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Speeches and Testimonies

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 02, 2023
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov | (212) 306-3322

The World Boxing Council and the New York City Housing Authority Hold Dempsey v. Firpo Centennial Ceremony

The celebration marked the 100th anniversary of the historic match at Polo Grounds

NEW YORK – The World Boxing Council and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), alongside Polo Grounds Towers residents and with support from the New York City Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD), today held a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the fight between world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey and Luis Ángel Firpo, which took place on September 14, 1923, and drew over 88,000 spectators – a new record for paid attendance of a boxing match in New York State at the time – and marked the first time a Latin American boxer challenged for the world title.

The World Boxing Council, NYCHA, and the Consulate General of Argentina unveiled a commemorative world championship belt and installed a plaque at the site of this historic bout to memorialize the legendary event in perpetuity. New York boxing agent and historian, Don Majeski, spearheaded the centennial commemoration and was integral in connecting the agencies involved to pay homage to the historic fight and its combatants.

“Let no legend or historic event be forgotten,” said World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaimán. “The site where the Polo Grounds Towers stands is iconic, and its history continues to bring pride to the city of New York and the sports world. Dempsey v. Firpo remains one of the biggest draws and most dramatic fights in boxing history; it produced arguably the most famous painting of boxing and thanks to Luis Firpo, the first Latino to fight for a world title in any sport, doors were opened for all Latino athletes worldwide. It is our privilege to donate a commemorative plaque and belt to honor the site where history was made.”

"Like any longstanding New York City staple, history is an important aspect of NYCHA,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “In the case of Polo Grounds Towers, the residents of this development walk in the same footsteps as sports legends every day, including those of Jack Dempsey and Luis Ángel Firpo, whose match still reverberates with the boxing community today, one hundred years later.”

“At NYCHA, we embrace each development’s unique sense of identity,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Resident Services, Partnerships, and Initiatives Ukah Busgith. “Polo Grounds Towers’ rich athletic history is a great source of pride for residents, particularly the monumental match featuring the first Latin American boxer to challenge for the world heavyweight title.”

“While the four versions of the Polo Grounds are famous for baseball, there have been many other notable sporting events on the different sites: football, Gaelic football, polo, soccer, and many boxing matches, with the Dempsey v. Firpo match being the cherry topping our cultural sporting sundae,” said Polo Grounds Towers Resident Association President Serena Chandler.

“I commend NYCHA for honoring and celebrating the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest moments that ever occurred at the Polo Grounds, when Luis Ángel Firpo fought Jack Dempsey for the World Heavyweight Title and knocked him out of the ring in front of over 88,000 fans,” said New York State Senator Cordell Cleare.

“For decades, the Polo Grounds stood as a hallowed ground where sports legends etched their names into history, transcending time and boundaries,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “The 80,000 people who attended the 1923 Dempsey v. Firpo fight illustrated how this iconic arena united communities across New York. It's an honor to join the Polo Grounds community in commemorating this historic match's centennial.”

“I’m an old-school boxing fan who watched the greatest Latin boxers as a young man — warriors like Julio Cesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Wilfredo Benitez, Alexis Arguello, and of course, Oscar de la Hoya,” said NYC Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Keith Howard. “As DYCD begins to reinvest resources in boxing programs with the Police Athletic League, we honor Luis Ángel Firpo, the first Latin American boxer to vie for the world heavyweight title against Jack Dempsey. This commemorative plaque at our Cornerstone center will capture the Polo Grounds’ hallowed history and inspire young people to become the next great athlete.”

Polo Grounds was a notable hub for sports in America from 1880 through 1963 and was host to World Series games, including the New York Yankees’ first championship victory, and NFL championships, in addition to being the birthplace of the New York Giants baseball team and the New York Mets, and home to many Boxing Hall of Famers and world champions.

Dempsey v. Firpo was the subject of Dempsey and Firpo, a 1924 painting by George W. Bellows, which has hung in the Whitney Museum of Art since the museum’s opening in 1931, and was voted The Most Dramatic Sports Event of the First Half of the 20th Century in a 1951 poll conducted by the Associated Press.

Heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was named The Greatest Boxer of the Half Century (1900-1950) by the same outlet and was the first boxer elected to The Ring Hall of Fame in 1954. Dempsey was appointed as a charter member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1989 in Canastota, New York.

Luis Ángel Firpo’s legacy as the first Latin American boxer to challenge for the world heavyweight title went on to inspire tens of thousands of Latin American fighters. Streets, schools, and a football team in South America have all been named in his honor.

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