One of the great overachievers. Jimmy was really a blown up middleweight who won the heavyweight title.
He could hold his own or more on pure skill, with any of the bigger guys except the very top level greats like Ali and Frazier. RIP.
Jimmy Ellis, Ali’s Friend Who Won Heavyweight Crown, Dies at 74 – Bloomberg
Jimmy Ellis, Ali’s Friend Who Won heavyweight crown, dies at 74
Boxer Jimmy Ellis, who beat Jerry Quarry to become World Boxing Association heavyweight champion in 1968, has died at the age of 74.
Jimmy Ellis, who beat Jerry Quarry to become World Boxing Association heavyweight champion in 1968 and fought the era’s best fighters including his friend, Muhammad Ali, has died. He was 74.
He died at Baptist Health Louisville hospital in Kentucky, his son, Jeff Ellis, said in a telephone interview. He had suffered from dementia for more than a decade.