1897 Boxing Match in Carson City, Nevada - Restored video

Filmed on March 17, St. Patrick's Day, 1897, this is the legendary title match between James J. Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons in Carson City, Nevada. It was the first boxing match in Nevada after Governor Reinhold Sadler had signed the bill legalizing prizefighting on January 29, 1897.Show more

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The boxing ring itself was built in the same year and was located at the corner of Musser and Harbin streets. People from all over the country came to watch this fight.

At the time, Nevada had a total population of less than 60,000. The state's economy had been somewhat struggling since the 1870s. They had legalized gambling, but that didn’t get much notice across the country. The decision to permit fighting might be seen as the beginning of Nevada accepting and allowing — even encouraging — what many other residents of the state objected to, for the purpose of boosting the state's economy.

The two fighters trained beforehand near Carson City. Newspapers sent correspondents to cover the preparation and then the fight. Every day, stories went across the country.

The promoter promoter Dan Stuart scheduled the fight for March 17, St. Patrick's Day, primarily because of the Irish heritage of Corbett, the expected winner. Ticket sales were well below expectations. But he (Stuart) made back his investment because three cameras made by Thomas Edison’s firm were nearby, and Enoch Rector filmed the fight. It was shown in theaters around the country.

Video footage has been colorized, edited and speed-adjusted.

This video is made for educational purposes for fair use under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976.