Heritage to Offer Dempsey Championship Belt in Upcoming Auction!

Dallas, Texas: A championship belt awarded to boxing legend Jack Dempsey will be offered in Heritage Sports Collectibles' (HSC) upcoming Signature Auction, to be held Friday, April 22, 2005 in Dallas, Texas.

The belt, which was awarded to Dempsey on October 22, 1926 by the New York Boxing Writer's Association, is considered the most prestigious belt that could have been awarded to a boxer at the time, considering the importance of the NYBWA. The belt was captured in a photograph, which shows Dempsey accepting the prize from sportswriter Wilbur Wood and announcer Joe Humphries, who awarded a similar belt to Gene Tunney at the same time. The belt was actually awarded one month following Dempsey's historic defeat at Tunney's hands, but as the NY Boxing Writer's Association had never given Dempsey a belt, they decided to present the awards to both fighters at the same time. Dempsey would fight Tunney once again, unsuccessfully, in September of 1927 in the famous "Long Count" bout, the last important fight of his career.

In later years, Dempsey gave the belt to a friend who retained it until consigning it to the upcoming auction. It has not had any other owners since it was originally given to the consignor by Dempsey himself.

"To my knowledge, this is the only Dempsey belt that has ever been offered at public auction, " said Chris Ivy, Director of HSC, "making it a rare and unique collector's item. This is an important piece of modern American boxing history, with an impeccable provenance, the likes of which may never be offered publicly ever again."

Widely considered to be one of the toughest boxers of modern times, Jack Dempsey beat reigning champion Jess Willard in 1919, earning him both the heavyweight title and the nickname, "The Manassas Mauler." Dempsey reigned supreme in the ring until 1926, when he was defeated by Gene Tunney in an historic bout. He retired from boxing in 1928, shortly after the "Long Count" bout, although he did appear in the occasional exhibition match until about 1940. Dempsey went on to a career as a successful restaurant owner. He died in New York City in 1983.

HSC specializes in rare and collectible sports cards, as well as uniforms, equipment, and related vintage sports memorabilia. Consignments for future Signature Sports Auction are currently being accepted. Prospective consignors or sellers of quality vintage sports cards and sports memorabilia are encouraged to contact:

Chris Ivy at 800-872-6467 Ext. 319 or email: CIvy@HeritageSportsCollectibles.com
Jonathan Scheier at 800-872-6467 Ext. 314 or email: JonathanS@HeritageSportsCollectibles.com
Stephen Carlisle at 800-872-6467 Ext. 292 or email: StephenC@HeritageSportsCollectibles.com
Sam Foose at 800-872-6467 Ext. 227 or email: SamF@HeritageSportsCollectibles.com

To order the next Heritage Sports Collectibles Signature catalog, contact Nicole Jewell, or write c/o Heritage Sports Collectibles, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219.