this classic fight.