The Fitzsimmons vs Sharkey
Heavyweight Championship boxing match
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing boxing glove, protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a ...
between
Bob Fitzsimmons
Robert James Fitzsimmons (26 May 1863 – 22 October 1917) was a British professional boxer who was the sport's first three-division world champion. He also achieved fame for beating Gentleman Jim Corbett (the man who beat John L. Sullivan), ...
and
Tom Sharkey
Thomas "Sailor Tom" Sharkey (November 26, 1873 – April 17, 1953) was a boxer who fought two fights with heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries. Sharkey's recorded ring career spanned from 1893 to 1904. He is credited with having won 40 fig ...
was awarded by referee
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...
to Sharkey after Fitzsimmons knocked Sharkey to the mat. Earp ruled that Fitzsimmons had hit Sharkey below the belt, but very few witnessed the purported foul. The fans at the December 2, 1896 fight in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
booed Earp's decision. It was the first heavyweight championship fight since
James J. Corbett
James John "Jim" Corbett (September 1, 1866 – February 18, 1933) was an American professional boxer and a World Heavyweight Champion, best known as the only man who ever defeated the great John L. Sullivan (hence the " man who beat the man ...
, the prior champion, had retired from boxing the year before. The fight may have been the most anticipated fight in the US that year.
The match was illegal under city law, but civic and police officials who attended the match along with the public bet heavily in Fitzsimmons' favor.
[ Virtually no one agreed with Earp's ruling and Fitzsimmons' managers went to court to prevent Sharkey from obtaining the purse. The judge ruled that since the match was illegal the court had no standing, allowing Sharkey to claim the prize. After Corbett ended his retirement the next year he was the de facto champion, but he fought Fitzsimmons and lost.
Earp was pilloried for his decision by the public and popular press, who vilified him and accused him of accepting a payoff to throw the match. The story about the fight and Earp's contested decision was reprinted nationwide. Earp left San Francisco soon after and when he died in 1929, he was perhaps more well-known for his decision in the title fight than his actions at the O.K. Corral gun fight.][ In 1905, Dr. B. Brookes Lee confirmed the fight had been fixed and confessed he had treated Sharkey so it would appear that he had been fouled,][ although it's unclear if Earp had prior knowledge of the scam.
]
Background
In 1896, James J. Corbett
James John "Jim" Corbett (September 1, 1866 – February 18, 1933) was an American professional boxer and a World Heavyweight Champion, best known as the only man who ever defeated the great John L. Sullivan (hence the " man who beat the man ...
, the first heavyweight champion crowned under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules,[ hadn't defended his title in three years.][ In November 1895, Corbett gave up the championship to play the role of Ned Cornell, a boxer, in the play ''A Naval Cadet''.] He lived in San Francisco and promoted his protege, Australian Steve O'Donnell, as the next candidate for the heavyweight title, but he had been knocked out
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving strikin ...
within the first minute by Peter Maher, who in turn was knocked out in the first round by Bob Fitzsimmons
Robert James Fitzsimmons (26 May 1863 – 22 October 1917) was a British professional boxer who was the sport's first three-division world champion. He also achieved fame for beating Gentleman Jim Corbett (the man who beat John L. Sullivan), ...
.
At the time of the fight, Sharkey was unbeaten in 24 trips to the ring with 20 knockouts. He had already fought Corbett on June 24, 1896 in San Francisco, but the match was ruled a draw after four rounds due to police interference.
Promoter Jim Coffroth promoted the match between Fitzsimmons and Sharkey as the World Heavyweight Championship.[ Although boxing was illegal, the fight between Fitzsimmons and Sharkey was very popular, and the title fight was attended by city and police officials who bet on the outcome like everyone else.][ Nationwide, the public believed Fitzsimmons would win.][ In the days prior to the fight, Fitzsimmons was favored 3/1, until a late surge of betting on Sharkey dropped the odds to 3/2. Suffragettes protested that the fight was restricted to men and successfully got the ban on women removed.][
]
Wyatt Earp selected as referee
During the previous summer the ''San Francisco Examiner
The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863.
Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...
'' had run on three consecutive Sundays a ghostwritten series of articles under Earp's byline, written in the first-person, posturing Earp as virtually the sole reason law and order had come to the Old West. The Hearst family Hearst may refer to:
Places
* Hearst, former name of Hacienda, California, United States
* Hearst, Ontario, town in Northern Ontario, Canada
* Hearst, California, an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, United States
* Hearst Island, an i ...
, owners of the ''Examiner'', had hired Earp to provide security to their family[ and specifically for Andy Lawrence, the managing editor of the newspaper, during a visit to Tombstone. Lawrence had acquired the nickname of "Long Green" because of his ability to turn a shady dollar and made many enemies as a result, requiring Earp's services.] Earp had refereed 30 or so matches in earlier days, though not under the Marquess of Queensbury rules, and he had never refereed a match of national prominence.[
Fight promoters John D. Gibbs and J. J. Groom of the National Athletic Club were unable to find a referee that both sides could agree on. Fitzsimmon's manager, knowing that his boxer was heavily favored to win, rejected all of the names, thinking that the fight had been fixed in Sharkey's favor.
Gibbs told the ''San Francisco Call'' that he spotted ]Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...
in the Baldwin Hotel in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. "I knew that Wyatt Earp was a cool, clear-headed person of unimpeachable reputation, and one who would be perfectly fair to both fighters." He called Earp "the bravest fighter, squarest gambler, best friend and worst enemy ever known on the frontier." Even then, the Fitzsimmons side fought against the choice until the very last minute.[ The ''San Francisco Call'' told a different version of the story, that Lawrence, managing editor of the competing newspaper ''The Examiner'', had suggested Earp to Gibbs.][ In a personal visit to the offices of ''The Call'', Groom and Gibbs delivered a letter in which they denied that Lawrence played a role in choosing Earp. They stated that they had only met Earp once, when he visited Fitszimmons' training quarters about 10 days before the match. When both Sharkey's and Fitszimmons' managers would not agree on a referee, they chose Earp on the day of the fight because he was "reported to be fearless, cool and honest." They declared that they had sought Earp out in the Baldwin Hotel that afternoon and made the arrangements at that time.
The Fitzsimmons camp strongly resisted Earp as referee, but with no alternative, finally yielded, knowing that 15,000 people had paid between $2 and $10 for tickets.]
In the afternoon, the ''Oakland Tribune
The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group.
Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...
'' ran a front-page story praising Earp as the choice for referee. "Wyatt Earp is one of the bravest and best known sporting men in the country. He has had a varied experience since he retired from office in Arizona and is now in the horse racing business. He is the owner of Don Gara, the horse that started at 100 to 1 and won at the Oakland track the other day."[
]
Fight controversy
Earp had learned gambling and boxing when he was a young man in the towns that were built in advance of the Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
. He developed a reputation officiating boxing matches[ and refereed a fight between John Shanssey and Mike Donovan on July 4, 1869 in ]Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...
in front of about 3000 people.
But he had until this time refereed fights under the older London Prize Ring Rules
The London Prize Ring Rules were a list of boxing rules promulgated in 1838 and revised in 1853. These rules were based on those drafted by England's Jack Broughton in 1743 (known as the Broughton Rules) and governed the conduct of prizefighti ...
, which allowed bare-knuckled brawling and a broad range of fighting techniques including holds and throws of the opponent. The new Marquess of Queensberry Rules were designed to eliminate some of the underhanded elements of boxing matches.
Earp was a controversial choice, and he gained instant notoriety before the fight started when he entered the ring carrying his customary .45 caliber pistol in his coat pocket. Police Captain Charles Whitman, watching the match from ringside, climbed into the ring and demanded Earp hand over his pistol, which Earp promptly gave up.[
Fitzsimmons was taller and quicker than Sharkey and dominated the fight from the opening bell. In the eighth, the two were punching at such close quarters that virtually no one witnessed the hits the two men exchanged clearly.][ What was obvious to everyone watching was that Fitzsimmons hit Sharkey with his famous "solar plexus punch," an uppercut that struck under the opponent's heart and could temporarily leave the opponent helpless. Different sources describe the alleged foul. In the much-criticized and disputed biography '' Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal'', ]Stuart N. Lake
Stuart Nathaniel Lake (September 23, 1889 in Rome, New York – January 27, 1964 in San Diego, California) was an American writer, professional wrestling promoter, and press aide who focused on the American Old West.
Professional career
Lake w ...
wrote that Sharkey "stumbled forward instead of back. Fitzsimmons' right, coming up, struck Sharkey in the groin."[ Sharkey later testified Fitzsimmons hit him below the belt. Sharkey went down, clutched his groin, and rolled on the canvas, screaming foul.][
]
Earp stops fight
Earp stopped the bout, and after conferring with both corners for more than 30 seconds, ruled that Fitzsimmons had hit Sharkey below the belt, a violation of the Marquess of Queensberry Rules. His decision disqualified Fitzsimmons and Earp handed the check for the prize money to Sharkey's second. College student and future novelist William MacLeod Raine
William MacLeod Raine (June 22, 1871 – July 25, 1954), was a British-born American novelist who wrote fictional adventure stories about the American Old West.
In 1959, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowb ...
happened to be in San Francisco. Until he saw Earp in the ring, he'd never heard of him. Raine later reported,[
Another report said Earp left without raising the hand of the winning boxer.][ The crowd noise was so loud that most didn't hear Earp render his decision giving the fight to the downed Sharkey. Many only figured out something was wrong when Earp slipped between the ropes and headed for the exit.][
His ruling was greeted with loud boos and catcalls.] ''San Francisco Examiner'' reporter Edward H. Hamilton wrote "The information became general by a slow trickling process, and tier to tier so that by the time the full significance of the situation had reached the throng, Earp was gone."[
Very few thought that the punch Earp called was a foul.][ Sharkey's attendants carried him out as "limp as a rag".] The public loudly protested the decision and it was widely believed that there had been no foul and Earp had bet on Sharkey. The public had bet heavily on Fitzsimmons and they were livid at the outcome.[
]
Fitzsimmons gets injunction
"Sailor" Tom Sharkey's manager D. J. Lynch went to the Anglo California National Bank the day after the fight and attempted to cash the certified check for the purse of $14,700 (about $ today). But Fitzsimmons had obtained an injunction
An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in pa ...
against distributing the prize money to Sharkey until the courts could determine who the rightful winner was. Bank manager Philip Lilienthal told Lynch that the bank's attorney had advised him he could not pay the check until the issue was resolved in court.
Bets are paid off
Despite the accusations of a fix, the bookmakers paid off bets on the fight based on Earp's decision as final.
''The Call'' cries foul
The two main newspapers in town were on opposite sides of the debate. ''The Examiner'' supported Earp, but the ''San Francisco Call'' unrelentingly attacked Earp's character, both directly and indirectly. They devoted almost all of their front page on December 5 to the fight. They reported that Danny Needham, Sharkey's trainer, had sent telegrams to a number of friends in San Francisco and other cities, saying: "Bet all you have got on Sharkey to win." They accused Lawrence of ''The Examiner'' as having been in on the fix.
''The Call'' mocked Earp, describing how Earp had gone into the ring "...with a Navy revolver a foot long sticking out of his hip pocket," and that Police Captain Wittman "...took a murderous-looking revolver from him in the prize ring in Mechanics' Pavilion."[ They described Earp as a gunslinger: "His past mode of making a livelihood by the use of his 'gun' has been told. He has been a man who has shot down people innumerable, wiped the smoke from off the barrel of his shotgun and cut another notch in the butt, and said 'What a great man am I.'"]
Judgments against Earp
On December 4, 1896, Earp appeared in court to face a charge of carrying a concealed weapon. He explained that he always wore a gun as a precaution in the event he met someone he had sent to prison, and because he was carrying a large amount of cash.[ He later paid a $50 fine. On December 8, a sheriff deputy put a lien on two horses Earp owned for $170.45 for a debt allegedly owed to J. G. Swinnerton of Stockton. Another lawsuit was filed on December 9 by J. H. Levenson of Tombstone, who claimed Earp owed two notes totaling $1110.79, 19 years after leaving Arizona.
The San Francisco district attorney threatened to convene a grand jury.][ A panel appointed by mayor ]Washington Bartlett
Washington Montgomery Bartlett (February 29, 1824 – September 12, 1887) was an American politician who served as the 16th governor of California from January 1887 until his death in September of that year, as well as the 20th mayor of Sa ...
learned that the racehorses Earp was reputed to own were leased, and that he owed $2,121 (about $ today) to a loan company. They also received information that his wife Josephine Earp
Josephine Sarah "Sadie" Earp (née Marcus; 1861 – December 19, 1944) was the common-law wife of Wyatt Earp, a famed Old West lawman and gambler. She met Wyatt in 1881 in the frontier boom town of Tombstone in Arizona Territory, when she ...
was a "degenerate horseplayer" and that she frequently took loans out against her jewelry.[ When asked in court if he had any property, Earp replied, "Nothing, except the clothes on my back."]
Earp lampooned by press
Over the next month, the local newspapers ran dozens of stories about the controversy and the two major local papers took sides. The ''Examiner'', owned by the Hearst family who had briefly hired Earp as a bodyguard when Hearst visited Tombstone, sided with their man. The ''San Francisco Call'' pilloried Earp, running a number of extremely critical stories about him. They lampooned and scrutinized Wyatt for a full month, challenging his integrity, questioning his honesty, and thoroughly vilifying him, insisting he was either blind or a fool.[ They accused Earp of having a financial interest in the outcome.
Earp was parodied in a caricature by ''The New York Herald'' as a "cackling, washed-up ruffian pointing a gun at Fitzsimmons with his right hand while slipping a bag of cash to Sharkey with the left", wearing a sombrero with a knife in his teeth. It was reprinted in ''The San Francisco Call'' on December 12, 1896. The image and the attacks by the press dogged him the rest of his life.
The stories in newspapers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego were reproduced nationwide and read by a public that knew only that Wyatt Earp had been involved in the shootout in Tombstone.][ A reporter hunted up Bill Buzzard, a miner of dubious reputation from Idaho that Earp had confronted in an Idaho claim jumping feud in 1884, and wrote a story that accused Wyatt of being the brains behind lot-jumping and a real-estate fraud, further tarnishing his reputation.][
On December 14, 1896, the ''San Francisco Call'' quoted a story from the ''New York Journal'' by Alfred H. Lewis, "who knew the 'bad men' in Arizona. He said that the Earps in Tombstone were "stage robbers" who "stood up stages and plundered express companies for a livelihood... The Earps, Wyatt, Virgil, Warren and Julian, had treated themselves to many a killing... Warren Earp, who was a stage-company guard, meekly put his hands over his head.... it was from all standpoints a family affair on the part of the Earps. Often they got as high as $25,000.... Virgil, as marshal, would enlist Wyatt, Warren and Julian, together with Curly Bill, their cousin, and hunt the hold-ups."
]
Court testimony
Newspaper accounts and testimony over the next two weeks revealed a conspiracy among the boxing promoters to fix the fight's outcome. On December 4, the newspapers reported in depth on the fight and growing reports of a fix. Police Commissioner Mose Gunst told the ''San Francisco Call'' that he saw plenty of evidence on the street the afternoon before the fight that betting was suddenly favoring Sharkey. The ''Call'' also reported that Dr. B. Brookes Lee, who treated Sharkey shortly after the fight, was not a legitimate physician. They reported that he had been arrested when he visited a San Francisco bank and attempted to cash a bond stolen from a Kansas City bank.[
Gunst said he ran into Riley Grannan, then known as one of gambling's biggest "plungers" (or reckless gambler) nationwide, who told him that Earp had been "fixed."][
Oakland Judge Sanderson took testimony beginning on December 9. Dr. D. D. Lustig, a San Francisco physician and the National Athletic Club medical examiner, testified that he attempted to visit Sharkey in his dressing room immediately after the fight but was barred access.][ He said he had only been able to visit Sharkey the next day, along with five other doctors, including Dr. B. Brookes Lee. They found cuts and bruises on his head and swelling and discoloration in his groin. The ''Sacramento Daily Union'' reprinted a story from San Francisco that reported that the swelling and discoloration could have been caused by "injecting any irritating fluid."] When the other doctors learned that B. Brookes Lee was not a legitimate doctor, they resubmitted their examination of Sharkey, concluding that he didn't suffer an injury that might have caused the end of the bout.[
On December 10, the ''Sacramento Daily Union'' reported that Billy Smith, Sharkey's trainer, had confessed that the two promoters, J. J. Groom and J. H. Gibbs, along with Danny Lynch (Sharkey's manager) and Sharkey created the "National Athletic Club" that sponsored the fight. Sharkey and his manager were set up to receive 20 per cent of the net proceeds. Lynch arranged for Earp to serve as referee, who agreed to give the fight to Sharkey the first time Fitzsimmons landed a close body blow, for which he was to receive $2,500. After the eighth round, Smith said they took Sharkey to his dressing room and then his hotel room, where Smith removed Sharkey's boxing shorts and noticed no discoloration. Dr. B. Brookes Lee arrived and treated Sharkey in private. When Smith returned to the room, he saw a bottle of ]potassium iodide
Potassium iodide is a chemical compound, medication, and dietary supplement. It is a medication used for treating hyperthyroidism, in radiation emergencies, and for protecting the thyroid gland when certain types of radiopharmaceuticals are us ...
. Smith visited Sharkey the next night and noticed that his groin was noticeably swollen. Groom, Gibbs and Lynch in turn said that Smith attempted to extort additional payment from them and when they refused, went to Fitzsimmons camp.
On the third day of testimony, Fitzsimmons testified that he had landed a left on Sharkey's face, and when Sharkey raised his hands to protect his face against another blow, Fitzsimmons hit him with his left in the stomach. When Sharkey dropped his hands, Fitzsimmons said he hit him with an uppercut when sent Sharkey to the floor. He said he never hit an illegal punch.[
Sharkey's manager, D. J. Lynch, said he did not learn of Earp's selection as referee until 4:00 p.m. and denied knowing how Dr. Lee came to treat Sharkey.][ Julian said that Grannan told her he had overhead Earp and Joe Harvey, a ]bookmaker
A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds.
History
The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795.
Range of events
Bookma ...
, in which Harvey said, "Then it's all right, is it?", and Earp replied, "You can depend on me." Harvey denied the accusations, and said he had bet only $600 on Sharkey. He told Police Commissioner Gunst, "Do you think that I would have bet only $600 if I had known the thing was 'fixed'? I would have either let the whole thing alone or else I'd bet $5000 to $6000 and won enough for a good Christmas present."
On December 16, Sharkey testified in court about the punch that ended the fight. "He gave me a left-hand jab to the mouth. Then he feinted with his left and sent his right hand across my head. I jumped back and he sent his left hand and hit me in the groin. As I was falling he hit me in the jaw. I was not insensible at any time."
Earp testified in his own defense, stating, "I was offered no money... to give an unfair decision. I would not have listened to a proposition of that kind to begin with, and everybody who knows me will not doubt my word."
Sharkey wins in court
Judge Sanderson finally ruled on December 17[ that the ]hearsay
Hearsay evidence, in a legal forum, is testimony from an under-oath witness who is reciting an out-of-court statement, the content of which is being offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. In most courts, hearsay evidence is inadmis ...
evidence about the alleged fix was insufficient, and that the men engaging in the prizefight were "committing an offense against the law" and thus it was "not the sort of case for a court to consider."[ He said the contradictory testimony had not provided sufficient grounds for a decision. He granted the motion of Sharkey's counsel to dismiss the injunction. He said that the San Francisco supervisors had no right to license a boxing match, and that the license they issued was an illegal attempt to disobey the law. He told the lawyers that the promoters, the boxers, and their seconds had all broken the law and could be arrested.] The bank refused to release all of the funds to Sharkey, withholding 15% due to an injunction. He collected $8,500 of the $10,000 prize money (approximately $ today) but he was not widely accepted as the heavyweight title holder.
Later title fights
When Corbett ended his retirement in 1897 and resumed his fighting career, he was generally recognized as the still-reigning heavyweight champion. On March 17, 1897, in Carson City, Nevada
Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...
, Fitzsimmons knocked Corbett out in round 14, gaining the heavyweight crown.[ Corbett, hoping to record a win that would put him in contention for the heavyweight title once again, met Sharkey again on November 22, 1898. Sharkey was on the verge of victory when Corbett's cornerman McVey entered the ring in the ninth round. Referee Kelly promptly declared , disqualified Corbett, and awarded the bout to Sharkey.][ Fitzsimmons and Sharkey met again on July 24, 1900, and Fitzsimmons won with a knockout. Fitzsimmons retained the title until May 13, 1905, when he lost to ]James J. Jeffries
James Jackson "Jim" Jeffries (April 15, 1875 – March 3, 1953) was an American professional boxer and World Heavyweight Champion.
He was known for his enormous strength and stamina. Using a technique taught to him by his trainer, former Welte ...
.
Fix reported eight years later
Eight years later, Dr. B. Brookes Lee was arrested in Portland, Oregon. He had been accused of treating Sharkey to make it appear that he had been fouled by Fitzsimmons. Lee said, "I fixed Sharkey up to look as if he had been fouled. How? Well, that is something I do not care to reveal, but I will assert that it was done—that is enough. There is no doubt that Fitzsimmons was entitled to the decision and did not foul Sharkey. I got $1,000 for my part in the affair." In December 1907, Lee was charged with murder after he was accused of stabbing a man in the eye. They were both apparently attracted to the same woman.
Controversy follows Earp
The judge's decision provided no vindication for Earp. Until the fight, he had been a minor figure known regionally in California and Arizona. As a result of the fight and ensuing scandal, his name was known from coast to coast in the worst possible way. Earp left San Francisco shortly afterward and only returned when he caught a boat to Alaska.[ The fight was later described as "one of the gigantic fakes of the ring."
Just like the 30 second ]Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a thirty-second shootout between lawmen led by Virgil Earp and members of a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cowboys that occurred at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in ...
haunted Earp the rest of his life, the public never forgot his decision in the 1896 boxing match. Earp was dismayed about the controversy that continually followed him. He wrote a letter to John Hays Hammond
John Hays Hammond (March 31, 1855 – June 8, 1936) was an American mining engineer, diplomat, and philanthropist. He amassed a sizable fortune before the age of 40. An early advocate of deep mining, Hammond was given complete charge of Ce ...
on May 21, 1925, telling him "notoriety had been the bane of my life". When he died in 1929, he may have been as well known for his decision in the title fight as he was for his actions at the O.K. Corral gun fight.[
His ]Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
obituary[ and others][ gave a lot of ink to his officiating of the Fitzsimmons-Sharkey fight. He was also described as a "gun-fighter, whose blazing six-shooters were, for most of his life, allied with the side of law and order".] The ''Review-Atlas'', the local paper from his birthplace in Monmouth, Illinois
Monmouth is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,902 at the 2020 census, down from 9,444 in 2010. It is the home of Monmouth College and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, Warf ...
, printed a story on page one about Wyatt's death on January 13, 1929. It mentioned Earp's attempts to get into the movies but gave more attention to the Sharkey-Fitzsimmons scandal.
After he died, newspapers in the 1930s contained references to "pulling an Earp", or "Earping the job", which served as shorthand for a crooked referee.
References
Further reading
*
*
* {{cite news, title=FITZSIMMONS TELLS OF HIS TWO RING BATTLES AGAINST TOM SHARKEY , url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19170324.2.766&srpos=10&e=------191-en--50--1--txt-txIN-Fitzsimmons+Sharkey------- , accessdate=8 January 2017, publisher=Los Angeles Herald , date=24 March 1917
Fake Prize Ring Battles
April 12, 1908, INSURANCE SECTION, Page 3. Omaha daily bee. (Omaha eb., 12 April 1908. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
Earp family
Sports competitions in San Francisco
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Heavyweight boxers
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