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kenyan_cheena · 03-25-2005, 09:21 AM

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!!!
15TH SEED JACK SHARKEY
STOPPED ON CUTS IN 3RD ROUND!!!

Friday 1 February 2002

Six days ago, in his debut bout, Jack Johnson earned the unfavourable distinction of being the first of the sixteen top seeds to lose in the HBF's World Championship tournament.

Today, Boston's Jack Sharkey became the second.

The 15th seed in the tournament, 22 year-old Sharkey was sensationally defeated by Canada's Arthur Pelkey after a cut that a Pelkey right hook had caused in the first round became progressively worse, to the point where referee Mills Lane had no choice but to stop the bout in round three. It was the HBF's first visit to France, with the card taking place at the Palais Des Sports, in Cannes.

Make no mistake, this fight was a war while it lasted. Round one would surely rank amongst the top five that we've seen in the HBF up to this point, with both fighters considering defense an afterthought as they went toe-to-toe, a strategy that would ultimately cost Sharkey the fight.

Perhaps inspired by the deeds of Joe Beckett, 114th seeded Pelkey showed no respect and no fear for his much more highly regarded opponent, his countenance sporting a disdainful sneer as he pressed the action, adopting a "Devil May Care" attitude. There was very little jabbing, with both men getting in close and teeing off at each other, to the delight of the capacity crowd.

Two minutes into the round, Pelkey rocked the 15th seed with a staggering right hook, thrown with perfect timing as Sharkey fired away with a right hand of his own. The punch snapped the Bostonian's head around, turned his legs to jelly and opened up a nasty cut above his left eye. Soon, blood was running down into Sharkey's eye, over his cheek. To Pelkey, this was like showing a red rag to a bull and he unloaded with a crushing uppercut. Sharkey was able to last out the round, and the ring doctor inspected the cut during the intermission, allowing the fight to continue.

Aware of the trouble he was in, Sharkey responded superbly in round two, dominating Pelkey in a more accurate display of how many observers had thought the fight would proceed. He connected with some big shots, determined to finish it as soon as possible. But even though he was visibly tiring, the Canadian showed that he was one tough proposition. With fifteen seconds left in the round Pelkey crumbled to the canvas, falling forward onto his knees courtesy of a crippling rib shot. But somehow, he was right back up at the count of two, taking the standing eight and surviving the Massachusetts man's follow-up assault. Sharkey's corner worked almost exclusively on the cut during the break, clearly concerned about the possibility of it opening up further. They could not have known how close their fears were to reality.

Round three started as round two had, with the 15th seed aggressive and in control, beating Pelkey to the punch time and again. But 43 seconds in, it all came crashing down for Jack Sharkey. Pelkey managed to corner his opponent and unleashed a devastating left-right combination, once again buckling Sharkey's legs, the ropes keeping him off the canvas. The cut above Sharkey's eye tore further open, and as Sharkey slid to the left in retreat, the Canadian landed what would be the final punch of the fight, another right hand that sent a spray of blood across the ring. Sharkey reeled back into the ropes, and referee Mills Lane jumped between the two men. He sent Pelkey to a neutral corner, called "time out" and summoned the ring doctor. Shaking his head, Sharkey reluctantly walked over to the doctor, his face and eyebrow a bloodstained mess. It took just a moment for the doctor to decide that Sharkey could not continue. The Boston native leaned on the ropes, head bowed, and the crowd errupted. Chaos ruled in Cannes, and Arthur Pelkey paraded himself around the ring, a victorious smile resplendent from ear-to-ear...

PUNCH TOTALS

Jack Sharkey - punches landed: 82 punches thrown: 116
Arthur Pelkey - punches landed: 49 punches thrown: 81

03-25-2005, 09:21 AM	#110 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,311	ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!!! 15TH SEED JACK SHARKEY STOPPED ON CUTS IN 3RD ROUND!!! Friday 1 February 2002 Six days ago, in his debut bout, Jack Johnson earned the unfavourable distinction of being the first of the sixteen top seeds to lose in the HBF's World Championship tournament. Today, Boston's Jack Sharkey became the second. The 15th seed in the tournament, 22 year-old Sharkey was sensationally defeated by Canada's Arthur Pelkey after a cut that a Pelkey right hook had caused in the first round became progressively worse, to the point where referee Mills Lane had no choice but to stop the bout in round three. It was the HBF's first visit to France, with the card taking place at the Palais Des Sports, in Cannes. Make no mistake, this fight was a war while it lasted. Round one would surely rank amongst the top five that we've seen in the HBF up to this point, with both fighters considering defense an afterthought as they went toe-to-toe, a strategy that would ultimately cost Sharkey the fight. Perhaps inspired by the deeds of Joe Beckett, 114th seeded Pelkey showed no respect and no fear for his much more highly regarded opponent, his countenance sporting a disdainful sneer as he pressed the action, adopting a "Devil May Care" attitude. There was very little jabbing, with both men getting in close and teeing off at each other, to the delight of the capacity crowd. Two minutes into the round, Pelkey rocked the 15th seed with a staggering right hook, thrown with perfect timing as Sharkey fired away with a right hand of his own. The punch snapped the Bostonian's head around, turned his legs to jelly and opened up a nasty cut above his left eye. Soon, blood was running down into Sharkey's eye, over his cheek. To Pelkey, this was like showing a red rag to a bull and he unloaded with a crushing uppercut. Sharkey was able to last out the round, and the ring doctor inspected the cut during the intermission, allowing the fight to continue. Aware of the trouble he was in, Sharkey responded superbly in round two, dominating Pelkey in a more accurate display of how many observers had thought the fight would proceed. He connected with some big shots, determined to finish it as soon as possible. But even though he was visibly tiring, the Canadian showed that he was one tough proposition. With fifteen seconds left in the round Pelkey crumbled to the canvas, falling forward onto his knees courtesy of a crippling rib shot. But somehow, he was right back up at the count of two, taking the standing eight and surviving the Massachusetts man's follow-up assault. Sharkey's corner worked almost exclusively on the cut during the break, clearly concerned about the possibility of it opening up further. They could not have known how close their fears were to reality. Round three started as round two had, with the 15th seed aggressive and in control, beating Pelkey to the punch time and again. But 43 seconds in, it all came crashing down for Jack Sharkey. Pelkey managed to corner his opponent and unleashed a devastating left-right combination, once again buckling Sharkey's legs, the ropes keeping him off the canvas. The cut above Sharkey's eye tore further open, and as Sharkey slid to the left in retreat, the Canadian landed what would be the final punch of the fight, another right hand that sent a spray of blood across the ring. Sharkey reeled back into the ropes, and referee Mills Lane jumped between the two men. He sent Pelkey to a neutral corner, called "time out" and summoned the ring doctor. Shaking his head, Sharkey reluctantly walked over to the doctor, his face and eyebrow a bloodstained mess. It took just a moment for the doctor to decide that Sharkey could not continue. The Boston native leaned on the ropes, head bowed, and the crowd errupted. Chaos ruled in Cannes, and Arthur Pelkey paraded himself around the ring, a victorious smile resplendent from ear-to-ear... PUNCH TOTALS Jack Sharkey - punches landed: 82 punches thrown: 116 Arthur Pelkey - punches landed: 49 punches thrown: 81 Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 05-02-2005 at 09:19 PM.