Is prime Jack Sharkey a H2H menace?

Which ATGS I favor him to beat? I think he could probably beat Jimmy Wilde. I mean Wilde has already a newspaper lost to someone named Jackie Sharkey. Maybe Jack just found a time machine and a way to lose a lot of weight.

 

On a given night if the moon and stars were aligned and he wasn’t in one of his manic states, prime Sharkey had the chops to let anyone who ever stepped into the ring know they were in a fight. The problem is those moments were few and far between during his career.

 

Jack Sharkey is a threat to Jim Braddock.

 

Would I favor Jack Sharkey over most guys who are considered ATG heavies? No. But if he managed to be at his best, and they were off, we'd probably see a memorable fight. 'Prime' does not necessarily equal 'at their best' -- fighters vary from bout to bout and moment to moment. I think most of the ATG heavies would, most nights, usually 'find a way' (positively) for Jack Sharkey to 'find a way' (not so positively [for JackS]). But usual is not always, and Sharkey certainly had the talent and skill to find a seam in space-time.

 

Absolutely yes!

Muldoon called him the best heavyweight in the world, from the neck down, and that is exactly what he was.

He was good at everything, and although he was an emotional wreck, you have to give him credit for his ridiculous body count of contenders.

Give him a pep talk, and he is a dangerous challenger for anybody!

 

Yes. He is.

 

Emotional wreck? can you elaborate?

 

He sometimes used to break down and weep for no apparent reason.

 

I am no expert but from what I read it seems like he got knocked out cold several times. So he probably suffered from some bad concussions. Who knows what kind of beatings he took during sparring as well.

He apparently had bad hands as well. I think a guy like him would do better in modern days with bigger and better gloves.

From what I read it seems to me like the first Schmelling fight DQ was bull****. To get a DQ over one low blow in a fight where he was dishing it out. Especially considering he won the rematch.

 

To be honest I have never really checked Jack out so thanks for this interesting thread and video link. Sharkey does look very good in this clip, I was actually surprised as I previously had him down as a bit of a place holder champ but he has a lot of talent. From that clip I suppose it depends how good Maloney was (seems solid) and what other attributed Jack brought to the table as far as punch, chin and mental strength and discipline. There have been plenty of slick talented fighters who look good but ultimately had too many flaws in other departments to be a H2H threat.

I am interested to learn more about Jack's career and talent on this thread!

 

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This is a fight that really gives some insight on Sharkey. This is the first fight with Primo Carnera. I would look at 2 rounds specifically. The 4th round sequence where he decks Carnera, which is at 4:52 of this vid. One can see the power he actually wielded as well as his temperamental personality as he appears to go ballistic because Carnera took a knee again after arising. He looked like he was going to leave the ring but he engaged once more by the looks of things, because his corner had to coax him. I don't know what the rules stated at the time, but odd that he would be screaming at Gunboat Smith over something like this. The other round one should look at is the 15th which begins at 24:05 of the vid. In this round one can see the stamina of Sharkey, to be still flying in the 15th, his power as he rocks Carnera 3 or 4 times and a really nice bob and weave defense. Not saying he would beat the superstars of the division, but I've always felt he would be a handful for anyone on a head-to-head matchup.

 

I don't think any mandatory 8-count existed at that time, so Carnera was supposed to be a valid target as soon as he rose from his feet. Dropping back down to avoid being hit should've either counted for a 2nd KD or (Sharkey has contended) resulted in an immediate DQ.

 

Not really. Lacks physicality or overwhelming athleticism. Without the pop to scare anyone, the average modern heavy walks right through him.