Nevada
has had a long relationship with legal prizefighting, which can be traced to
the heavyweight bout between two men, James “Gentleman Jim” Corbett and Robert
“Ruby Robert” Fitzsimmons in Carson City in 1897.
That
first legal bout was the result of a number of serendipitous factors that all
came together to make it happen. When talk of a prizefight began to pick up
momentum in 1895-96, the biggest problem was that boxing was illegal in the
U.S.
At
the same time, the state of Nevada was experiencing a crushing economic
depression. The mining and ranching industries were collapsing and the state
needed a new source of potential revenue.
Against
that backdrop, Nevada approved legal “glove contests” in January 1897 and
almost immediately promotor Dan Stuart, who had pushed for passage of the law,
announced plans for a heavyweight bout in Carson City on March 17, 1897—St.
Patrick’s Day.
The
fight represented a number of “firsts.” It was Nevada’s first legal prizefight.
It was also the first prizefight ever recorded on film for later viewing in
movie theaters. It was also the first prizefight using the then-new Queensberry
rules requiring boxers to wear five-ounce padded gloves and for rounds to be
held to three minutes, separated by a minute of rest.
Once
he had the go-ahead for his bout, Stuart erected a 17,000-seat wooden
amphitheater on the corner of Musser and Pratt streets in Carson City. At the
time, the city had a population of less than 3,000.
While
Nevada had decided to legalize prizefighting, the sport was still vilified
throughout most of the country. Newspapers began referring to the action as
“Nevada’s Disgrace” and religious leaders condemned the state for its loose
morals, which also included toleration of casino-style gambling and brothels.
As
for the fighters, Corbett set up a training camp at Shaw’s Springs (now known
as the Carson Hot Springs, while Fitzsimmons trained at a place called Cook’s
Ranch, located about three miles from town.
Stuart
hoped that the popular Corbett, born in San Francisco, would draw a good number
of his Bay Area supporters to the fight. Fitzsimmons, who hailed from New
Zealand, was less well-known but had a far more extensive fight record. Goosing
expectations was the fact that Corbett and Fitzsimmons genuinely did not like
each other.
On
the day of the fight, it became clear that the arena was far bigger than the
paid crowd of some four to six thousand who paid to watch the bout.
Despite
its less-than-anticipated size, the crowd was enthusiastic, according to
newspaper accounts of the fight, with most supporting Corbett, the former
title-holder.
The
reports indicate that Corbett appeared to be the victor in the early rounds,
using his technical skills to mark Fitzsimmons face with several cuts. In the
sixth round, Corbett landed an uppercut to Fitzsimmons’ jaw followed by right
hand to his nose, which caused him to stagger.
Fitzsimmons,
however, managed to remain standing through the rest of the round and a tiring
Corbett failed to follow up in the next round.
The
two traded blows during the next seven rounds, with the fatigued Corbett having
little power behind his punches, and Fitzsimmons waiting for the right
opportunity to strike. It came in the 14th round, when Corbett
raised his gloves to protect his face, after being hit on the neck, and
Fitzsimmons followed with a strong punch to Corbett’s body, just under his
heart.
Known
as the “solar plexus punch,” the blow caused Corbett to crumple into the ropes
and let out a loud moan. Fitzsimmons landed a second punch to Corbett’s stomach
and the former champ fell to his knees.
According
to historian Richard O. Davies, in his excellent book, “The Main Event: Boxing
in Nevada from the Mining Camps to the Las Vegas Strip,” Corbett was so
immobilized, he could barely breathe, that he couldn’t rise to his feet and the
referee counted him out.
While
Corbett’s supporters were disappointed about the outcome, the event, despite
the smaller crowd, signaled that legal boxing had a future in the Silver State.
