SAILOR TOM SHARKEY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 10 March 1928, Page 13

SAILOR TOM SHARKEY

A SPLENDID BATTLER. ALL BUT A CHAMPION HANDICAPS THAT TOLD. With a little more wcight.und a little more 'height, Tom Sharkey, who was in his prime somewhere about twenty years ago, would undoubtedly have worn the world’s heavyweight crown. Instead he won the name of as good a light heavyweight as ever pulled on a glove. When Sharkey won his fame there were Jeffries, Ruhlin, Corbett, Fitzsimmons, Peter Maher, and a whole crowo of high-eiass men in the game, but none of. them ‘could give Tom anything like a real hiding. In some cases their advantage in height and weight allowed them to win, but Sharkey hammered them all, even if not sufficiently enough to bring him victory. When, Jeffries and Sharkey fought Jeffries was looked Upon as the ‘‘daddy of them all,” and there are any number of old timers who will toll you that the Jeffries of that, day was the greatest heavyweight of all time. Why, the fellows who bet on Jeffries to lick Johnson were merely betting on a tradition, and that tradition was the vffry Jeffries who fought Sharkey those two memorable fights and not the Jeffries who went into the ring with Johnson at Reno. . Now, when you realise that little Tom Sharkey, sft. Stiu. tall and -weighing only 180 pounds, gave this Goliath of the ring two of the very toughest bouts Jeffries ever engaged iu, you will realiso what a great fighter Sharkey was. With twenty more pounds and four more inches on him, there never was a heavyweight that could have beaten him.’ Besides being short in stature, Sharkey was further handicapped by •being short in the reach, and, as lie was round-bodied and deep-chested, this was a rather severe handicap. Jeffries and Sharkey were coming along about the same time, aud they developed at about, the same period. Tom Sharkey was the only man whom Jeffries met whom tire big boilermaker did not crush badly. One tiling must be said in Jeffries’ favour; he never fought a man whom he would refuse to give a return match to. That shows how good a man he was when he was right. And of all the men that Jeffries met and re-met in the ring Sharkey was the only one of them who held him close to even. In the San Francisco fight of twenty rounds Jeffries got the decision, but most of the folks who saw that bout maintained that Sharkey should have got a draw. When Jeffries and Sharkey battled in New York ringside spectators were thunderstruck when the decision was awarded to the Los Angeles man. First Big Fight. Sharkey’s first real go of any consequence was his fight with Australian Billv Smith, a tough heavyweight and a fighter after the heart of Sharkey himself. That was in 1895 and the bout was held out at Colma. The bout attracted quite a little attention. The sailors were for Sharkey to a man, and they brought the Marine Band down from Vallejo to cheer Tom to victory, and they came loaded with money to •bet on the sailor. Why, they brought money to the city in flour sacks. That ’s how much the sailors thought of their champion. They boxed in the arena •back of Casey’s White House and Sharkey knocked the Australian out in seven rounds. It was a happy band of sailors who saw Sharkey win this victory. Sharkey made a hit in this bout and •ho was matched with John Miller, a man of considerable local prominence in the havyweiglit class. Sharkey stopped Miller in nine rounds.

After these two battles Sharkey’s name became a household word foT toughness, and while everyone knew that he was still a “raw one,” they figured that there wasn’t a man about San Francisco who could stop him in n specified number of rounds. Alec. Greggains was then a pugilist of world renown, and lie was the first man asked to see if he could stop .the sailor in eight rounds. Greggains made the attempt, and while ho gave Sharkey a hiding*, Tom was on his feet at the conclusion ; of the eight rounds. That further spread the name of Sharkey and San Francisco figlit followers were anxious to sec more of this tough, sailor in action.

About a inoritli .after the bout with Greggains, Sharkey was matched with Joe Choynski, a very tough man and a terrific hitter. Fans thought that Choynski, with his terrific and clean hitting power, would stop the sailor. But, instead, the sailor stopped Choynski in eight rounds. Parson Davies had Choynski at +he time, and Sharkey's victory over Joe was a great surprise to the followers of pugilism and quite a boost for the sailor. Boxes Jim Corbett. After the Choynski bout, Sharkey stopped Jim Williams in .three rounds. At this time Jim Corbett was world’s champion. He and Sharkey were matched for a four-round bout, Corbett agreeing to stop the sailor in four. Jim hit Tom with everything but the referee, but he made practically no impression on the sailor, and Sharkey was full of fight at the conclusion of the fourth round, while Corbett was rather tired. It must be said in fairness to Corbett that he did not train for this fight. He was in the show business at the time, and he looked upon Sharkey as a mere •tough novice. Sharkey proved the toughest novice Corbett ever tackled, and if Corbett hadn’t been the cleverest hop.vy that ever drew on a glove he would have been bested~by Sharkey, as he was not. ih shape to pummel through four fierce rounds with the bear-like sailor.

Sharkey’s bout with Corbett attracted international attention to him. Clubs all over the country made bids for his services. Finally he was matched with Bob Fitzsimmons. He gained an eight-round decision over Fitzsimmons on a foul. This was the bout that Wyatt Harp refereed, and many accused Harp of deliberately stealing the bout from Fitzsimmons.

Sharkey beat such good ones ns Joe Choynski, “Kid” McCoy, Joe Goddard, Gus Rnhlin, and gave .Tim Jeffries the two hardest fights of his career.

Jim Tracey, South. Africa’s globe trotter and heavyweight boxer, is in Melbourne. He wants to come back into the ring game. Although he has had a. two-years’ lay-off lie is still under ,°.O, and he considers that, given eight weeks in which to prepare, he can make a showing both satisfactory to himself and the public. “I bar no one in Australia,’’ lie declares, “either black, white, or brindle. ”