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# 62 • June 12 , 2015
Doctors won’t stop Schaaf to fight Carnera, in
February 1933. At the thirteenth round, Schaaf
is knocked out twice. Transported unconscious
at the hospital, Schaaf dies four days later, for a
brain hemorrhage.
Carnera, struck from what happened, decides
to retire from boxing. Thanks to his family and
his friends, after two months he change his mind
and resume his training to challenge Sharkey
for the World Heavyweight Championship.
On June 29, 1933, the two boxers fight at Madison Square Garden Bowl in New York. Already
in first round, Carnera knocks out the opponent,
who gets up immediately, avoiding the count.
The match continues balanced enough for five
more rounds. At the sixth round Carnera once
again knocks out the World Champion, who
gets up and is counted by the referee. Immediately after the Italian boxer hits Jack Sharkey
ars of prohibition, of the economic crisis and of in the face with a right uppercut, sending him
the Italian American mafia, which will invest on KO andwinning the belt of World Heavyweight
Carnera preferring quantity over the quality of Champion. Carnera becomes a national hero.
the match. Carnera wins before the limit all the He loses the title a year later, defeated by the
first 23 match fought in the United States, 16 of American boxer and actor Max Baer.
them by knockout in the first two rounds. However, some fights have a disconcerting trend, so The giant dies on June 29, 1967 in Sequals,
that somebody repeatedly assumes them to be where he had returned when his health condition had worsened. His character and his
rigged.
almost superhuman qualities make of him an
After six matches more, all won, the Friulian Italian symbol and an international talented
boxer is designated to fight against Jack Shar- champion.
key, on October 12, 1931, at Ebbet's Field in
New York. Virtually it already is a semifinal for
the world title, as Sharkey has just been defeated by World Champion Max Schmeling and is
planning to fight him him again, soon. Carnera
endures throughout the whole match, defeated
just on points.
Later Jack Sharkey, who in the meantime has
become World Champion, decides that his
opponent will be decided in a match between
Primo Carnera and Ernie Schaaf, who had suffered brain damage during a previous meeting.
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