1. Jackie Sharkey was born Giovanni Cervati in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, Italy on June 20,1897, though he would live most of his life in New York City.
51 Facts About Jackie Sharkey
1. 2.
On February 21,1916, Sharkey lost to Jewish boxer Abe Friedman at the Olympia Boxing Club in New York in a ten-round newspaper decision.
3.
On June 2,1916, Jackie Sharkey lost to Young Zulu Kid in a fifth-round knockout at the Vanderbilt Athletic Club in Brooklyn, New York.
4.
On February 5,1917, Jackie Sharkey drew with former World Bantamweight champion Johnny Coulon in a ten-round newspaper decision at the Pioneer Sporting Club in New York.
5.
On July 27,1917, Jackie Sharkey first lost to Kid Williams in six rounds at Oriole Park in Baltimore, at least by the newspaper decision of the Baltimore Sun.
6.
Jackie Sharkey lost to Williams again on April 1,1918, in a twelve-round points decision at the Lyric Theater in Baltimore.
7.
Jackie Sharkey first met Joe Lynch on September 26,1916, in the star bout at the Pioneer Sporting Club in New York, losing in ten-round newspaper decisions of the New York Times and New York Tribune.
8.
Jackie Sharkey was down in the fifth round, after which Lynch had little trouble penetrating his defenses.
9.
Jackie Sharkey had the better of the bout up until the sixth round, when Lynch became far more dominant.
10.
Jackie Sharkey met Frankie Burns seven times during his career, but had little luck with the highly rated bantamweight contender.
11.
Jackie Sharkey sank to the mat in the sixth round and claimed a foul, though he recovered by the seventh.
12.
Jackie Sharkey fought the first two rounds "like a whirlwind" and looked to have an advantage, but lost his pace in subsequent rounds.
13.
Burns was "too clever" for Jackie Sharkey and "won by use of constant left jabs and right handers to the body".
14.
Jackie Sharkey fell to a ten-round loss by newspaper decision in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on February 21,1918.
15.
Burns was eight years older than Jackie Sharkey, but seemed a difficult opponent to defeat.
16.
On July 13,1920, Jackie Sharkey lost to Burns in a twelve-round newspaper decision of the Philadelphia Record at the Outdoor Arena of the Armory in Jersey City, New Jersey.
17.
The bout was described as sensational and Jackie Sharkey was considered to have been in his best form with a clear advantage.
18.
On May 3,1920, Jackie Sharkey lost to Jewish boxer Young Montreal, aka Morris Billingkoff, in a twelve-round points decision at Infantry Hall in Providence, Rhode Island.
19.
Jackie Sharkey first defeated Pete Herman in a six-round newspaper decision of two local newspapers at the National Athletic Club in Philadelphia on May 4,1918.
20.
The victory over the reigning bantamweight champion was described as "a clean cut lacing", and several newspapers agreed Jackie Sharkey had the advantage in the bout.
21.
Jackie Sharkey was described as the aggressor through most of the bout and able to stand punch for punch with the champion.
22.
On September 2,1918, Jackie Sharkey again fared well against Herman in a non-title six-round match at the Olympia Club in Philadelphia although it ended in a no-decision and more newspapers gave the advantage to Herman.
23.
Jackie Sharkey was described as the aggressor and always forcing the pace, though more newspapers felt Herman deserved to win having better timed and more effective punches.
24.
Jackie Sharkey briefly claimed the World Bantamweight Championship on August 15,1919, in a ten-round newspaper decision against Herman in a no-decision bout in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, though the title was not unified at the time, and Jackie Sharkey won by a fairly close margin.
25.
Jackie Sharkey's claim was not recognized at the time, as he would have had to win by knockout or technical knockout to take the title, or to have won by the decision of a referee.
26.
On September 15,1919, Jackie Sharkey again had the edge over Herman in a World Bantamweight Championship match in Detroit, Michigan in a ten-round newspaper decision by the Detroit Free Press, though it was fairly close.
27.
On September 11,1920, Jackie Sharkey again defeated Herman in a non-title, fifteen-round newspaper decision of the Chicago Tribune in East Chicago, Indiana, though Herman held the World Bantamweight Championship at the time.
28.
Jackie Sharkey claimed fouls in the fifth and seventh rounds which were not allowed by the referee.
29.
Jackie Sharkey was the aggressor throughout which earned him the advantage according to several newspapers.
30.
On December 6,1919, Jackie Sharkey defeated British champion Jimmy Wilde in a ten-round newspaper decision of the Milwaukee Journal before a crowd close to 8,000 at the Auditorium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
31.
Jackie Sharkey was considered a decisive winner, taking eight of the ten rounds according to the newspapermen at ringside.
32.
Jackie Sharkey's blows were said to land more frequently and with greater force.
33.
Jackie Sharkey's win was at least a minor upset as Wilde led in the early betting 2 to 1.
34.
Jackie Sharkey's purse was $20,000 and he achieved notoriety that would help him command more for his future bouts.
35.
On October 15,1920, Jackie Sharkey defeated French boxer Charles Ledoux in a fifteen-round points decision at Madison Square Garden.
36.
Jackie Sharkey appeared to have a clear advantage in the first three rounds and Ledoux was very briefly down in the second.
37.
On November 10,1921, Jackie Sharkey lost to Johnny Buff in a fifteen-round World Bantamweight Championship by points decision at Madison Square Garden.
38.
Jackie Sharkey had lost to Buff on January 15,1920, in an eight-round newspaper decision of the Jersey Journal in Jersey City, New Jersey.
39.
On July 6,1922, Jackie Sharkey lost to Johnny Dundee in a fifteen-round points decision of a Junior Lightweight Championship bout at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn with an attendance of around 15,000.
40.
Jackie Sharkey was down briefly in the fourth and again in the fifteenth in what several boxing critics considered only a modest showing for Dundee.
41.
The Evening World considered Dundee to have taken every round, though Jackie Sharkey made a strong showing in the early part of the fourth.
42.
The bout was quite exciting and Jackie Sharkey was said to excel at infighting having a reach advantage over Dundee.
43.
Zivic was a competent junior lightweight, but Jackie Sharkey's record included many losses after his loss to Johnny Dundee on July 6,1922.
44.
Jackie Sharkey had nearly a six-pound weight advantage over Zivic though he lacked a few inches in reach.
45.
On December 2,1924, Jackie Sharkey lost on a second round disqualification against Frankie Fasano when he reportedly and uncharacteristically attacked the referee.
46.
Jackie Sharkey had claimed to be a victim of a foul which the referee disallowed.
47.
Jackie Sharkey boxed in New York four months later in April 1925.
48.
Jackie Sharkey retired from boxing around May 1926, with a ten-round points decision loss to Young Mulligan in Norwalk, Connecticut.
49.
Jackie Sharkey had lost two prior bouts by newspaper decision since September 1925, as well as a third-round TKO to Jewish boxer Red Chapman on October 23,1925.
50.
Jackie Sharkey was twenty-eight years old when he retired from the ring.
51.
Jackie Sharkey died on March 1,1970, at the age of 72.