Jack Dempsey (1) vs. Jack Sharkey (9)
In real life, a past-peak Dempsey stopped Sharkey in the seventh round of a back-and-forth fight with a controversial ending, with Sharkey claiming he was fouled shortly before the knockout. The win set up Dempsey’s second meeting with Gene Tunney.
In this one, Sharkey will be faced with a prime Manassas Mauler, who has torn through the first three rounds of the tournament with a trio of knockouts totaling eight rounds.
The Boston Gob (a contender for Worst Nickname Ever) narrowly escaped with a split decision over Vittorio Campolo in the first round, but advanced with victories inside the distance in his next two outings, including a ninth-round stoppage of one of the tournament Cinderellas, George Cook, in the third round.
Since an aging Dempsey was a bad match-up for Sharkey, it’s tough to see things going any better for him this time.
ODDS: Dempsey 5-1
Gene Tunney (2) vs. Billy Miske (7)
Boxing purists should thrill to this match, with neither fighter likely to initiate a brawl.
Tunney has shown more power thus far, scoring an early knockout against first-round foe Bud Gorman and keeping the much larger Primo Carnera at bay in scoring a ninth-round stoppage to reach the quarterfinals.
Miske has scored clear-cut and efficient, if not terribly exciting, decisions in his first three bouts.
Out-boxing Tunney seems a very tall order, but Miske may be better equipped than anyone else in the tournament to give it a try.
ODDS: Tunney 3-1
Jack Johnson (19) vs. George Godfrey (11)
Even in his mid-40s, Johnson has shown a variety of skills that have survived the years.
He used his defensive talents and combination punching to coast to a clear decision over Chuck Wiggins in the first round, frustrated the favored Johnny Risko before scoring a ninth-round knockout and exploded a perfectly timed second-round uppercut on Fred Fulton’s fatally flawed chin to reach the quarters.
Godfrey never got a title shot in real life, due in large part to the racist backlash resulting from Johnson’s championship reign a decade earlier. So far, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound slugger has demonstrated why he deserved one, flattening Jack Dorval in five rounds, flattening Phil Scott in the seventh after falling well behind on points and earning a decision win over Young Stribling that was not as close as the split-decision verdict would indicate.
Godfrey has all the physical advantages in this one and is almost certain to test Johnson’s jaw, which was a liability in his dotage, one that he has skillfully protected in the tournament so far. On the flip side, Godfrey has a tendency to take rounds off, as shown early on against both Dorval and Scott, and Johnson is more than capable of taking advantage of such opportunity.
ODDS: Godfrey 8-5
Max Schmeling (4) vs. Harry Wills (5)
Perhaps the two most versatile boxer-punchers in the field meet, with Wills’ superior size the only clear advantage enjoyed by either man.
Schmeling pummeled Arthur de Kuh throughout a sixth-round TKO to open the tournament, then dropped Jess Willard four times en route to a 10th-round stoppage and scored a split decision over Tuffy Griffiths in the third round.
Wills knocked out Ray Neuman in five rounds, earned a closer-than-expected nod over Larry Gains in the second round and dominated Georges Carpentier for most of their third-round bout before going on the defensive in the late going, allowing the Frenchman to earn a draw on one card and forcing a majority decision.
It’s difficult to imagine either man letting up with a berth in the semifinals at stake, most likely against the top-seeded Jack Dempsey – particularly given Wills’ unsuccessful campaign for a real-life shot at Kid Blackie.
ODDS: Wills 7-5