This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/7/2022
On September 7, 1892 the world heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan took to the ring to defend his title against "Gentleman" Jim Corbett in front of a packed house at the Olympic Club in New Orleans. The combatants were wearing gloves, as the last bare-knuckle brawl had taken place three years earlier, a grueling 75-round affair between Sullivan and Jake Kilrain. The youthful Corbett was a more skilled boxer and in better shape than the champ, who hadn't fought for three years and drank heavily, and Corbett dodged the champ's bull rush attacks, tiring him out, punishing him with jabs, and eventually knocking him out with a left in the 21st round. The offered full ticket is the larger of the two varieties that can be found, measuring 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" and has three holes punched in it, presumably by the doorman at the Chartres Street entrance. The $15 ticket price corresponds to $476 in 2022, a pretty hefty sum for back in the day.