A group of four boxing gloves that by family repute belonged to John L. Sullivan, comprising: three similarly designed and sized American leather glov

A group of four boxing gloves that by family repute belonged to John L. Sullivan, comprising: three similarly designed and sized American leather gloves by A. G. Spalding & Bros. weighing between 6oz. and 6 2/3oz., and a larger, heavier Spalding glove weighing approx. 8 1/4oz., later stringing; sold with a signed letter of provenance from the present vendor, being a family descendant of John L. Sullivan (5). It is most likely that these gloves were used by John L. Sullivan for training, sparring or friendly exhibition bouts. Newspaper articles regarding Sullivan's championship fights, where the intent was to score a knockout, report that Sullivan favoured a lightweight glove weighing 3, 4 or 5 ounces. It is known that in friendly exhibition bouts, when the purpose was not to score a knockout, he wore a heavier glove. On one occasion, as a stipulation by the police, he was made to wear an 8oz. glove. By modern standards, these gloves are very skin-tight and thinly padded and were used during the immediate succession of the bare-knuckled era. John Lawrence Sullivan (1858-1918) was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, to Irish emigrant parents. The 'Boston Strongboy' is recognised as the first gloved heavyweight champion of the world, having fought mostly gloved bouts. He is also considered to be the last bare-knuckled champion, winning that crown by defeating Paddy Ryan in Mississippi City on February 7, 1882, and last defending it with his defeat of Jake Kilrain on July 8, 1889, the last heavyweight championship fight to have been fought under London Prize Ring Rules. Sullivan lost his gloved heavyweight crown in 1892 when defeated by 'Gentleman' Jim Corbett. He then retired from competitive bouts, but continued to appear in exhibitions until 1905. The auctioneer is grateful to Mr Adam Pollack, author of 'John L. Sullivan: The Career of the First Gloved Heavyweight Champion', for his assistance in cataloguing this lot. appendix The property of a descendant of John. L Sullivan.