CARLOS ORTIZ - PRINTED ART SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: JOEY MAXIM, MARVIS FRAZIER, BILLY BACKUS, RUBEN OLIVARES, GERRY COONEY, CARMEN BASILIO, TONY DE MARCO, AARON PRYOR, ARTHUR MERCANTE, LIVINGSTONE BRAMBLE, DICK DIVERONICA - HFSID 276394

BOXING GREATS
11x16¾ color print of a pair of Everlast boxing gloves signed by 13 fighters, including nine champs, and legendary ref Arthur Mercante, Sr.
Printed art signed: "Gerry Cooney", "Carlos Ortiz", "Joey Maxim", "Arthur Mercante", "Livingstone Bramble", "Carmen Basilio", "Dick DeVeronica", "Marvis Frazier", "Billy/Backus", "Tony DeMarco", "Aaron Pryor", "Larry Holmes", "Ruben/Olivares", andone unidentified boxer. Fourteen signatures in all. Color, 11x16¾ overall, image 10¾x16½ (one surface). LARRY HOLMES, born in Cuthbert, Georgia in 1949, was heavyweight champion (WBC or IBF) from 1978 to 1985. He successfully defended his title 20 times. GERRY COONEY, born in New York City in 1956, was ranked No. 1 in the WBC when he challenged World Heavyweight champion Larry Holmes in 1982. A win would have made Cooney the first white heavyweight champ in 23 years. Boxing promoter Don King even called Cooney "The Great White Hope". The fight was one of the biggest in HBO Boxing history and was broadcast to 150 countries. Cooney lost in 13 rounds. He retired in 1990 with a record of 28-3. Two of his three losses came during bids to claim the heavyweight belt from Holmes and, in 1987, from Michael Spinks. AARON PRYOR, born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1955 and who was known as "The Hawk", was WBA welterweight champ from 1980 to 1983 and IBF champ from 1983 to 1985. Pryor defended his title 11 times before retiring in 1991 with a 39-1 record (35 KOs). CARLOS ORTIZ (1936-2022) held the junior welterweight crown (1959-1960) and then the lightweight title (1962-1968). MARVIS FRAZIER, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1960 and the son of former heavyweight champ Joe Frazier, was a skilled heavyweight himself at the amateur and professional level, but is unfortunately remembered being knocked out in the first round in fights with Larry Holmes (1983) and Mike Tyson (1986). JOEY MAXIM (1922-2001, born in Cleveland, Ohio) gained the U.S. light heavyweight title in 1949 and the world ranking the following year, holding it until 1952. Maxim beat some of the finest fighters of his era, including Jersey Joe Walcott, Sugar Ray Robinson and future world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson. RUBEN OLIVARES, born in Ciudad de Mexico in 1947, was world bantamweight champ (1969-1972), and later held the WBO featherweight title (1974-1975). LIVINGSTONE BRAMBLE, born in St. Croix, Saint Kitts and Nevis, British Virgin Islands in 1960, held the WBA lightweight crown from 1984 to 1986. ARTHUR MERCANTE, SR., born in 1920, refereed more championship fights, from Dempsey to Ali, Foreman and Hagler, than any other ref, and wrote Inside the Ropes about his experiences. CARMEN BASILIO, born in Canastoga, New York in 1927, was World Welterweight Champion twice between 1955 and 1957 and World Middleweight Champion from 1957 to 1958. BILLY BACKUS, born inCanastota, New York in 1943, was WBA and WBC Welterweight Champion from 1970 to 1971. TONY DeMARCO, born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1932, was World Welterweight Champion in 1955. DICK DeVERONICA, born in Kirkville, New York in 1938, fought professionally from 1958 to 1972. Although he never captured any championships, he was known as an aggressive but tricky fighter. Lightly creased. Light dents at top and bottom edges. Rounded corners. Otherwise, fine condition.