Tunney, Gene

A pair of 10-ounce leather boxing gloves, free thumb compartments, with manufacturer's label (Sol. Levinson, Sole Manufacturer, 1028 Market St., San Francisco, Calif., Patented May 1, 1923), with 5 eyelets for laces. Accompanied by a presentation plaque engraved Gloves Worn by Gene Tunney in Heavyweight Championship Contest, Chicago, Illinois, September 22, 1927, Presented to Bernard F. Gimbel by Gene Tunney in Appreciation — by an autograph note signed by Tunney ("Gene") to Gimbel, 1 page, New York, 1 October [1927]: "Dear Bernard, Please accept these gloves as a token of our friendship. You aided in making them the most distinguished gloves in pugilism's history. Need I say why?" — and by a studio portrait of Tunney in boxing pose, inscribed "To Bernard F. Gimbel, whose 'right hand' was never a bargain. Sincerely, Gene Tunney," matted, framed, and glazed with the stub of a ringside ticket ($27.50) for the 23 September 1926 Dempsey-Tunney championship fight in Philadelphia.

A pair of 10-ounce leather boxing gloves, free thumb compartments, with manufacturer's label (Sol. Levinson, Sole Manufacturer, 1028 Market St., San Francisco, Calif., Patented May 1, 1923), with 5 eyelets for laces. Accompanied by a presentation plaque engraved Gloves Worn by Gene Tunney in Heavyweight Championship Contest, Chicago, Illinois, September 22, 1927, Presented to Bernard F. Gimbel by Gene Tunney in Appreciation — by an autograph note signed by Tunney ("Gene") to Gimbel, 1 page, New York, 1 October [1927]: "Dear Bernard, Please accept these gloves as a token of our friendship. You aided in making them the most distinguished gloves in pugilism's history. Need I say why?" — and by a studio portrait of Tunney in boxing pose, inscribed "To Bernard F. Gimbel, whose 'right hand' was never a bargain. Sincerely, Gene Tunney," matted, framed, and glazed with the stub of a ringside ticket ($27.50) for the 23 September 1926 Dempsey-Tunney championship fight in Philadelphia.
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"The most distinguished gloves in pugilism's history." One of the great sporting events of the Roaring Twenties was the rematch between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey before a crowd of some 145,000 in Chicago, 22 September 1927. This was the famous "Long Count" fight, in which Dempsey's failure to retreat to a neutral corner after flooring Tunney in the seventh round allowed the champ a few extra seconds to recover his composure (not to mention his consciousness). Tunney recovered sufficiently to retain the championship with a unanimous decision. He was to fight just one more bout, successfully defending the title against Tom Heeney in July 1928. Tunney retired undefeated as a heavyweight and with an overall professional record of 58–1, dropping only a 15-round light heavyweight decision to Harry Greb in 1922.

Bernard Gimbel, an heir to the department store, met Tunney at New York's City Athletic Club about 1919. The two sparred frequently, and became close friends; Tunney "would credit Gimbel for having given him advice that made him a more polished fighter" (Cavanaugh, Tunney, p. 60). After Gimbel's death in 1966, his family returned these gloves to Gene Tunney.