Georges Carpentier Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Georges Carpentier (1894-1975) won European titles at progressively heavier weight classes before winning the European Heavyweight crown in 1913. He defended it twice, before becoming a highly-decorated French aviator in World War I, thus becoming a hero in Britain and the US as well as in his native land. He returned to the ring in 1919, defending his European title twice before challenging Jack Dempsey for the world heavyweight title on July 2, 1921. The Dempsey-Carpentier bout, the first broadcast on radio, was also the first to bring in $1 million in gate receipts. Carpentier fought well, but was knocked out in the fourth round; he and Dempsey became lifelong friends.  After leaving the ring, Carpentier performed in vaudeville and a few films of the 1920s. Later he owned his own fashionable bar in Paris. A sports arena in that city bears his name. He entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.