Bob Fitzsimmons vs. Peter Maher

The Fitzsimmons-Maher Prizefight (February 21, 1896), also considered, unofficially, as the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship, occurred between Bob Fitzsimmons and Peter Maher on a sandbar in the Rio Grande just far enough outside of the American city of Langtry, Texas, in which state boxing was illegal, to be considered technically in the Mexican state of Coahuila de Zaragoza. Fitzsimmons was victorious,^[1][2] knocking Maher out in the first round; however, upon hearing of the outcome of the fight, the 1895 World Heavyweight Champion James J. Corbett immediately rescinded his retirement.^[3]

The Jersey Lilly Texas Historical Marker in Langtry, in part, commemorates the fight.

See also

• Ranger James Brooks, an officer of the law who tried to stop the fight
• Judge Roy Bean, a local justice of the peace who promoted the fight
• Fitzsimmons vs. Sharkey, the next major bout fought by Fitzsimmons

References

1. Braudaway, Doug. "The Fitzsimmons-Maher Prizefight: The World Heavyweight Championship Bout of 1896". Del Rio, Texas: Val Verde County Historical Commission. In 1896, an Englishman raised in Australia fought an Irishman in an American venue that was actually located in Mexico.
2. Sonnichsen, C.L. (1968). Pass of the North: Four Centuries on the Rio Grande. Texas Western Press. pp. 358–362.
3. Mulvaney, Kevin (October 26, 2013). "The fight, the foul and the lawman". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2015.