DS, two pages, 8.5 x 11, August 23, 1923. Contract “C” agreement between Tex Rickard, Jack Kearns, and Jack Dempsey for a one-third percentage in the motion picture rights to “the boxing contest to be held at the Polo Grounds under the auspices of the Polo Grounds Athletic Club, on the 14th day of September, 1923,” which was the famous Jack Dempsey-Louis Firpo heavyweight title fight. Signed on the second page in black ink by Rickard, Dempsey, and Kearns. In very good condition, with vertical fold to both pages, lightly affecting a couple letters of each signature, scattered creasing, and a light circular area of staining to the top of each page (not affecting the signatures). The agreement is still housed in its original legal folder (which is folded, creased, chipped, and stained), stamped from the law offices of O’Brien, Malevinsky, and Driscoll, which was located in Times Square, New York.
In the 1920s, boxing promoters and managers were searching for different ways to introduce the sport to new audiences: enter a relatively new medium called motion pictures. Jumping on the movie bandwagon, Rickard employed his marketing magic to sell footage of this heavyweight fight—extending the 4-minute bout into nearly 10 minutes by showing preliminary training scenes, slow-motion replays, and, inexplicably, a brief shot of the movie camera stand. The combination of Dempsey’s fists, Kearns’ management, and Rickard’s promotions ultimately grossed the trio $8.4 million in only five fights between 1921 and 1927, popularizing professional boxing in the 1920s, and earning Rickard enough money to build a new Madison Square Garden in 1925. The Dempsey-Firpo contest was one of the most exciting boxing matches in history, as more than 85,000 fans packed New York's Polo Grounds—and were shocked in the first round when Dempsey was knocked out of the ring and into the press row. Dempsey re-entered the ring and by the second round delivered a quick defeat to his Argentinian challenger. This document laid the foundation for filming that historic bout. Pre-certified Steve Grad/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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