The Secret “Fight of the Century”–Episode 8

Wise About Texas

Ken Wise

Texan, Places & Travel, Education, Texas, Cowboy, History, Society & Culture, Culture, Jacinto, Texans, San

5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 January 2016

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1896, the biggest sporting event in the nation was to be a fight for the heavyweight championship. But its location was a secret! Armed Soldiers from Mexico, Arizona, and the Texas Rangers had it stopped, until the "Law West of the Pecos," Judge Roy Bean managed to take it international--sort of. Learn about Texas ingenuity in Episode 8 of Wise About Texas. Heavyweight champ Bob Fitzsimmons Legendary lawman Bat Masterson....no match for a Texas Ranger Texas Ranger Captain Bill McDonald...one riot, one ranger. The old Sanderson depot where Bat Masterson learned to behave himself Judge Roy Bean, the law west of the Pecos The Fitzsimmons-Maher fight. On a sandbar in the Rio Grande.

Transcript

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0:18.0	Howdy and welcome to Why is About Texas, the Texas History Podcast. This is episode 8 of the podcast and the other day I was watching some boxing on TV and decided to devote this
0:24.8	episode to a very interesting story of a boxing match surrounded by
0:29.2	controversy involving secret locations, international borders, and of course the Texas Rangers.
0:36.0	It could have only happened in Texas.
0:38.2	So let's go back to 1896 and get wise about Texas. Now boxing seems to have declined in popularity in recent
0:45.9	years but in the late 1800s boxing or as it was called then prize fighting was
0:50.8	extremely popular. Up until the late 1800s the fights were conducted
0:54.8	under what were commonly called the London rules which allowed for a bit of wrestling,
0:59.6	in addition to punching, and a round didn't end until someone was knocked down.
1:04.0	There were no limits to the number of rounds.
1:07.0	Most of the fights occurred without even wearing boxing gloves.
1:10.0	It was a rough game back then.
1:12.0	In 1889, the Marquise of Queensberry rules came to be used in the United
1:17.2	States. These rules were actually written in the 1860s, and they more closely resemble
1:22.1	today's boxing rules, including the use of gloves.
1:24.8	Thank goodness.
1:25.8	Now let me set the stage for the fight we're going to discuss today.
1:29.6	One of the greatest champions in the 1800s was John L. Sullivan was a Bostonian recognized as the champion fighter from 1882 to 1892.
1:39.0	He was the last
1:44.0	the London rules and the first champion under the Queensberry rules.
1:44.6	In 1892 Sullivan defended his title against a young fighter from
1:49.0	San Francisco named a gentleman Jim Corbett or Corbett.
	...

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