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Jack Sharkey's first defense of
the world's heavyweight champion-
ship was his last. The Boston ex-
sailor was knocked out in the sixth
round of what was to have been
a fifteen-round struggle last night
in the Long Island City Bowl, by
Primo Carnera, Italian giant.
As a result, for the first time in
ring history, the crown which has
come down from Sullivan, Corbett,
Fitzsimmons and the rest of that
illustrious line to Dempsey and
Tunney, is worn by a son of Italy.
A terrific right hand uppercut to
the chin which almost decapitated
Sharkey brought Carnera the title
in a bout held by the Madison
Square Garden Corporation. The
Free Milk Fund for Babies, Inc.,
of which Mrs. William Randolph
Hearst is chairman, will share in
the receipts.
The blow dropped Sharkey in his
tracks and stunned some 40,000
men and women who had paid an
estimated $200,000 for a view of the
spectacle, which provided the thrill
that all looked for but few really
anticipated.
Under the impact of the blow
Sharkey stretched limp and im-
movable on his face on the canvas,
while a bewildered crowd looked
on as the count proceeded. Referee
Arthur Donovan, picking up the
official count from Eddie Forbes,
who was the knockdown timekeep-
er, worked his right arm up and
down, shouting his count from be-
ginning to end into the ear of
Sharkey.
But there was no movement on
the part of the defending champion
no quiver of a muscle to show that
he heard or headed. There was no
recovery of jarred wits or numbed
senses, not even when the count
reached the fatal ten, which signi-
fied the crowning of a new ring
champion.
Sharkey's crestfallen handlers
leaped quickly to the side of their
beaten idol and carried him to the
corner.
Their first aid administrations
quickly revived Sharkey and he
was escorted from the ring. As he
left he heard the clamor of the
throng, the cries of the crowd for
the winner. for there came well-
ing up from the huge pine and as-
phalt bowl on the Long Island flats
a tremendous shout of acclaim for
this gigantic new champion of the
world.
Schmeling Setback Recalled
Exactly two minutes and twenty-
seven seconds after the sixth round
started the fight was over. The
ending came as a shock that was
equaled only with that furnished in
the recent knockout of Max
Schmeling by Max Baer. None ex-
pected it.
There had been no indication pre-
viously that Sharkey would collapse,
because Carnera had not struck
such a blow as that terrific right
hand uppercut.
And yet, the punch did not lift
Sharkey off his feet. On the con-
trary, Sharkey slid gracefully to
the floor.
After Sharkey had been lifted
bodily from the ring, a scene of
wild excitement ensued, aside from
that ordinarily enacted when a new
champion is crowned. Bill Duffy,
Carnera's chief adviser and the
man to whom credit must go for
his scaling the heights, claimed
that Johnny Buckley, Sharkey's
manager, insisted on an examina-
tion of Carnera's gloves.
This aroused Duffy and he shout-
ed commands to Carnera, appar-
ently overcome to the point of help-
lessness, to remain in the ring until
his gloves were removed.
Duffy even invited Bill Brown,
recently appointed State Athletic
Commission member, into the ring
to remove and examine Carnera's
huge gloves. But the excitement
passed and the ring soon was
cleared.
With his victory Carnera attained
heights that perhaps he himself
never expected. But fight follow-
ers thought so well of him that for
part of yesterday he was quoted
favorite to win at odds of 6 to 5.
Sharkey entered the ring the choice
at 6 to 5 and 11 to 10, which was
as it should be when past perform-
ances are considered.
Carnera Aroused to Fury.
Before he struck the fatal upper-
cut Carnera evidenced nothing that
would lead to suspicion of the
result save a grim determination
which become a raging fury on oc-
casion as his efforts to wreck Shar-
key with a blow were frustrated.
Of the five rounds completed be-
fore the knockout Sharkey won
four, three of them beyond ques-
tion, and lost only one. The Italian,
towering close to half a foot above
Sharkey, and outweighing him at
260 1/2 pounds by 59 1/2 pounds, proved
the efficacy of size and strength,
in the first round, and banged Shar-
key around right merrily. But in
the second, third, fourth and fifth
rounds Sharkey had the advantage.
There might have been a question
over the fourth chapter, but in this
Sharkey's boxing gave him the up-
per hand. In the other rounds
Sharkey outgenerated and outma-
noeuvred the huge Italian, whose
defeat he was seeking systemat-
ically.
Starting that sixth session, how
ever, Carnera left his corner with
the instructions of Bill Duffy ring-
in his ears: "Take advantage
of everything now. Overlook noth-
ing. Go out there and win." He
followed the instructions implicitly.
Bounding at Sharkey, he started to
cuff and mull the Bostonian, be-
laboring him with ponderous
rights and sweeping lefts. These
however, carried no particular di-
rection and, consequently, no dev-
astating force beyond that con-
tained in the fact that the blows
were propelled by a varitable man-
mountain of 260 1/2 pounds.
Sharkey Retreats to Ropes.
Sharkey retreated and slid along
the ropes. Carnera was after him,
light as a featherweight on his feet
for a man of his huge stature.
Along the ropes they embraced in
a clinch, and just as Sharkey, re-
treating, started to slip, Carnera
brushed his chin with a right up-
percut.
The crowd did not know whether
it was a knockdown. Carnera's
corner was alive with excitement.
The Italian did not regard it as a
slip, nor did his corner. The con-
sequence was that, impelled by the
frantic shouts of his advisers,
Carnera leaped recklessly at Shar-
key, who jumped to his feet be-
fore a count could be started. He
was more embarrassed at his own
insecure footing than he was hurt
by a blow.
Squaring away, Carnera contin-
ued to pile into Sharkey. The latter
sought to stay his foe by dodging
and weaving, and with spear-
thrusts of his left in a jab or hook,
or winging drives of his right.
Carnera, however, came in against
Sharkey's most frantic effort, and
jarred the titleholder with a right
which grazed the jaw. Sharkey
pulled erect after this blow. He
put his hands together and a grim
look came into his eye. with de-
liberation he seemed to be setting
himself to retaliate. But he was
forced backward to the ropes near
his own corner, and there he left
himself open for the finishing
punch.
Out of nowhere Carnera pulled
his right in an uppercut which
curled to Sharkey's chin and
dropped him in his tracks. In a
round the complexion of the fight
had changed. Sharkey, the charger
for most of the journey theretofore,
had became the man of the fight. And,
in a jiffy the title changed hands
on Carnera's sweeping uppercut.
Finds Odds Insurmountable.
Sharkey gave his best against
odds last night that were insur-
mountable. Two years ago they
didn't constitute a hurdle worthy
the description. But last night the
size and weight of Carnera proved
Sharkey's undoing.
Sharkey entered the ring at 9:30
o'clock, accompanied by his man-
ager, Johnny Buckley: Trainer Al
Lacri and Tony Polozzolo and Gus
Wilson. Carnera followed two min-
utes later, attended by Billy Duffy
and Billy DeFoe.
Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney,
former heavyweight champions, and
Tommy Loughran, former light-
heavyweight titleholder, were intro-
duced from the ring.
The referee was Arthur Donovan
and the judges Jim Buckley and
Charles Lynch.
Sharkey drew the larger amount
of cheers when the boxers were
introduced.
When the men were called to the
center of the ring for instructions
Carnera towered above the group.
The championship bout was taken
quietly by the public. There was
none of the rush normally asso-
ciated with fistic title struggles,
particularly heavyweight champion
ship events. As a consequence
there was little congestion of con-
fusion.
A well drilled usher corps and ex-
perienced special policemen under
Captain Pat Gargan of the Garden
staff, explained this in some meas-
ure. But there was also, as
explanation, an undeniable public
apathy.
What the gathering lacked in
numbers it made up in representa-
tion. Women prominent in society,
political leaders, stage and screen
stars, industrial and professional
leaders and sports celebrities were
noted at the ringside.
New Commissioner Present.
Bill Brown, veteran follower of
boxing, who recently was appointed
to the vacancy on the State Athletic
Commission, was attended his first
important fight in his new role. To
his colleague, Brig. Gen. John J.
Phelan, Commissioner Brown
proudly exhibited the first referee's
license ever issued under the
Walker Law. No.1 it read and its
date was 1917.
It was recalled the after he had
used it once, refereeing a bantam-
weight battle between Joe Lynch
and Jack Sharkey in the days when
bantamweights were more popular
than heavyweights, Brown had
voluntarily surrendered his position
as referee because of a disagree-
ment with the promoter, Tex
Rickard....
Del Genio Stops Rival.
In the second preliminary, sched-
uled for four rounds, Leonard Del
Genio, former amateur, made a
conspicuous professional debut by
scoring a technical knockout in
three rounds over Phil Bruno, a
rival local featherweight....
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