"Sailor" Tom Sharkey
(Thomas J. Sharkey)

BORN     November 26 1873; Dundalk, Ireland
DIED     April 17 1953; San Francisco, California
HEIGHT   5-8 1/2
WEIGHT   172-205 lbs
MANAGERS  Dan Lynch, Tom O'Rourke

Sharkey was a short, squat battler who was the near-equal of the modern fighter, Rocky Marciano; He was powerful, rough, and durable

Sharkey fought during the time of Jim Jeffries, Jim Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons; His 1896 bout with Fitzsimmons was billed as a Heavyweight Title Fight, but his crown evaporated once Corbett made clear his intent to return to the ring

He was elected to the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1959 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003

New Book --   I FOUGHT THEM ALL  by Greg Lewis and Moira Sharkey

 


Jeffries-Sharkey #2 1899 Video Clip

(Press the  button at the top of the screen to return)



1893
Mar 17 Jack Gardner               Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  4
Apr  7 J. Pickett                 Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  2
May  3 Jack Langley               Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  4
May 27 Jim Harvey                 Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  2
Aug 21 Jack Walsh                 Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  2
Sep 10 Jim Barrington             Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  1

1894
Feb  7 George Washington          Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               LK   
          -Some sources report "KO 2" on 7/04/94
May 14 "Rough" Thompson           Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  2
May 24 Nick Burley                Honolulu, Oahu, Hi                D  9
          -Some sources report "D 8" on 6/08/94;
           Some sources report "KO 8" on 6/14/94
May 28 "Rough" Thompson           Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  1
Jun 20 Jack Langley               Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  8
          -Some sources report 4/07/94
Jun 21 Nick Barrowich             Honolulu, Oahu, Hi                D  3
Jul 18 Billy Tate                 Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  2
Jul 21 Jim Dunn                   Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  1
          -Some sources report "Vallejo, Ca"
Jul 28 Jack McAuley               Honolulu, Oahu, Hi               KO  1
          -Some sources report "Vallejo, Ca"
Aug  6 "Rough" Thompson           Waikiki, Oahu, Hi                KO  4
Aug 11 Jack Marks                 Vallejo, Ca                      KO  1
Aug 21 "Sailor" Charles Brown     Vallejo, Ca                      KO  1
Nov 24 Martin Mulverhill          Vallejo, Ca                      KO  9

1895
Jul 25 "Australian" Billy Smith   Colma, Ca                        KO  7
Nov  7 John Miller                Colma, Ca                        KO  9
Dec 27 Billy Geogan               San Francisco, Ca                EX  3

1896
Mar 12 Alec Greggains             San Francisco, Ca                 D  8
Apr  7 "Sailor" Charles Brown     Vallejo, Ca                      KO  1
Apr    Danny Needham              San Francisco, Ca                EX   
          -Sharkey sparred regularly with Needham in preparation 
           for the Choynski bout
Apr 16 Joe Choynski               San Francisco, Ca                 W  8
          -Sharkey lasted and claimed win
Jun  2 Jim Williams               San Francisco, Ca                KO  3
          -Some sources report "TK 7" on 6/03/96
Jun 24 Jim Corbett                San Francisco, Ca                 D  4
Jul  5 Danny Needham              San Francisco, Ca                EX  3
Aug 26 Danny Needham              Chicago, Il                      EX  3
Aug 31 John L. Sullivan           New York, NY                     EX  3
          -One minute rounds were fought
Sep  3 Danny Needham              New York, NY                    SCH   
Sep  4 Danny Needham              New York, NY                    SCH   
Sep  5 Danny Needham              New York, NY                    SCH   
          -The previous 3 bouts were scheduled;
           The outcomes are not known
Sep 21 Danny Needham              Philadelphia, Pa                 EX  2
Oct  1 Patrick "Reddy" Gallagher  Denver, Co                       EX   
Dec  2 Bob Fitzsimmons            San Francisco, Ca                WF  8
          -This bout was promoted as a Heavyweight
           Championship of the World contest; Fitzsimmons
           knocked Sharkey flat on his back; Referee Wyatt
           Earp ruled that Fitzsimmons had hit low

1897
Apr  5 Jim Williams               Salt Lake City, Ut                D  8
Apr 11 Jake Holtman               St. Louis, Mo                    EX  4
Apr 11 Jake Holtman               St. Louis, Mo                    EX  4
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Apr 12 Jake Holtman               St. Louis, Mo                    EX  4
Apr 13 Jake Holtman               St. Louis, Mo                    EX  4
Apr 14 Jake Holtman               St. Louis, Mo                    EX  4
May    Bob Armstrong              Southfield, NY                   EX   
May    Bob Armstrong              Southfield, NY                   EX  4
May    Joe Choynski               Southfield, NY                   EX   
May    Tim McGrath                Southfield, NY                   EX   
May    Tom Lansing                Southfield, NY                   EX   
Jun  9 Peter Maher                New York, NY                      D  7
          -Police intervened
Jul 16 Joe Craig                  Dundalk, Ireland                 EX  4
Jul 23 Joe Craig                  Belfast, Ireland                 KO  1
Jul    Joe Craig                  Wren Point, Ireland              EX   
Jul 30 Pat McCourt                Wren Point, Ireland              KO  2
Aug  6 Joe Craig                  Belfast, Ireland                 EX  4
Aug  7 Tom Parks                  Dundalk, Ireland                 KO  1
Aug 10 Joe Craig                  Dundalk, Ireland                 EX  4
Aug 16 Punch Vaughn               Liverpool, England               KO  3
Nov 18 Joe Goddard                San Francisco, Ca                KO  6
          -Sharkey knocked Goddard down and he struck his head
           hard on the floor; He was badly dazed

1898
Jan  7 Jim Jeffries               San Francisco, Ca               SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled but not held;
           Authorities would not issue a license
Mar  8 Jack Stelzner              San Francisco, Ca                EX  4
Mar  8 Joe Kennedy                San Francisco, Ca                EX  4
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Mar 11 Joe Choynski               San Francisco, Ca                 D  8
          -Police intervened; Sharkey should have been disqualified
Apr 13 Henry Baker                Vallejo, Ca                      EX  8
Apr 25 Henry Baker                Vallejo, Ca                      EX   
Apr 25 Jim Casey                  Vallejo, Ca                      EX   
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Apr 26 -Sharkey sparred regularly with Henry Baker, Jim Casey, 
           Tim McGrath and Joe Kennedy during Apr 26-May 5
May  6 Jim Jeffries               San Francisco, Ca                 L 20
May  9 Henry Baker                San Francisco, Ca                EX  1
          -This bout was part of the play, "The Ensign"
Jun  9 Jim Scanlon                Allegheny, Pa                    EX  4
Jun  9 John J. Cavanaugh          Allegheny, Pa                    EX  4
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Jun 29 Gus Ruhlin                 Brooklyn, NY                     KO  1
Jul  1 Louis Jester               Middletown, NY                   EX  2
          -Some sources report "KO 1" but it appears this was an exhibition
           match; It was part of Louis Jester's vaudeville show; The bout 
           lasted for "two half-minute rounds;" Mr. Jester lost over $100 
           by the venture and had the public patronized the show, a good 
           performance would have been given (see the Middletown (NY) 
           Daily Argus, July 2 1898)
Nov 22 Jim Corbett                New York, NY                     WF  9
          -Corbett lost on foul because his second,
           Jim McVey, came into the ring
Dec 30 Joe Goddard                Philadelphia, Pa                  W  4

1899
Jan 10 Charles "Kid" McCoy        New York, NY                     KO 10
Jan 30 Jim McCormick              Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  2
Feb  1 Tommy Ryan                 Syracuse, NY                     EX  6
Apr 17 Bob Armstrong              Pittsburgh, Pa                   EX  3
Apr 18 Bob Armstrong              Pittsburgh, Pa                  SCH   
Apr 20 Bob Armstrong              Pittsburgh, Pa                  SCH   
Apr 21 Bob Armstrong              Pittsburgh, Pa                  SCH   
Apr 22 Bob Armstrong              Pittsburgh, Pa                  SCH   
          -This previous 4 bouts were scheduled; The outcomes are not known
Apr 26 Bob Armstrong              Rochester, NY                    EX  4
Oct    Bob Armstrong              New Dorph, NY                    EX  8
From two newspapers on October 18, 1899 - regarding the injury to Jim Jeffries' left arm
From the New York (NY) Times -- From the Oshkosh, Wi Daily Northwestern --

Oct 19 Bob Armstrong              New Dorph, NY                    EX   
Oct 19 Tim McGrath                New Dorph, NY                    EX   
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Oct 23 Bob Armstrong              New Dorph, NY                    EX  8
Oct 24 Bob Armstrong              New Dorph, NY                    EX  6
Oct 24 Jeff Thorne                New Dorph, NY                    EX  4
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Oct 25 Bob Armstrong              New Dorph, NY                    EX  6
Oct 27 Jim Jeffries               Coney Island, NY                SCH   
          -Heavyweight Championship of the World;
           This bout was scheduled but postponed due
           to the injury to Jeffries' left arm
Oct 27 Bob Armstrong              New Dorph, NY                   SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known;
           The Mutascope Company was to film the bout
Oct 31 Bob Armstrong              New Dorph, NY                    EX  6
Nov  3 Jim Jeffries               Coney Island, NY                  L 25
          -Heavyweight Championship of the World
Nov 16 Jim Jeffries               Brooklyn, NY                     EX  1
          -Jeffries and Sharkey fought a one round "retake"
           of the last round of their title fight, which had
           not been captured by the cameras

1900
Feb  5 -Sharkey refereed the Charles Stevenson vs Tom "Jabber" Carey bout
          in Philadelphia, Pa
Feb 13 Joe Goddard                Philadelphia, Pa                 TK  4
Feb 19 Jim Jeffords               Detroit, Mi                      KO  2
Mar 15 Jim McCormick              Hartford, Ct                     KO  1
Mar 29 Tom "Stockings" Conroy     Baltimore, Md                    KO  2
          -Some sources report "KO 3"
May  8 Joe Choynski               Chicago, Il                      KO  2
          -Some sources report "TK 3"
Jun  8 Yank Kenny                 Brooklyn, NY                     KO  1
          -Some sources report "New York, NY"
Jun 26 Gus Ruhlin                 Coney Island, NY                 LK 15
Aug 24 Bob Fitzsimmons            Coney Island, NY                 LK  2
Aug 29 Jim Guider                 New York, NY                     EX  3
          -Some sources report "George Crider"
Dec 18 -Sharkey was scheduled to spar in New York, NY

1901
May  3 Fred Russell               Denver, Co                       KO  4
May  7 "Mexican" Pete Everett     Cripple Creek, Co                LF  1
          -Some sources report "LF 2" at "Denver, Co"
Dec    Bob Fitzsimmons            New York, NY                     EX  5

1902
Jan 17 Peter Maher                Philadelphia, Pa                 NC  3
          -Sharkey and Maher were merely going through the
           motions of fighting when the referee stopped the
           bout and called it "No Contest"
Jun 25 Gus Ruhlin                 London, England                  LT 11

1903
Jun 14 Carl Pons                  Coney Island, NY                SCH   
          -This wrestling match was scheduled;
           The outcome is not known

1904
Jan    -Sharkey was trained by Tom "Jabber" Carey and sparred with him during Jan-Feb 1904
Jan  4 Tom "Jabber" Carey         in New York                      EX  3
Feb 22 Tom "Jabber" Carey         in New York                      EX  4
Feb 27 Jack Monroe                Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
          -This bout was not held 2/28/04

1923
Nov 19 Frankie Shields            Santa Ana, Mexico                EX  3

1927
May  3 Jim Jeffries               San Francisco, Ca                EX  1

1920-1930
          -Sharkey and Jim Jeffries toured the United States
           giving boxing exhibitions and vaudeville performances

1930-1950 
         -Sharkey worked at various race tracks in California

*** The Following Bouts Are Reported But Not Confirmed  ***

1898
May 31 Louis Jester               Middletown, NY                   KO  1
*** Some Data Was Provided By Sergei Yurchenko ***

Review courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization