Jack Sharkey vs Primo Carnera

A difference of 59 pounds separated the two heavyweights when they entered the ring at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn on October 12, 1931. Primo Carnera weighed 261 pounds, while Jack Sharkey scaled 202, yet the smaller man’s speed, balance and experience proved more useful than the Italian’s extraordinary dimensions. Before a crowd reported at approximately 30,000, Sharkey won a unanimous decision over 15 rounds and retained his American Boxing Association heavyweight title.

Carnera had been promoted vigorously since arriving in the United States and had already assembled 48 victories in 51 professional contests. Standing 6 feet 5 inches, with exceptionally long arms and a heavy frame, he presented an uncommon problem for the heavyweights of his period. His record contained numerous early knockouts, though questions remained concerning the quality and circumstances of some of those contests. Sharkey was a tested contender who had fought Jack Dempsey, Tommy Loughran and Max Schmeling. He had lost his 1930 world-title contest with Schmeling by disqualification after landing a low blow, and his subsequent draw with the much smaller Mickey Walker had done little to improve his standing. Victory over Carnera was therefore important to his hopes of receiving another championship opportunity.

Sharkey began cautiously, moving around the larger man rather than meeting him squarely. Carnera sought to control the space with his left jab and use his weight whenever the pair came together, but his feet could not carry him into effective punching range with sufficient speed. Sharkey stepped inside the long arms, worked to the body and moved away before Carnera could set himself. The Italian was strongest when he could hold his ground and punch downward, yet Sharkey seldom remained directly before him for long.

The decisive incident came in the fourth round. Sharkey moved within Carnera’s reach and struck him with a left hook which dropped the Italian heavily. Referee Ed “Gunboat” Smith counted six before Carnera began to rise. The big man then rested again upon one knee and did not regain his feet until the count had reached eight. He was shaken but sufficiently alert to continue, and his size and strength enabled him to withstand Sharkey’s attempts to force an immediate conclusion.

Carnera recovered his balance, but he was unable to alter the course of the contest. Sharkey continued to make the larger man turn, attacking in short bursts and refusing to be held at the end of Carnera’s jab. When they came together, Carnera leaned upon him and attempted to use his weight, but Sharkey usually freed himself before serious damage could be done. He directed punches to the body as well as the head, taking advantage of the broad target, then moved aside as Carnera attempted to answer.

Through the middle and later rounds, Carnera remained determined and physically strong, but his work was slow and often telegraphed. His height allowed him to absorb punches which might have finished a smaller heavyweight, though it also left his body exposed when Sharkey entered beneath the jab. Sharkey did not fight recklessly in search of another knockdown. He maintained the same practical pattern, stepping in behind the left hand, delivering compact combinations and leaving Carnera to follow him across the ring.

The final rounds brought no reversal. Carnera continued forward and completed the full distance despite the punishment he had received, but he could not impose his weight or find Sharkey consistently with a decisive right hand. Sharkey remained the quicker and more accurate boxer, controlling the exchanges and avoiding the prolonged close-range struggle which offered Carnera his best chance. There were no further knockdowns and no fouls of consequence.

Referee Smith and judges Charles F. Mathison and George Kelly were unanimous in awarding the decision to Sharkey. Contemporary records do not provide official numerical scorecards, but the verdict was considered clear. Sharkey’s movement, cleaner punching and fourth-round knockdown had settled the issue over the full 15 rounds. The victory restored him to the front rank of heavyweight challengers and helped secure his 1932 return contest with Schmeling, in which he won the world championship by a disputed decision. Carnera rebuilt his position and met Sharkey again in June 1933, knocking him out in the sixth round to become the first Italian world heavyweight champion.

I regard this as the night Sharkey exposed how raw Carnera still was. Giving away 59 pounds, he used quicker feet, better timing and the common sense not to stand directly in front of the Italian giant. Carnera was a tremendous attraction because of his size and knockout record, but much of that record had been carefully manufactured.

Sharkey stepped inside the long jab, worked the body and dropped Carnera with a left hook in the fourth. From there, the decision was straightforward. Carnera showed courage by lasting 15 rounds, but courage was not enough.

Sharkey won clearly because he was the better-trained, more complete boxer. The unanimous verdict was entirely correct.