William Michael Sharkey (February 28, 1949 - October 23, 1998) was an American

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

who competed from 1974 to 1983, and fought for the first ever Cruiserweight title against

Marvin Camel Marvin Camel (born December 24, 1951) is a Native American former professional boxer who competed from 1974 to 1990. He was the first cruiserweight world champion, having held the WBC title in 1980 and the IBF title from 1983 to 1984. He was ...

. He also fought against Heavyweight Champions

Frank Bruno Franklin Roy Bruno (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title from 1995 to 1996. At regional level, he held the European heavyweight ...

and Mike Weaver. Sharkey was murdered near his home in Pennsylvania and his body found on Oct. 24, 1998. In 2022 a $5K reward was offered by Pennsylvania State Police for information regarding his unsolved murder.

Early life

When Sharkey was 19 years old, both of his parents died in what appeared to be a

murder–suicide A murder–suicide is an act where an individual intentionally kills one or more people before killing themselves. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms: * Suicide after or during murder inflicted on others ** Suicide af ...

. Sharkey had a brief amateur boxing career from 1969 to 1970. During this time, Sharkey was allegedly involved with a street gang in Queens, New York, and was tried for manslaughter in 1970. Although he professed his innocence, in 1971 Sharkey was convicted and sent to prison. He was released from prison in 1974 and began his professional boxing career.

Professional career

Sharkey became a professional boxer in 1974. Although Sharkey was a natural 187-pounder, making him small for a

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

, he won his first 15 fights mostly by KO. In April of 1977 Sharkey faced future Heavyweight Champion Mike Weaver at Beacon Theatre in New York. Although Sharkey scored a knock down, Weaver recovered and won a majority decision victory. Weaver was later quoted as saying, "That was one tough fight. He made me fight all the way down to the bell." On April 19,1978 Sharkey defeated Vic Brown via unanimous decision. In September of 1978 Sharkey fought to a draw against contender Scott LeDoux at the Convention Center in Miami Beach. In January of 1979 Sharkey fought Heavyweight contender Kallie Knoetze losing by KO in the 4th round. After the fight, Sharkey moved to the newly formed Cruiserweight weight class. In June of 1979 the

World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

(WBC) had Sharkey ranked as the #2 Cruiserweight in the world giving him the opportunity to fight for the first ever Cruiserweight title against

. Although, Sharkey lost in a unanimous decision, the new Cruiserweight class allowed Sharkey to fight at a more natural weight. Sharkey won 4 of his next 5 fights alternating between Cruiserweight and Heavyweight. In September of 1983 Sharkey retired after a first round KO loss to future Heavyweight Champion

. Sharkey retired with a record of 22 wins 7 losses and 1 draw with 16 KOs.

Death

In the 1990s Sharkey moved from Queens, New York to Pennsylvania with his wife and son. Sharkey was murdered near his home and his body found on Oct. 24, 1998. He was shot and placed in the trunk of his car, which was then set on fire. In 2022, a $5K reward was offered by Pennsylvania State Police for information regarding his unsolved murder.

References

American boxers 1998 deaths 1949 births {{improve categories, date=December 2024 Sportspeople from Baltimore Boxers from Baltimore