This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 5/11/2001.
On July 3, 1919, Jack Dempsey unleashed a savage attack on heavyweight champ Jess Willard, knocking Willard down seven times in the first round and taking the crown when Willard refused to come out for round four. The epic nature and raw brutality of the fight gave promoters the idea to turn film of the bout into a full-length movie so that fight fans could see the fight in its entirety in theaters. While theater and closed-circuit showings of big fights are common today, the Dempsey-Willard film, titled "The Birth of a Champion," was according to this vintage poster touting the movie, the "first showing on any screen" possibly meaning of any fight. The bright yellow, 22" x 28" poster is ringed by eight photos of the fight and a newspaper headline of the outcome, and is in excellent condition with some minor fraying at the corners. For collectors of fistiana, this poster delivers with the bang of a Dempsey knockout punch.