Boxing

Boxing World Champions! Dealers' Lot, 7 Items, Including Ali, Louis, Tunney, Etc.

An exceptional dealers' lot of 7 pieces related to world champion boxers Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Joe Frazier, Randy Turpin, Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, and James Braddock. Their signed photos, postcards, and notes give us insights into the public and professional lives of the most talented, popular, controversial, and income-generating boxers of the early- to late-twentieth century.

The lot is comprised of:

1. A Maryland business card inscribed and signed by Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), American heavyweight boxing world champion, as "to Kathleen / Muhammad / Ali 79" verso. The business card is from the Normandy Carpet Company. Ali retired from boxing the same year that he signed this card, ending a tumultuous and celebrated career. Ali won 92% of his boxing bouts; his self-aggrandizement was legendary.

2. Vintage color postcard signed by American heavyweight boxing world champion Joe Louis (1914-1981) as "Joe Louis" verso. The postcard shows an aerial view of Fontainebleau, an ocean-front Miami Beach, Florida resort. Unevenly toned verso, slightly affecting the "J" of "Joe Louis". Else near fine. 5.5" x 3.5". Nicknamed the "Brown Bomber", Louis exploded racial stereotypes by winning 66 of 69 bouts in the ring during his boxing career.

3. Publicity card signed by Joe Frazier (1944-2011), American heavyweight boxing world champion, as "Joe Frazier" at lower right. Frazier poses bare-chested, pumping his right arm in a grandiose portrait captioned "Joe Frazier / World Heavyweight Champion". Minor discolored patch verso, else near fine. 3.5" x 5.5". Frazier's professional boxing career peaked during 1970-1973, when he was undisputed world heavyweight champion; he also won an Olympic Gold medal in 1964.

4. 8" x 10" glossy black and white photographic print of Randolph Turpin (1928-1966), British middleweight boxing world champion, signed and dated by him as "Randy Turpin / 1953" near bottom center. The photo shows the 5' 9.5" tall boxer training in shorts, leg warmers, and high-ankle boxing shoes. Expected superficial wrinkles, else a nice, clean photo. An underdog, Randy Turpin vaulted to celebrity when he defeated Sugar Ray Robinson for the World Middleweight Boxing Championship in July 1951. He died of an apparent suicide at age 37.

5. 8" x 10" semi-glossy sepia-toned photographic print of American heavyweight boxing world champion James "Gene" Tunney (1897-1978), signed by him as "Gene Tunney" at lower center. A few wrinkles, else very good to near fine. During his 13-year-long professional boxing career, Tunney held both the world and American championship titles in heavyweight and light heavyweight weight classes respectively. Tunney's September 1927 match-up with arch rival Jack Dempsey, called the Long Count Fight, is one of the most famous bouts of boxing history.

6. 4" x 6" glossy black and white photographic print of American heavyweight boxing world champion Jack Dempsey (1895-1983), inscribed, signed, and dated by him as "To My Friend / Bennie / With Best Wishes / Lt. Jack Dempsey / 7-9-42" at upper left. A tiny closed tear along the left edge, and expected superficial marks, else very good to near fine. Discolored verso. Dempsey was one of the most popular boxers of the 1920s. During World War II, he accepted a commission as lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.

7. Paper fragment inscribed, signed, and dated by James Braddock (1905-1974), American heavyweight boxing world champion, as "Best Wishes / Jimmy Braddock / 1-23-37". The pale pink paper scrap measures 5.375" x 3.625". Braddock was World Heavyweight Champion between 1935-1937.

This lot comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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