Jack Dempsey was in the twilight of his career when he faced Jack Sharkey for the number 1 contenders spot for the World Heavyweight Championship. Dempsey was determined to win back his World title that he had dropped to Gene Tunny less than a year earlier but Sharkey was also hungry for his own shot at heavyweight superstardom. More info below...

Jack Dempsey is remembered as one of the best Heavyweight Champions ever. He had an all action style that fans loved, knockout power in either fist and a granite chin that meant he could take as much punishment as he could dish out. Dempsey was World Heavyweight Champion from 1919-1926 although he only defended it 6 times over that period and didn't fight at all in the years 1922, 1924 and 1925 which was a big disappointment to his fans. Dempsey's one big flaw was that he couldn't exactly be called a scientific fighter, although he possessed good defensive capabilities thanks to his famous "Dempsey roll" he was relatively one-dimensional, however that didn't stop him from picking up decisive wins against Fireman Jim Flynn, Gunboat Smith, Bill Brennan, Battling Levinsky, Jess Willard, Billy Miske, Tommy Gibbons and arguably his biggest scalp, Georges Carpentier. In September 1926 Dempsey defended his title against former American Light Heavyweight Champion, Gene Tunney, in what was meant to be an easy win, however Tunney used his scientific approach and slight experience advantage to avoid getting into a slugfest with Dempsey and nullified most of his offense to score an easy upset 10 round decision win. Although not common knowledge, Dempsey was also fighting food poisoning like symptoms during the fight which he felt effected his performance and he was probably right. Dempsey's comeback fight was set for July 1927 against Jack Sharkey with the winner set to challenge Gene Tunney for the World Heavyweight title. His record at the time was 55-5-10.

Jack Sharkey was relatively new to the heavyweight scene having only turned pro in 1924 but quickly established himself as a tough fighter who didn't back down from anybody and took on all challengers. Sharkey had been fan a big fan of Jack Dempsey when growing up so it wasn't surprising he had a similar aggressive style. The one thing he lacked however was Dempsey's power but regardless, he had proven a real challenge for other heavyweights of the era and built a respectable 27-6 record in just 3 years!

In his last fight Dempsey was struggling with physical illness which may have explained his poor performance and in this fight he unfortunately entered dealing with some serious emotional concerns following the recent suicide of his brother and a deteriorating marriage, whether these would be a hindrance or a motivation was uncertain... Sharkey started the fight strongly, the bell rang and he was all over Dempsey, forcing the former World Champion back to the ropes. Dempsey looked hurt but his famous granite jaw stood the test and he never left his feet. Although the footage here does not show much of the fight, Sharkey was well ahead on the scorecards heading into Rd 7. Dempsey was being out punched, out manoeuvred and just generally out boxed by his younger opponent but he was far from beat... in Rd 7 Dempsey started targeting Sharkey's body and landed a controversial low blow or 2 while in a clinch. Sharkey made a fatal error in judgement when he stopped fighting to complain to the ref about it and while his hands were down, Dempsey landed a short left uppercut flush on the jaw that lifted Sharkey off his feet and dropped him face first to the canvas. Sharkey was withering in pain on the ground, clearly holding his groin but the ref never saw any infringement so counted him out. Intentional low blow or not, Sharkey was at fault for not following one of boxings cardinal rules, DEFEND YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES! Although Dempsey looked far from impressive against Sharkey, he proved he could still end a fight with a single punch and was now on course for a rematch with his greatest in-ring rival, Gene Tunney.