Jerry Quarry (May 15, 1945 - January 3, 1999), nicknamed "Irish" or “The Bellflower Bomber,” was a U.S. Irish heavyweight boxer. Quarry was rated by Ring Magazine as the most popular fighter in the sport, 1968–1971, and was one of the biggest stars of arguably the greatest era in the history of the heavyweight division.^{[citation needed]}

Quarry was a durable and smart counter-puncher. He had fast hands, an excellent left hook, and punched well with both hands. He also had a remarkable chin and was always courageous. His major flaw was a tendency to cut easily and having the bad luck to box in the era of Ali, Frazier, Foreman and Norton. He was six feet (1.83 metres) tall and weighed 195-pounds (88 kilograms) in his prime, which whilst comparable to some Heavyweight Boxers then, put him on the small side of the division. He would today would be considered cruiser-weight - a division he and others perhaps helped inspire.

He was the hero to a large and enthusiastic U.S. Irish family, which included three other pro' boxers (his father and two brothers). Quarry's father first put gloves on his son at five years. His career, he felt, was decided for him at a very young age.

Earnie Dee Shaver (born August 31, 1945), better known as Earnie Shavers, is an American former professional boxer. In 2003, he was listed #10 on The Ring's ranking of the 100 greatest punchers of all-time.Muhammad Ali, Joe Bugner, Larry Holmes, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Ron Lyle and Ken Norton all credited Shavers as being the hardest puncher they had ever faced in the ring.^{[citation needed]}

Shavers began boxing at the age of 22. Two weeks later he won his first fight by a first round knockout, against Jim Daniels. Earnie worked out daily in Warren, Ohio. He was in and out of the top ten ratings over a ten year period.

Shavers was rated number 10 on Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. His right uppercut and cross were his greatest assets. Angelo Dundee respectfully noted, "He can get you out of there with any shot."

Prior to turning professional, Shavers had a short but notable amateur career. He was the 1969 National AAU Heavyweight Champion.

Known as the 'Black Destroyer', Shavers compiled an impressive record, winning 44 of his first 47 fights by knockout; mostly against unremarkable opposition. His KO streak included 27 consecutive knockouts. 20 victories were in the first round. He suffered setbacks with losses to Ron Stander and Stan Johnson.

Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (born August 9, 1943, Jacksonville, Illinois) is a former heavyweight boxer and former WBC Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat a peak Ali as a professional (after Joe Frazier, who won a 15-round unanimous decision against Ali on March 8, 1971).

He and Ali would fight twice more in their trilogy, with Ali officially winning narrowly both returns, although many felt Norton truly deserved their 3rd fight. Norton was awarded the WBC title (by virtue of his win over Jimmy Young in a 1977 title elimination bout) when Leon Spinks declined a mandated title defense against Norton, the No. 1 contender. But Ken lost it in his first defense on a split-decision by 1 point to Larry Holmes in a great contest. (Holmes-Norton is ranked as the 10th greatest heavyweight fight of all time by Monte D. Cox, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization.)

MacArthur "Mac" Foster (June 27, 1942 – July 19, 2010) was an American heavyweight boxer noted for big hitting.

The son of Mississippi sharecroppers, Foster was a 6' 2" Vietnam War veteran.^{[dead link]} Born in [{Alexandria, LA,} he grew up in Fresno, California, the third of eleven children. His father was a nurse. Foster picked grapes and cotton as a youth. Fresno State University offered Foster a track and field scholarship out of Washington High School, but he volunteered for the United States Marines instead. In the service, Foster won fourteen amateur boxing titles. After a military discharge, Foster turned pro, becoming the third Fresno boxer of note (Young Corbett III was a world welterweight champion and Wayne Thornton rose through the rankings to become a number one heavyweight contender in 1970. Foster trained with Pat DiFuria at the Merced Street Gym.^{[dead link]}

Known as Big Mac 'The Knife' from Fresno, Foster made his professional debut in 1966, winning his first 24 fights by knockout, and was named Ring Magazine progress of the year for 1969. Whilst serving as a sparring partner for Sonny Liston, Foster reportedly knocked out the former world champion. By 1970, he was ranked as the world's number one heavyweight contender and seemed destined for at least a title shot, but his 24-0 winning streak would come to an end when he was stopped in six rounds by Jerry Quarry in June 1970.

Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer and former Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to regain the title. He had a record of 55 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by knockout. He won the gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games as a middleweight.

Although Mike Tyson later became the youngest boxer to win a world heavyweight title, Patterson remains the youngest Undisputed Heavyweight Champion.

Born into a poor family in Waco, North Carolina, Patterson was the youngest of eleven children and experienced an insular and troubled childhood. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where Floyd was a truant and petty thief. At age ten, he was sent to the Wiltwyck School for Boys, a reform school in upstate New York, which he credited with turning his life around. He stayed there for almost 2 years.

At age fourteen, he started to box, trained by Cus D'Amato at his Gramercy Gym. Aged just 17, Patterson won the Gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics as a middleweight. 1952 turned out to be a good year for the young Patterson; in addition to Olympic gold Patterson won the National Amateur Middleweight Championship and New York Golden Gloves Middleweight Championship.