Reno in Washoe County, Nevada — The American Mountains (Southwest)
The Fight of the Century
Photographed By Alvis Hendley, March 17, 2016
1. The Fight of the Century Marker
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The Fight of the Century. . On this site on July 4, 1910, Reno hosted "The Fight of the Century," a heavyweight championship boxing match between John Arthur "Jack" Johnson, the black title holder, and James J. "Jim" Jeffries, a former champion seeking to regain the title he had vacated in 1904. Jeffries had refereed a previous championship bout between Marvin Hart and Jack Root at this site on July 3, 1905, but the promotion of the ex-champion as "The Great White Hope" focused world-wide attention on his 1910 contest with the talented Johnson, known as the "Galveston Giant.". Gamblers had their money on Jeffries, but Johnson easily handled his opponent and Jeffries' trainers called the fight in the fifteenth round to save their man from the disgrace of a knockout. , Promoted by Tex Rickard, the fight brought over 30,000 fans to Reno, some 22,000 of whom packed the arena here on the day of the fight.
On this site on July 4, 1910, Reno hosted "The Fight of the Century," a heavyweight championship boxing match between John Arthur "Jack" Johnson, the black title holder, and James J. "Jim" Jeffries, a former champion seeking to regain the title he had vacated in 1904. Jeffries had refereed a previous championship bout between Marvin Hart and Jack Root at this site on July 3, 1905, but the promotion of the ex-champion as "The Great White Hope" focused world-wide attention on his 1910 contest with the talented Johnson, known as the "Galveston Giant.". Gamblers had their money on Jeffries, but Johnson easily handled his opponent and Jeffries' trainers called the fight in the fifteenth round to save their man from the disgrace of a knockout.
Promoted by Tex Rickard, the fight brought over 30,000 fans to Reno, some 22,000 of whom packed the arena here on the day of the fight.
Erected by Nevada Historic Preservation Office and Washoe County Historical Society and Nevada Corral Westerners International. (Marker Number 220.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 39° 31.989′ N, 119° 47.789′ W. Marker is in Reno, Nevada, in Washoe County. Marker is at the intersection
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of East 4th Street and Toano Street, on the right when traveling east on East 4th Street. Marker is at the southeast corner of East 4th Street and Toano Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Reno NV 89512, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 23, 2016, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. This page has been viewed 360 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on April 23, 2016, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.