Boxing / Jack Dempsey / Déro. - Lot 16

Boxing / Jack Dempsey / Déro. Robert Décremps, alias DÉRO (1920-2000) Two caricatures: Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney India ink on paper, signed and captioned 50 x 39 cm Original illustrations for Pierre Cangioni's "La Fabuleuse Histoire de la Boxe" (1977). Jack Dempsey, Manassa's man, world heavyweight champion (1919-1926), depicted as the Statue of Liberty; the best symbol for this boxer who accomplished most of his exploits in New York. Before running the restaurant that extended his fame, he had beaten Georges Carpentier in 1921 (a legendary fight recounted by Géo Lefèvre). With this statue, which is a little French, Déro mitigates our disappointment. The imposing shadow of Jack Dempsey looms over the scene, hinting at the feat and/or controversy surrounding Gene Tunney. World light-heavyweight champion (1922-1923) then heavyweight (1926-1928), Tunney is a legend of the noble art. The work evokes the 1927 rematch with Dempsey, a victory that was controversial because the count was too long, which should have sealed Tunney's defeat. A symmetrical situation to that of 1923, when Dempsey himself took advantage of an irregular count against Firpo. Two tributes to a mythical page in world boxing.