Tom Sharkey v Tommy Burns

And was a ranked contender for the heavyweight title in 1899.

 

McCoy was not known for having the best ability to take it. Sharkey stopped him in 10. He was also stopped by McCormick and Corbett.

 

I've never seen anyone question McCoy's ability to take it. Nobody back then ever questioned it. At least I've not seen anything indicating as such. The man was stopped only 4 times in 116 fights. That's hardly indicative of someone who has problems taking it, especially when you consider his opposition.

He was stopped by Sharkey, one of the hardest hitters of the era. He was then stopped by McCormick(whom he'd just floored and hurt) with a hail-mary shot that surprised everyone (including McCormick). Nobody questioned his chin afterwards any more than they did George Chip's after getting flattened by a similar hail mary vs. Al McCoy. Kid McCoy came back a month later and beat McCormick by stoppage. Then beat him handily in another fight.

His stoppage loss to Corbett is widely accepted as being an absolute fix, comparable in stench to Gans-McGovern. Not too many people bought it back then and not too many buy it now. There was a whole scandal surrounding that bout that makes for pretty good reading, BTW. I believe the two mens wives even blew the whistle on them.

 

I discuss Corbett-McCoy in an entire chapter in In the Ring With James J. Jeffries.

Actually, most of those who saw Corbett-McCoy came away feeling it was legitimate. That includes most of the experts, newspapers, the referee, and the crowd. Remember, Corbett was coming off his impressive performance against Jeffries, wherein he showed top form. Many picked Corbett to win, including jeff and fitz. He could do what McCoy could do, only he was even bigger than McCoy.

The crowd was satisfied that the rumors of a fix (which often accompanied big fights back then) were without foundation. The only real criticism lodged against McCoy was that some felt that although he was clearly a beaten man, he could have risen. Some said that he had quit, but “it is a fact that McCoy never did show any too great a liking for punishment.” That is what the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said.

The New York Sun said, “Just as many persons predicted, McCoy demonstrated an inability to take grueling punishment.” Corbett put forth such a marvelously swift assault “that nobody who saw the fight believed that it was anything except on the square.”

Not many believed the wives. Both were on the outs with their husbands. Those who did simply did so because it sold newspapers or because they liked to believe the worst. The sensationalist newspapers could not resist any controversy that would sell more newspapers, and so they went wild. However, those who objectively picked apart and looked at the wives' stories were not sold. The Sun noted inconsistencies in the charges of fake. “Mrs. Corbett, who first made charges of crookedness, has told several stories since Saturday which do not agree.”

The Police Gazette said that when the allegations first came out, there was “a general disposition to attribute it to being enraged at her husband’s departure, and in her anger, willing to say or do anything which might show Corbett up in an unfavorable way.” However, when McCoy’s wife made the same allegations, even though they were having marital discord as well and the Kid was suing for divorce, the fact that both wives made the allegations shifted the public’s opinion towards the belief that the allegations were true. However, the wives' stories didn't exactly match up very well, and there were aspects that were too unbelievable. For example, Mrs. McCoy claimed that all of the Kid's fights were fixes except the one against Sharkey.

Bill Naughton wrote, “If Thursday night’s fight was a fake it was the acme of faking. Ring followers were never before fooled with such a realistic display.”

There is a whole lot more to it. I am not convinced it was a fake.

 

Nice post:good And thanks for the info.

I would have to challenge the assertions of the Sun and Daily Eagle though. There's really not much to back up such a claim as McCoy not being able to take it, is there? A small number of stoppage losses in a LARGE number of fights, many of them against top flight opposition. Or was McCoy's excellent defense even better than I thought and the guy rarely hit?

 

On January 12, 1900 at New York’s Broadway Athletic Club, McCoy fought a controversial rematch with Joe Choynski. Choynski had not been defeated since losing an early 1899 20-round decision to McCoy.

This time, Choynski dropped McCoy four times in the 2nd round. When McCoy rose the last time, the bell rang after only two minutes and 20 seconds had elapsed. The timekeeper said that he rang the bell to signify that the fight was over and that McCoy had been counted out, being down for 12 to 15 seconds. A debate ensued regarding what should happen. This took up 1 minute and 40 seconds, until the referee decided that the fight would continue, which it did. Just as the bell rang to end the 3rd round, McCoy dropped Choynski with a right. Choynski’s camp claimed the punch was thrown was after the bell, but the referee did not recognize the claim of foul. When the 4th round began, Joe remained unconscious in his corner and the sponge was thrown up. McCoy was the official winner, but not without some debate. Some reporters said it was a robbery that would lead to boxing becoming illegal again.

 

Correct.

 

Your too myopic to know when you are being school. What time is it in the UK now? 3AM?! Like I said you have no life...

 

PS Jeffries was scheduled to fight Kid McCoy once. Still think he wasn't a heavyweight McFool? McCoy isn't a guy I like due to being guilty of murder, but he was skilled, mobile, and a very good puncher for his size. He was also skilled at the art of creating cuts, and confusing opponents before, and during the fight.

 

McCoy was gradually weakened by punishment to the body by Sharkey, Terry McGovern like.