Best Fighter That Jack Sharkey Could Have Beaten (1940 onwards)?

He COULD have beaten any of those listed. The question is would he beat them. Patterson and Norton showed the greatest vulnerability to punchers and Dempsey could crack and he was fast. Walcott and Ezzard could be sparked with one punch as well, but they were never taken out quickly while at or near their prime.

 

Any quite frankly.

If his head is screwed on straight, and theirs is not, then his talent could conceivably do the rest.

 

Peak Sharkey was a force, with incredible speed and athleticism for a heavyweight from that era. Just watch his fight with Jim Maloney in 1926 and you'll see what I mean.

If he isn't off his game like he tended to be due to psychological issues, I see Sharkey being formidable against almost every significant in the pre-Super HW era. He has a good chance of beating everyone you named imo

 

I thought the title said Dempsey, not Sharkey.

 

I am going to shoot from the hip on this one. I feel Jack Sharkey, at his best, could have beaten about half of the Lineal Heavyweight Champions from 1940 forward.

And I think he would do about the same with the Lineal Champions before 1940 as well. So, I am thinking of Jack Sharkey, at his best, as a pretty good middle ability Lineal Heavyweight Champion. That is probably higher than most would think of him, but that is how I feel about him.

 

Sharkey in top form could compete with anybody. That said Sharkey was a very emotional guy and sometimes lost focus, which resulted in him underperforming.

 

So, I'm curious as to your answer about whether Sharkey could have defeated any of those guys!

 

What was Sharkey‘s deal anyway? I’ve always heard he had some kind of metal issue but I never learned enough about the guy.

 

How do you define Jersey Joe’s prime? There’s a relatively short stretch that included winning and losing the title at an advanced age where he maybe fought his best, but even a year before or in the Marciano rematch he’s not really special.

I honestly don’t think he had a prime. He was just wildly inconsistent and finally came through when his mob-tied manager ‘somehow’ got him a series of title shots practically one after another until he finally won one.

 

JJW's prime begun when he made a comeback in 1944 and started cleaning out the division, beating guys like Bivins, Oma, Murray, Maxim and Ray and finally getting a shot at the title against Louis.
That period from 1944-1950 is considered to be his prime by most.

 

It wasn't mental health issues. He just had trouble controlling his emotions at a high level.

 

I'll say what I say in every Sharkey thread: It depends on which Sharkey shows up. Absolute peak Sharkey had the chops. The problem was he could be practically bipolar.

 

The television announcer for Ezz vs. JJW I mentions Jersey as slowing down, something which may still be on YouTube. When he first challenged Louis, he was reported to already be the oldest challenger for that championship. (I would have to look this one up myself.} Maybe Louis I, which he would have won on a points basis.