boxing
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Writing Tom Sharkey’s biography meant we got to “meet” many of the great characters of old-time boxing. Sharkey wasn’t the only wild character among them. One of our favourites was “Kid” McCoy – real name Norman Selby – who faced Sharkey in January 1899 as a boyish-looking 26-year-old and had fast become one of
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Irishman Tom Sharkey was the never-say-die fighter who bridged the gap between old and new. Sharkey arrived in the United States in the 1890s as the fight game was changing. The prize-fighters and bare-knuckle brawlers were disappearing as the new “scientific” boxers emerged to fight under the Marquis of Queensberry rules. After quickly making his name
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Prize-fighting legend Tom Sharkey led a most remarkable life. He served in the US Navy before fighting all of the first four heavyweight champions under the Marquis of Queensberry rules. He mixed with characters like Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Theodore Roosevelt and the Tammany Hall politicians who ruled New York. Sharkey’s epic 25-round encounter with Jim
Greg Lewis 