How much credit should Dempsey get for his controversial victory over Jack Sharkey?

I agree with Bummy Davis.

If Dempsey could foul with the referee not seeing it, that is part of the game.

For me, he deserves full credit,

but while Sharkey was fairly durable, he had been knocked out by Romero-Rojas and was apparently lucky to avoid a knockout by Jim Maloney in a fight he won on a foul while being knocked down something like six times,

and while I do not score Dempsey for getting away with fouls, Sharkey turning away and not defending himself perhaps takes some of the glitter off Dempsey's achievement.

 

I think Dempsey deserves credit he was climbing back into the fight. Yes his punch went a little south but the fact that Sharkey didn't immediately drop to the canvas (the way Schmeling did against Sharkey) and rather turned to complain got caught and then did the wiggle dance on the canvas lends me to believe Sharkey was hoping that Jack would be Dq'd.
That fight after round 3 is quite competitive.

 

Sharkey didn't exactly fight a clean fight either, for whatever it is worth.

 

Agenda

 

Remind me ,who lost his title because he punched low?

 

I sometimes wonder if, going into round seven, the referee were a bit unsympathetic to Sharkey because Sharkey had cuffed Dempsey in the face what looks to be well after the bell ending round six.

 

How many lineal heavyweight champions actually beat the heir to their throne?

A few if you count people with short title reigns, i.e. Jack Sharkey himself.

If you talk in terms of guys who were on top for a few years however, then it is a short list.

Jack Dempsey
Joe Louis
Muhammad Ali
Lennox Lewis

I think that's it!

 

He should get a fair bit of credit.

I don't think his low blows should be compared to the monstrous full-blown killer combinations to the nuts that Golota put Bowe down with.

I'm sure some strayed far too low, and towards to groin, but let's be honest here, Sharkey was getting frustrated by having a tough relentless opponent still coming at him. He was hurting from legit body blows too, and admitted that.
The man was known to be a bit weak minded, a cry baby. That was his reputation.

If Sharkey had the time and ability to turn to complain to the referee, he was obviously not rendered incapacitated by the low blow.

I've lesser fighters take worse low blows from Rocky Marciano, and still carry on fighting.

I was watching Hagler-Leonard again the other day, and saw ringsiders clapping Leonard's low blow.

It's right to give Dempsey some credit, surely, if you look at it in context.

 

I give Dempsey great credit for the Sharkey ko...he seized the moment...capitalizing on it in the twinkling of an eye...to his everlasting credit, because he was explosive enough to do that very thing...and to the ultimate degradation of Jack Sharkey, he only proved that he wasn't made of the sternest material upstairs between the ears...a fine fighter, he was however prone to yielding to his emotions and then paying the price for it. Any talk in the past of a bout between Tunney and Sharkey is always answered in my mind by the fact that Tunney was cool headed, composed and rather more cerebral than the Boston Gob, and that almost alone would have been the key to a victory for Gene. The comparative difference between Sharkey and Tunney in how those two men coped with a still dangerous old rattlesnake like Dempsey speaks volumes.

 

It was a foul. Sharkey wasnt knocked out he was counted out clutching his nuts after dominating dempsey. If people find that a good impressive win for the mauler then why do we even have rules.

 

I'm clutching my nuts now.
Doesn't prove sh!t.

 

Do you think that the punch that closed the fight, was to the nuts?

If not, then it merely comes down to a question of whether Dempsey should have been disqualified earlier.

 

Well he cheated and fouled to the extent he should have been penalised and the ref helped by not enforcing it but then again boxings full of cheating.

Sharkey messed up dropping his hands but Dempsey got allot of help.

A borderline fixed fight

 

He obviously should have at least been warned and docked points earlier. If he continued then DQ him.

 

The punch to the groin by Sharkey against Schmeling is clear on film and even in stills.

For the "Dempsey hit him in the nuts" folks, would you point out the time on the film where this is obvious,

rather than a marginal low blow, and even where a marginal low blow is obvious.