BoxRec

BoxBuzz wrote:

I Feel Fine wrote:Yeah, it seems like Sharkey got a few gifts, though there was the Dempsey matter. Schmeling got robbed blind against Sharkey, probably because he was a foreigner. Sometimes its presented like Schmeling was the one to get the break in those fights, because he won the first fight by DQ. But Sharkey got the real break, as most everyone thought Schmeling won the second fight, which was a full 15 rounder and much more consequential.

People always talk about Spinks and Carnera, maybe Sharkey can be called the worst champion ever. At least Spinks legitimately won his title, and at least Carnera had a couple of defenses, and he was the one to beat Sharkey... though some have said it was fixed. Either way, winning the title controversially over Schmeling and then getting KO'd by or throwing a fight to Carnera... not a good title reign.

This whole thing is part of why I feel Schmeling is sometimes underrated. He didn't become champion by accident.

For those who think I have never said a good thing about Carnera....here is my chance to once again say. "The fight may have been fixed, but the KO was not phoney".

That's interesting. So you believe he let himself get knocked out?

I know I am new here but how anyone could score Hearns/Leonard 2 is beyond me. The 12th could not be a 2pt round. Hearns almost dropped him at the start of it. Hearns won by at least 2 points giving SRL every benefit.

Some not mentioned

Escalera/Everett- probably the worst ever considering it was in Tyrone's hometown

Hagler-Antuofermo 1
Chaplin/Page x2
Jessie Burnett/Leon Spinks was just putrid
Gomez/Lockridge
Mustapha Muhammad/Galindez

That's interesting. So you believe he let himself get knocked out?

There could have been a fix in the fight, but it really could have went one of a few ways:

-Either Sharkey let Carnera have the opprotunity to knock him out

[hey, alot of Butterbean's opponents did the same thing for Esch, its a possibility]

-Carnera got lucky, and managed to catch Sharkey off guard, and eventually caught him with a shot.

-Sharkey was led to believe that Carnera was a cinch and didn't need to worry about him, seeing as he beat Carnera years before, and didn't train properly, while Carnera did.

[This same scenario happened with Burns and O'Brien in their third fight, where O'Brien offered Burns to take a dive, so Burns agreed (only to get his revenge on O'Brien), so Philadelphia Jack didn't train much, only to face a Burns in the best shape of his career and out for the kill]

Do I think it was a dive? Who knows. Myself Sharkey was so hot and cold, being alot like a Hasim Rahman, having one good fight and then looking like shit the next few times out---it's hard to tell what really happened. Carnera, on the other hand, to best of anyone's knowledge, only had fixed fights in his early career, and his mob connections, were probably mostly for show considering he was Italian and so were they.

Uhhhh....About Burns and O'Brien. Burns lost their first fight, a six-round decision, to a much more experienced boxer. In the second fight, this for Tommy's heavyweight title, Jim Jeffries was the referee. Jeffries was asked just days before the fight who he thought would win and he stated publicly that he thought O'Brien was the better man. He said this knowing he was going to referee their fight! Burns pounded O'Brien in the guts and then chased him for 20 rounds. Jeffries somehow saw it a draw. Surprise. Prior to their third go, Burns was forced to agree not to fight inside or O'Brien would not take the match. Before the fight started, Tommy announced to all assembled that their deal was off and he intended to knock O'Brien out. O'Brien ran again, but this time Tommy got the decision. O'Brien didn't run from Stanley Ketchel or Jack Johnson, but he ran from Tommy Burns!

Cap

Cap's Journal

markl wrote: The 12th could not be a 2pt round. Hearns almost dropped him at the start of it.

I've been beating this drum for a long time.

The first 60 seconds Hearns is completely dominating and has Leonard on the verge. Leonard then turns it around and dominates the last 2 mins. Leoanrd wins a very clear 10-9 but surely Tommy's dominance of the first third prevents it from being 10-8.

I scored the fight for Hearns though it was close.

Cap wrote:Uhhhh....About Burns and O'Brien.
Cap's Journal

This is also talk that the second or third fights were fixed or there was at least an attempt to fix the fights.

KOJOE90 wrote:

Cap wrote:Uhhhh....About Burns and O'Brien.
Cap's Journal

This is also talk that the second or third fights were fixed or there was at least an attempt to fix the fights.

I've read Tommy's own account of events and am inclined to dismiss rumours of a fix. The only deal arranged between them was insisted upon by O'Brien. He had not liked the thumping to the slats he had received in their first go and would only fight Burns again if Tommy agreed not to fight in close. Burns had wicked short blows inside, and used them to fracture at least one of Jack Johnson's ribs down in Sydney.

Cap