Tom Sharkey

Thomas "Sailor Tom" Sharkey (November 26, 1873 – April 17, 1953) was a boxer who fought two fights with heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries. Sharkey's recorded ring career spanned from 1893 to 1904. He is credited with having won 40 fights (with 37 KOs), 7 losses, and 5 draws. Sharkey was named to the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.[1]

This article is about the boxer. For the plant biochemist, see Thomas D. Sharkey.
Tom Sharkey
Statistics
Nickname(s)Sailor Tom
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Reach70 in (178 cm)
BornNovember 26, 1873
Dundalk, Ireland
DiedApril 17, 1953(1953-04-17) (aged 79)
San Francisco, California, US
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights54
Wins37
Wins by KO34
Losses9
Draws6
No contests2
Sharkey's headstone

Early life

Sharkey was born in Dundalk, Ireland. His story began when he ran away from home and went to sea as a cabin boy. In 1892, Sharkey landed in New York City and joined the United States Navy. He was eventually deployed to Hawaii where he began his pro fighting career.

Career

Standing 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) tall, Sharkey was a standup brawler, who came right after his opponents. Sharkey was easy to hit, but rough and tumble and a hard puncher. He had unusually broad shoulders for a man of his height, and sported a tattoo of a star and battleship on his chest. In 1900 he also acquired a large cauliflower ear, courtesy of a brawl with Gus Ruhlin, that added to his persona.

Sharkey's first bout against a front-line fighter occurred in 1896 when he fought Joe Choynski, who was later to knock out legendary heavyweight Jack Johnson, in an eight-round match. Sharkey followed that fight up by challenging "Gentleman Jim" Corbett. The two met and the fight was ruled a draw after four rounds due to police interference.

Sharkey vs. Fitzsimmons
Main article: Fitzsimmons vs. Sharkey
Interior of the Mechanics Pavilion, San Francisco, in 1897.

On December 2, 1896, the San Francisco Athletic Club sponsored a fight at the Mechanics' Pavilion in San Francisco between Bob Fitzsimmons and Sharkey. Unable to find a referee, at the last minute they called on former lawman Wyatt Earp. He had officiated 30 or so matches in earlier days, though not under the Marquess of Queensbury rules.[2] The fight may have been the most anticipated fight on American soil that year. It had been billed for the heavyweight championship of the world, as it was thought that the champion, James J. Corbett had relinquished the crown.

Fitzsimmons was favored to win, and bets flowed heavily his way. Earp entered the ring still armed with his customary Colt .45 and drew a lot of attention when he had to be disarmed. He later said he forgot he was wearing it. Fitzsimmons was taller and quicker than Sharkey and dominated the fight from the opening bell. In the eighth round, Fitzsimmons hit Sharkey with his famed "solar plexus punch," an uppercut under the heart that could render a man temporarily helpless. The punch caught Sharkey, Earp, and most of the crowd by surprise, and Sharkey dropped, clutched his groin, and rolled on the canvas, screamed foul.[3]

Earp stopped the bout, ruling that Fitzsimmons had hit Sharkey when he was down. His ruling was greeted with loud boos and catcalls.[4] Earp based his decision on the Marquess of Queensbury rules, which state in part, "A man on one knee is considered down and if struck is entitled to the stakes." Very few witnessed the foul Earp ruled on. He awarded the decision to Sharkey, whom attendants carried out as "...limp as a rag.".[5]

Sharkey vs. Jeffries
Sharkey (left) during his fight with Jeffries

Sharkey claimed the heavyweight title until Corbett resumed his fighting career, who was recognized as the champion until he was knocked out by Fitzsimmons in a title bout. Sharkey was involved in another controversial fight when he faced Corbett on November 22, 1898. In this bout Sharkey manhandled the shifty and elusive Corbett. He threw him to the ground, hit him with hard punches to the body and head and seemed on the verge of imminent victory when one of Corbett's seconds jumped into the ring in the ninth round. The referee disqualified Corbett and awarded the bout to Sharkey.

On January 10, 1899, Sharkey faced another ring legend, the tricky Kid McCoy. Sharkey knocked out McCoy in the tenth round thereby securing a shot at the heavyweight title then held by James J. Jeffries. The two had met previously, fighting a hotly contested 20-round slugfest on May 6, 1898. The decision went to Jeffries in a close fight. Nevertheless, Sharkey vowed to beat the 6'2½ burly Jeffries in the rematch.

The two fought a memorable twenty-five round bout on November 3, 1899, in Coney Island, New York. The match was the first championship fight filmed for motion pictures, and was first indoor fight successfully filmed. The lights required for the filming were so hot that they burned the hair from the top of both fighters' heads.

Sharkey took the early lead when he battered the larger Jeffries, but Jeffries gained control of the fight in the later rounds and the bout was awarded to him. During this fight, Sharkey suffered a broken nose and two broken ribs, and his left ear swelled to the size of a grapefruit.

Later life

After retiring from boxing, Sharkey operated a saloon and worked as a night watchman and security guard. In 1938 he entered Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco, according to newspaper accounts, desperately ill. He died there in 1953 and is buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

Professional boxing record

All information in this section is derived from BoxRec,[6] unless otherwise stated.

Official record
54 fights 37 wins 7 losses
By knockout 34 4
By decision 1 2
By disqualification 2 1
Draws 6
No contests 2
Newspaper decisions/draws 2

All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.

No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
54 Loss 37–7–6 (4) Jack Munroe NWS 6 Feb 27, 1904 2nd Regiment Armory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
53 Loss 37–7–6 (3) Gus Ruhlin TKO 11 (15) Jun 25, 1902 National Sporting Club, London, England, UK For English heavyweight title
52 NC 37–6–6 (3) Peter Maher NC 3 (6) Jan 17, 1902 Industrial Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US Stopped for lack of action
51 Loss 37–6–6 (2) Mexican Pete Everett DQ 2 (20) May 7, 1901 Opera House, Cripple Creek, Colorado, US
50 Win 37–5–6 (2) Fred Russell KO 4 (10) May 3, 1901 Colorado A.C., Denver, Colorado, US
49 Loss 36–5–6 (2) Bob Fitzsimmons KO 2 (25), 2:06 Aug 24, 1900 Coney Island A.C., New York City, New York, US
48 Loss 36–4–6 (2) Gus Ruhlin TKO 15 (25) Jun 26, 1900 Seaside A.C., Coney Island, New York City, New York, US
47 Win 36–3–6 (2) Yank Kenny KO 1 (25), 2:16 Jun 8, 1900 Broadway A.C., New York City, New York, US
46 Win 35–3–6 (2) Joe Choynski TKO 3 (6) May 8, 1900 Tattersall's, Chicago, Illinois, US
45 Win 34–3–6 (2) Tom 'Stockings' Conroy KO 3 (10), 2:12 Mar 29, 1900 Music Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, US
44 Win 33–3–6 (2) Jack McCormick KO 1 (20), 0:38 Mar 15, 1900 Coliseum, Hartford, Connecticut, US
43 Win 32–3–6 (2) Jim Jeffords KO 2 (10), 2:06 Feb 19, 1900 Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, US
42 Win 31–3–6 (2) Joe Goddard TKO 4 (6), 1:10 Feb 13, 1900 Industrial Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
41 Loss 30–3–6 (2) James J. Jeffries PTS 25 Nov 3, 1899 Coney Island A.C., New York City, New York, US For world heavyweight title
40 Win 30–2–6 (2) Jack McCormick KO 2 (6) Jan 30, 1899 Arena A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
39 Win 29–2–6 (2) Charles 'Kid' McCoy KO 10 (20), 1:13 Jan 10, 1899 Lenox A.C., New York City, New York, US
38 Win 28–2–6 (2) James J. Corbett DQ 9 (20) Nov 22, 1898 Lenox A.C., New York City, New York, US
37 Win 27–2–6 (2) Gus Ruhlin KO 1 (25), 2:17 Jun 29, 1898 Greater New York A.C., New York City, New York, US
36 Loss 26–2–6 (2) James J. Jeffries PTS 20 May 6, 1898 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US Lost world heavyweight title claim
35 Draw 26–1–6 (2) Joe Choynski PTS 8 (20) Mar 11, 1898 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US Choynski fell out of the ring and the fight was declared a draw
34 Win 26–1–5 (2) Joe Goddard KO 6 (20) Nov 18, 1897 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US Retained world heavyweight title claim
33 Win 25–1–5 (2) Punch Vaughn KO 3 (?) Aug 16, 1897 Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
32 Win 24–1–5 (2) Tom Parks KO 1 (?) Aug 7, 1897 Town Hall, Dundalk, Ireland
31 Win 23–1–5 (2) Pat McCourt KO 2 (?) Jul 30, 1897 Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, UK
30 Win 22–1–5 (2) Joe Craig KO 1 (?) Jul 23, 1897 Ginnett's Circus, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
29 Draw 21–1–5 (2) Peter Maher PTS 7 Jun 9, 1897 Palace A.C., New York City, New York, US
28 Draw 21–1–4 (2) Jim Williams PTS 8 Apr 5, 1897 Salt Lake City, Utah, US
27 Win 21–1–3 (2) Bob Fitzsimmons DQ 8 (10) Dec 2, 1896 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US Won world heavyweight title claim
26 Loss 20–1–3 (2) Reddy Gallagher NWS 4 Oct 1, 1896 Lyceum Theater, Denver, Colorado, US
25 Draw 20–1–3 (1) James J. Corbett PTS 4 Jun 24, 1896 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US
24 Win 20–1–2 (1) Jim Williams TKO 7 (10) Jun 3, 1896 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US
23 Win 19–1–2 (1) Joe Choynski PTS 8 Apr 16, 1896 People's Palace Theater, San Francisco, California, US
22 Win 18–1–2 (1) 'Sailor' Charles Brown KO 1 (?) Apr 7, 1896 Vallejo, California, US
21 Draw 17–1–2 (1) Alec Greggains PTS 8 Mar 12, 1896 Bush Street Theater, San Francisco, California, US
20 Win 17–1–1 (1) John Miller TKO 9 (?) Nov 7, 1895 Colma A.C., Colma, California, US
19 Win 16–1–1 (1) William Dunn KO 1 (?), 0:58 Aug 17, 1895 Vallejo, California, US
18 Win 15–1–1 (1) Australian Billy Smith TKO 7 (20) Jul 25, 1895 Colma A.C., Colma, California, US
17 Win 14–1–1 (1) Martin Mulverhill KO 20 (?) Oct 20, 1894 Armory Hall, Vallejo, California, US
16 Win 13–1–1 (1) Sailor Charles Brown KO 1 (?) Aug 21, 1894 Vallejo, California, US
15 Win 12–1–1 (1) Jack Marks KO 1 (?) Aug 11, 1894 Vallejo, California, US
14 Win 11–1–1 (1) Rough Thompson KO 4 (?) Aug 4, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
13 Win 10–1–1 (1) Jack McAuley KO 1 (?) Jul 18, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
12 Win 9–1–1 (1) Billy Tate KO 2 (?) Jul 18, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
11 ND 8–1–1 (1) Nick Burley ND 3 Jun 21, 1894 Opera House, Honolulu, Hawaii
10 Win 8–1–1 Jack Langley KO 8 (?) Jun 20, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
9 Draw 7–1–1 Nick Burley PTS 9 (8) May 24, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii For vacant Hawaii heavyweight title
8 Win 7–1 Rough Thompson KO 2 (?) May 14, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
7 Loss 6–1 George Washington KO ? (?) Feb 7, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
6 Win 6–0 Jim Barrington KO 1 (?) Sep 10, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
5 Win 5–0 John Walsh KO 2 (?) Aug 21, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
4 Win 4–0 Jim Harvey KO 2 (?) May 27, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
3 Win 3–0 Jack Langley KO 4 (?) May 3, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
2 Win 2–0 J. Pickett KO 2 (?) Apr 7, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
1 Win 1–0 Jack Gardner KO 4 (?) Mar 17, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii

Unofficial record
54 fights 37 wins 9 losses
By knockout 34 4
By decision 1 4
By disqualification 2 1
Draws 6
No contests 2

Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.

No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
54 Loss 37–9–6 (2) Jack Munroe NWS 6 Feb 27, 1904 2nd Regiment Armory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
53 Loss 37–8–6 (2) Gus Ruhlin TKO 11 (15) Jun 25, 1902 National Sporting Club, London, England, UK For English heavyweight title
52 NC 37–7–6 (2) Peter Maher NC 3 (6) Jan 17, 1902 Industrial Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US Stopped for lack of action
51 Loss 37–7–6 (1) Mexican Pete Everett DQ 2 (20) May 7, 1901 Opera House, Cripple Creek, Colorado, US
50 Win 37–6–6 (1) Fred Russell KO 4 (10) May 3, 1901 Colorado A.C., Denver, Colorado, US
49 Loss 36–6–6 (1) Bob Fitzsimmons KO 2 (25), 2:06 Aug 24, 1900 Coney Island A.C., New York City, New York, US
48 Loss 36–5–6 (1) Gus Ruhlin TKO 15 (25) Jun 26, 1900 Seaside A.C., Coney Island, New York City, New York, US
47 Win 36–4–6 (1) Yank Kenny KO 1 (25), 2:16 Jun 8, 1900 Broadway A.C., New York City, New York, US
46 Win 35–4–6 (1) Joe Choynski TKO 3 (6) May 8, 1900 Tattersall's, Chicago, Illinois, US
45 Win 34–4–6 (1) Tom 'Stockings' Conroy KO 3 (10), 2:12 Mar 29, 1900 Music Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, US
44 Win 33–4–6 (1) Jack McCormick KO 1 (20), 0:38 Mar 15, 1900 Coliseum, Hartford, Connecticut, US
43 Win 32–4–6 (1) Jim Jeffords KO 2 (10), 2:06 Feb 19, 1900 Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, US
42 Win 31–4–6 (1) Joe Goddard TKO 4 (6), 1:10 Feb 13, 1900 Industrial Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
41 Loss 30–4–6 (1) James J. Jeffries PTS 25 Nov 3, 1899 Coney Island A.C., New York City, New York, US For world heavyweight title
40 Win 30–3–6 (1) Jack McCormick KO 2 (6) Jan 30, 1899 Arena A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
39 Win 29–3–6 (1) Charles 'Kid' McCoy KO 10 (20), 1:13 Jan 10, 1899 Lenox A.C., New York City, New York, US
38 Win 28–3–6 (1) James J. Corbett DQ 9 (20) Nov 22, 1898 Lenox A.C., New York City, New York, US
37 Win 27–3–6 (1) Gus Ruhlin KO 1 (25), 2:17 Jun 29, 1898 Greater New York A.C., New York City, New York, US
36 Loss 26–3–6 (1) James J. Jeffries PTS 20 May 6, 1898 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US Lost world heavyweight title claim
35 Draw 26–2–6 (1) Joe Choynski PTS 8 (20) Mar 11, 1898 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US Choynski fell out of the ring and the fight was declared a draw
34 Win 26–2–5 (1) Joe Goddard KO 6 (20) Nov 18, 1897 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US Retained world heavyweight title claim
33 Win 25–2–5 (1) Punch Vaughn KO 3 (?) Aug 16, 1897 Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
32 Win 24–2–5 (1) Tom Parks KO 1 (?) Aug 7, 1897 Town Hall, Dundalk, Ireland
31 Win 23–2–5 (1) Pat McCourt KO 2 (?) Jul 30, 1897 Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, UK
30 Win 22–2–5 (1) Joe Craig KO 1 (?) Jul 23, 1897 Ginnett's Circus, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
29 Draw 21–2–5 (1) Peter Maher PTS 7 Jun 9, 1897 Palace A.C., New York City, New York, US
28 Draw 21–2–4 (1) Jim Williams PTS 8 Apr 5, 1897 Salt Lake City, Utah, US
27 Win 21–2–3 (1) Bob Fitzsimmons DQ 8 (10) Dec 2, 1896 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US Won world heavyweight title claim
26 Loss 20–2–3 (1) Reddy Gallagher NWS 4 Oct 1, 1896 Lyceum Theater, Denver, Colorado, US
25 Draw 20–1–3 (1) James J. Corbett PTS 4 Jun 24, 1896 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US
24 Win 20–1–2 (1) Jim Williams TKO 7 (10) Jun 3, 1896 Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, US
23 Win 19–1–2 (1) Joe Choynski PTS 8 Apr 16, 1896 People's Palace Theater, San Francisco, California, US
22 Win 18–1–2 (1) 'Sailor' Charles Brown KO 1 (?) Apr 7, 1896 Vallejo, California, US
21 Draw 17–1–2 (1) Alec Greggains PTS 8 Mar 12, 1896 Bush Street Theater, San Francisco, California, US
20 Win 17–1–1 (1) John Miller TKO 9 (?) Nov 7, 1895 Colma A.C., Colma, California, US
19 Win 16–1–1 (1) William Dunn KO 1 (?), 0:58 Aug 17, 1895 Vallejo, California, US
18 Win 15–1–1 (1) Australian Billy Smith TKO 7 (20) Jul 25, 1895 Colma A.C., Colma, California, US
17 Win 14–1–1 (1) Martin Mulverhill KO 20 (?) Oct 20, 1894 Armory Hall, Vallejo, California, US
16 Win 13–1–1 (1) Sailor Charles Brown KO 1 (?) Aug 21, 1894 Vallejo, California, US
15 Win 12–1–1 (1) Jack Marks KO 1 (?) Aug 11, 1894 Vallejo, California, US
14 Win 11–1–1 (1) Rough Thompson KO 4 (?) Aug 4, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
13 Win 10–1–1 (1) Jack McAuley KO 1 (?) Jul 18, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
12 Win 9–1–1 (1) Billy Tate KO 2 (?) Jul 18, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
11 ND 8–1–1 (1) Nick Burley ND 3 Jun 21, 1894 Opera House, Honolulu, Hawaii
10 Win 8–1–1 Jack Langley KO 8 (?) Jun 20, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
9 Draw 7–1–1 Nick Burley PTS 9 (8) May 24, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii For vacant Hawaii heavyweight title
8 Win 7–1 Rough Thompson KO 2 (?) May 14, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
7 Loss 6–1 George Washington KO ? (?) Feb 7, 1894 Honolulu, Hawaii
6 Win 6–0 Jim Barrington KO 1 (?) Sep 10, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
5 Win 5–0 John Walsh KO 2 (?) Aug 21, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
4 Win 4–0 Jim Harvey KO 2 (?) May 27, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
3 Win 3–0 Jack Langley KO 4 (?) May 3, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
2 Win 2–0 J. Pickett KO 2 (?) Apr 7, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii
1 Win 1–0 Jack Gardner KO 4 (?) Mar 17, 1893 Honolulu, Hawaii



References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tom Sharkey.
  1. "- TIME". www.time.com. April 27, 1953. Archived from the original on June 28, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  2. Reilly, Joe. "Born To Uphold The Law: Frank Sulloway's Principles Applied to the Earp-Clanton Feud of 1879–1882" (PDF). Drexel E-Repository and Archive. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  3. Barra, Alan (November 26, 1995). "BACKTALK;When Referee Wyatt Earp Laid Down the Law". New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  4. Rasmussen, Cecilia (June 4, 2000). "LA Then and Now: Mrs. Wyatt Earp Packed Her Own Punch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  5. Shillingberg, William B. (Summer 1976). "Wyatt Earp and the Buntline Special Myth". Kansas Historical Quarterly. 42 (2): 113–154.
  6. "BoxRec: Tom Sharkey".
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