Jack Sharkey boxer

Jack Sharkey boxer
bouts
53
won
37
lost
13
draw
3
Status
inactive
Division
heavyweight
Debut
1924-01-29
Height
6′ 0″/183cm
Reach
76″/193cm
Age
91
Born
1902-10-06
Death
1994-08-17
Nationality
USA

Jack Sharkey (born Joseph Paul Zukauskas, Lithuanian: Juozas Povilas Žukauskas, October 26, 1902 – August 17, 1994) was a Lithuanian-American world heavyweight boxing champion. Sharkey was born to Lithuanian immigrants, in Binghamton, New York (his birth surname is sometimes given as Cukoschay), but moved to Boston, Massachusetts during his youth. Sources report little of his early life until, at the outset of World War I, teenaged Joseph repeatedly tried to enlist in the Navy. Turned down because of his age, he was not able to enlist until after the end of the war.It was during his tenure in the Navy that he first showed interest in boxing. Tall and husky for a man of his generation, Joseph was encouraged by his friends in the service to box. He quickly established notoriety as the best boxer aboard any vessel on which he served. During his brief returns home to Boston he took part in his first fights for pay, the first on January 24, 1924, against Billy Muldoon, whom he knocked out in the first round. By the time of his honorable discharge just short of a month later, he had won a second fight and was already earning write-ups in local Massachusetts papers.He took his ring name from his two idols, heavyweight contender Tom Sharkey and heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, to gain acceptance in the Irish-dominated boxing world of Boston. He won an important fight in 1926 over black heavyweight contender Harry Wills, but his first big year was 1927, when he defeated former light heavyweight champ Mike McTigue in twelve rounds and Boston rival Jim Maloney in five. That put him in the ring on July 21, 1927, with his idol Dempsey, the winner to meet heavyweight champion Gene Tunney for the title. For six rounds Sharkey out-boxed Dempsey, who probed low with his punches. In the seventh round, Sharkey turned his head to complain to the referee about Dempsey's low punches and Dempsey landed a classic left hook that knocked Sharkey out.In 1928 Sharkey defeated heavyweight contender Tom Heeney and former light-heavyweight champion Jack Delaney. Early in 1929, he signed in a Tex Rickard promotion to fight Young Stribling in Miami, Sharkey and all involved suffered a scare when Rickard died unexpectedly. All preparations ceased as Rickard was laid to rest in New York. Unhappy with the uncertainty of it all, Jack complained to sportswriter Dan Parker, "That man isn't in his grave yet, and already they're trying to break my contract." In fact Bill Carey, president of Madison Square Garden saved the day by appointing Jack Dempsey himself to the task. Dempsey, a close personal friend of Rickard, had never handled a promotion, before but did so now with what might be called "large and largesse". Between leasing the Carl Fisher mansion on Miami Beach as well as the George Washington Hotel, the latter of which was equipped for the press with a 24-hour bar, the Sharkey-Stribling fight at the old Flamingo Park drew 40,000 fans, including 423 writers, and did $405,000 at the box office, an amount unsurpassed in the South until television receipts for Clay vs. Liston in 1964 managed a richer gate.A fight held in Yankee Stadium later that year gave Sharkey the United States heavyweight title when he knocked out former light heavyweight champion Tommy Loughran. This victory earned him the opportunity to fight for the vacant world title against the German contender Max Schmeling on June 12, 1930. Sharkey was disqualified in the fourth round after delivering a punch that landed below Schmeling's belt. This was the first time in boxing history that the heavyweight championship was won on a foul since Joe Goss in 1876.

Date Opponent Last Opponents' Results Place Result
1936-08-18 Joe Louis WWWWWL Yankee Stadium, Bronx LOST
KO
1936-06-25 Phil Brubaker WWWWWD Fenway Park, Boston WIN
Unanimous decision
1936-04-14 Tony Shucco WWWWDW Boston Garden, Boston DRAW
Points
1936-02-07 Tony Shucco DWWWWD Boston Garden, Boston LOST
Unanimous decision
1935-11-22 Unknown Winston WLLWWL Boston Garden, Boston WIN
KO
1933-09-27 Tommy Loughran LWWWWL Shibe Park, Philadelphia LOST
Split-decision
1933-09-18 King Levinsky LWWLWW Comiskey Park, Chicago LOST
Unanimous decision
1933-06-29 Primo Carnera WWWWWW Madison Square Garden Bowl, Long Island City, Queens LOST
KO
1932-06-21 Max Schmeling WWWWWW Madison Square Garden Bowl, Long Island City, Queens WIN
Split-decision
1931-10-12 Primo Carnera WWWWWW Ebbets Field, Brooklyn WIN
Unanimous decision
1931-07-22 Mickey Walker WWWWWW Ebbets Field, Brooklyn DRAW
Points
1930-06-12 Max Schmeling WWWWWW Yankee Stadium, Bronx LOST
1930-02-27 Phil Scott WWWWWW Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami WIN
Technical knockout
1929-09-26 Tommy Loughran WWWWWW Yankee Stadium, Bronx WIN
Technical knockout
1929-02-27 Young Stribling WWWWWW Flamingo Park, Miami Beach WIN
Points
1929-01-25 KO Christner LWDLWW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Majority decision
1928-12-10 Arthur De Kuh WWWWWW Arena, Boston WIN
Points
1928-06-21 Leo Gates LLLLLL Battery A Arena, Saint Louis WIN
KO
1928-04-30 Jack Delaney WWWWWL Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
KO
1928-03-12 Johnny Risko WWWLWW Madison Square Garden, New York LOST
Split-decision
1928-01-13 Tom Heeney LWWDWW Madison Square Garden, New York DRAW
Split-decision
1927-07-21 Jack Dempsey WWWWWL Yankee Stadium, Bronx LOST
KO
1927-05-20 Jim Maloney WWWWWW Yankee Stadium, Bronx WIN
Technical knockout
1927-03-03 Mike McTigue WWWWWW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Technical knockout
1926-12-15 Homer Smith LLWLWW Arena, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1926-10-12 Harry Wills WWWWWW Ebbets Field, Brooklyn WIN
1926-09-21 George Godfrey WWWWLW Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
Points
1926-09-13 Orlando Reverberi WLLWWL Laurel Garden, Newark WIN
Technical knockout
1926-06-25 Bud Gorman DWLWWL Braves Field, Boston WIN
1926-04-19 Pat McCarthy LWWWWW Arena, Boston WIN
Points
1926-04-01 Emilio Solomon LLLLWW Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
Points
1926-02-12 Eddie Huffman WWWLWW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Points
1926-01-18 Mexican Joe Lawson LWLLLL Foot Guard Hall, Hartford WIN
KO
1925-12-11 Jim Maloney WWLWWW Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
Points
1925-09-17 Johnny Risko WWLWWL Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
Points
1925-08-17 Bud Gorman WWWWWL Arena, Boston LOST
Points
1925-07-31 Emilio Solomon LWWWWL Braves Field, Boston WIN
Points
1925-06-05 Jim Maloney WWWWWW Braves Field, Boston WIN
1925-05-25 George Cook WDDWWW Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
Split-decision
1925-04-06 Jack Renault LWWWWW Arena, Boston WIN
Points
1925-02-10 Charley Weinert WWWWWW Mechanics Building, Boston LOST
Points
1925-01-20 Sully Montgomery WWWDWL Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
Unanimous decision
1925-01-08 Jack DeMave WDWLWL Manhattan Casino, New York WIN
Points
1924-12-15 Charley Weinert WWLWWW 113th Regiment Armory, Newark LOST
1924-11-05 Jim Maloney WWWWWW Mechanics Building, Boston LOST
Points
1924-08-29 Quintin Romero Rojas WWLWWL Mechanics Building, Boston LOST
KO
1924-08-20 Young Jack Johnson WWWDLW Fair Grounds Auditorium, Bangor WIN
1924-07-23 Al Roberts DLWWLW Kinsley Park, Providence WIN
Points
1924-07-15 Homer Smith WLLLL Braves Field, Boston WIN
Points
1924-06-23 Floyd Johnson LWDWWW Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
Points
1924-04-25 Eddie Record WLWWWW Arena, Boston WIN
KO
1924-03-18 Eddie Record WWLWWW Grand Opera House, Boston LOST
Points
1924-02-26 Dan Lucas L Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
KO
1924-02-08 Pat Hance LWLL Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
1924-01-29 Billy Muldoon LLLLLL Mechanics Building, Boston WIN
Technical knockout