Bob Fitzsimmons vs. Tom Sharkey (2nd meeting)

Bob Fitzsimmons beat Tom Sharkey by KO at 2:06 in round 2 of 25

• Date: 1900-08-24
• Location: Coney Island A.C., Brooklyn, New York, USA
• Referee: Charlie White

• Prior to the fight, neither man would reveal his actual weight, but Sharkey looked about 20 pounds heavier than Fitz. Jim Jeffries, seated ringside, estimates Fitzsimmons weighs about 170.

In their awaited and important sequel, Fitzsimmons dreamed (as he's been accustomed to) of a knockout victory over Sharkey in the second round. Coincidentially, Fitzsimmons's sparring partner Bob Armstrong had supposedly had a similar dream, as he also envisioned a second round victory for Fitz. As it turned out, ironically, Fitz got the victory in two, but not without some difficulty however. As Fitzsimmons sensed Sharkey was in a weakened state late in the opening round, he pressed his advantage with an ill-advised right uppercut swing which fell short and left the former champion vulnerable to Sharkey's follow-up. Sharkey first shot a stiff left into Fitsimmons face and followed it up with a monstorous swing which luckily made contact with Fitzsimmons's shoulder. Fitzsimmons was downed, however, but awfully lucky the shot didn't connect where it was intended to. Sharkey, always a rough-and-tumble kind of man in the ring, assaulted Fitz while he was still on the canvas. Luckily for Tom, the referee let this blatant foul slide and Sharkey, who might have prevented a victory by wasting precious seconds with his unclassy showing, didn't have the chance to pounce on Fitz when the bell came to his rescue. Fitzsimmons regrouped between rounds, but was still going up against a charging foe in Sharkey who wouldn't let up. But unfortunately for the stocky ex-sailor (Sharkey), Fitzsimmons met his rush this time with his own barrage of punches which had Sharkey in a heap of trouble. The Irishman responded to this sudden adversity with a series of wild swings, one of them countered with a left hook which deposited Sharkey on the canvas for the first time in the fight. Sharkey arose but Fitzsimmons pressed his advantage once again and succeeded in landing the finisher with a right sent perfectly to the temple, putting the Sailor out for good. This fight was exactly what Fitz needed to almost mandate a rematch with the current champion, Jeffries, and to restore his reputation which was somewhat diminished by the devastating defeat to Jeffries and inactivity.

Source: The Historic Brooklyn Eagle Newspaper Archives