ADDENDUM: Jack Dempsey was a longtime friend to Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms and a frequent visitor to the HAF museum. He was a recipient of many Helms awards and was a member of the Helms Hall of Fame. An image of Dempsey (seated next to Paul Helms) at a Helms event, along with Dempsey's Helms HOF award certificate are shown here. These Dempsey fight worn gloves were donated to the HAF directly by Dempsey himself. On July 27, 1918, at the Federal League Baseball Park in Harrison, New Jersey, up-and-coming heavyweight hopeful Jack Dempsey stepped into the ring against fellow heavyweight challenger Fred Fulton. In what was scheduled to be an eight-round bout turned out to be a one-punch fight that lasted less than half a minute. As was reported the following day in The New York Times: "Jack Dempsey of California punched his way to pugilistic fame at the Federal League Baseball Park, in Harrison, yesterday afternoon, when he knocked out Fred Fulton of Minnesota, claimant for the heavyweight title, with a terrific right swing to the jaw when the fight was but twenty-three seconds old. The finish came as a sensational surprise to the crowd, for it really was a one-punch fight." This was the fight that earned Dempsey a title bout vs. Jess Willard the following April. These are the Everlast boxing gloves Dempsey wore to knockout Fulton. This pair of heavily padded, tan leather boxing gloves are filled with horsehair, show unreinforced lacing holes on the underside and include a cotton fabric lining. The manufacturer’s label appears on inside at wrist of the right glove. Dempsey’s autograph and inscriptions by the future heavyweight champ appear on the upper side of both gloves. The upper side of the left glove has split, showing plenty of horsehair. Although the fight took place in late July, Dempsey evidently signed the gloves and inscribed the pair weeks later in August. On the upper side of the left glove, it reads: “August 18, 1918, Worn By Jack Dempsey, Jack Dempsey vs. Fred Fulton, Winner Dempsey by KO 23 seconds.”
Includes a Letter of Provenance from the Helms Athletic Foundation/LA84 Collection.
Pre-certified by PSA/DNA.