Does anyone go through Jack Sharkeys resume undefeated?

i doubt it.

 

Oh, I see where I may have confused you. I thought Sharkey fought Dempsey in the third year of his career. But it was actually the fourth. So it would've been the Ali who fought Liston the first time against Dempsey (between the Tunney fights).

I take back what a I said about that being a possible loss.

Ali wins that one and all the others on Sharkey's resume.

 

Nope. Not in the context of an entire career that exists in reality instead of the "best version showing up every night" fantasy we build for ourselves here on a daily basis.

1) 53-0 for a world-level heavyweight has never been done.

2) The resume starts on the deep end, as he was thrown to the wolves early.

3) If you survive the 27-31 period, you get to end with a prime Joe Louis five years later.

Ain't gonna happen.

 

Bingo

 

And no amateur experience...

 

:good:deal

 

Good points actually. change my mind on this, I do.

 

Huh?

 

Waht about Jack Johnson?

55 fights in 12 years might just be doable starting from about 1903. Johnson would be seasoned enough to take on and beat the aging Dempsey. Showed enough to suggest that he could take the likes of Willard, Carnera etc and was consistent enough to continue the win streak and actually take on Joe louis, when still in pretty decent form.

Other than Jack Johnson, what about Harry Greb as a dark horse. He could fight them all in just over a 12 month period, meaning he would be physically primed for every fight! Plenty on here already picked him over Dempsey. Why not Joe Louis?

 

No.
No one would go through those 53 fights in 12 year period without a loss.
Some would do a lot better than Sharkey did though, maybe pick up 2 or 3 losses only.

 

I think Sharkey started in the Navy.

 

Muhammad Ali fought Archie Moore two years into his career. He fought Sonny Liston four years into his career (which is when Sharkey lost to Dempsey). Muhammad Ali in 1972 (12 years after turning pro) ... could've handled Joe Louis. Louis was coming off A KO LOSS entering the fight with Sharkey.

TWO months after getting battered and starched by Schmeling, Louis would've been in big trouble against the 1972 version of Ali. It wouldn't have been the other way around.

I think Ali would've beaten everyone on Sharkey's record over the same 12-year period.

 

It isnt just Dempsey that a young Ali had to beat. You can throw in Harry Wills, George Godfrey and a host of other top contenders.

Then when you get to the end of the round, the Ali who lost to Frazier and was about to lose to Norton would need to beat Schmelling, Carnera, Loughran and Joe Louis.

I think he is as good a chance as anyone, but he would have to do better than he actually did in reality. Maybe not losing the three years due to the draft would make the difference.

 

Vitali.

 

Let’s start with the obvious matter that Sharkey had virtually no amateur experience, while Ali had an Olympic pedigree.

Having made no allowance whatsoever for that, we shall compare their early opposition.

Five months after his professional debut, Jack Sharkey was thrown in against the dangerous veteran Floyd Johnson, who had been seen as a potential challenger for Dempsey’s title, little more than a year earlier!

At the same stage of his career Ali was getting ready to step up against LaMar Clark, who was coming off a couple of losses to Bartolo Soni 12.2.1, and Pete Rademacher 6.3.1.

In the next two months Sharkey’s opponents include Homer Smith, Quintin Romero Rojas, Jim Maloney X2, Charlie Weinert X2, and Jack Relault!

Ali spends the corresponding period recovering from his fight against LaMar Clark, then fights Duke Sabedong 15.11.1.

By the time Ali is going life and death against Doug Jones and Henry Cooper, Harry Wills has defeated George Godfrey and Harry Wills.

12 years takes us up to late 1972, by which time Ali is on the slide, despite a long layoff for the war, and has had 41 fights.

Match him to Sharkey’s schedule, and he inevitably declines quicker.

My point is a brutally simple one.

Even to assume that Ali could do it, we must make some sweeping assumptions that he would be able to do some things that he never came close to doing in his own era.

That leaves a reasonable observer saying that thy are not sure whether Ali would be able to do it or not.

Take a bow Jack Sharkey, there is more to you than the fans today realise.