1900 John L Sullivan Used Match Worn Boxing Gloves Craig Hamilton + Weston LOA

Description

Circa 1900 John L. Sullivan Worn Gloves from The Ring Magazine Collection.
He remains the most recognizable face of bare-knuckle boxing, an iron-jawed and granite-fisted force of nature who built an unbroken streak of over 450 professional victories before falling to "Gentleman Jim" Corbett in his final ring appearance in 1892. A natural athlete from his earliest years, Sullivan was offered a baseball contract by the Cincinnati Red Stockings of the early National League, but the violence and self-determination of the prize ring seemed a better fit to his hard-drinking, hard-nosed lifestyle. "I can lick any man in the house," was his standard line, and, like Dizzy Dean once opined, "It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."
Craig Hamilton's letter of authenticity notes that he located an image of Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer holding them in his famous museum. They bear the white lettered text common to all memorabilia from that showcase, reading only "John L. Sullivan." The horsehair padding spills out, but condition quibbles are rendered absurd in light of the spectacular rarity.
Letter of provenance from the Weston family. LOA from Craig Hamilton.
It is our opinion that these gloves were used for the August 18, 1900 benefit for John L. Sullivan at Madison Square Garden, which raised ,000 for Sullivan (who was nearly broke at the time).  The event was with James J. Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons and current heavyweight champ James J. Jeffries who fought against Sullivan during this exhibition.