"Fight!" The Jack Dempsey-Jess Willard fight of 1919 is said to have kicked off the roaring twenties. Thousands came out in 110° heat on July 4th to witness the fight of the decade. Jess Willard was the reigning world champion and the owner of a brutal reputation, claiming before the July 4th fight that it would be "the easiest fight of his career." During the fight, the much-smaller Dempsey attacked the bigger champion with the fire and rage of a bull. The fight was brutal, bloody, and intensely magnificent. Eventually Dempsey was crowned the new champion-- a title he held and defended for the next six years. The iconic 1919 fight is still considered one of the greatest ever fought-- and Dempsey showed not only bravery and skill, but the true spirit of a champion.
Proceeds of works sold will be donated to MercuryOne, one of Mr. Beck's non-profit organizations that includes a history museum whose library is only surpassed in volume and significance by the Library of Congress and The National Archives. MercuryOne also houses education classrooms, a large first responder team for natural disasters, two anti-human trafficking teams, The Nazerene Fund, which has freed, fed and housed over 100,000 religious minority refugees from the Middle East as well as continues funding for Operation Underground Railroad.
