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The artwork discusses the great african american boxers, in particular Sugar Ray Robinson -written in text with the figure on the left reading as Sugar Ray or Jack Johnson. I also think this figure could be a self portrait of Basquiat as a boxer with the figure on the right being Andy Warhol. There was a great poster created for a Basquiat/Warhol show at Shafrazi’s in 1985. This work precedes the poster. Perhaps Basquiat knew back then, that one day he would be up against the great Warhol both figuratively and literally. I love how it cites the Chinese Boxer Rebellion—I think Basquiat always felt like an underdog fighting against the powers that be to become one of the most influential artists of our day. He reminds us of the complexity of race relations in the US in the 80s. His art was to always champion the extraordinary contribution of African Americans to our society. His work measured 29 x 29 1/2 inches unframed. It is signed and authenticated on the verso (back) by the Basquiat Estate and the edition size is 60.
