Source: Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries Date: 1910 An impressive setting In an article published the day after the fight, reporter Rex Beach wrote of the location, "The arena itself occupied the center of a circular valley ringed about by mountains which looked down like the high tiered slopes of a Gargantuan amphitheatre ten thousand times greater than the Roman coliseum." Here, a row of streetcars pulls up near the entrance. Source: Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries Date: 1910 Arrival by Streetcar Many of the spectators arrived at the arena via the streetcar line that ran between Reno and Sparks. Source: Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries Date: 1910 The Arena Entrance The entrance to the arena for the Johnson-Jeffries fight featured advertising banners for champagne and cigars. Aylesworth, a member of the Reno Athletic Association, from Patrick L. Source: Nevada Historical Society Date: 1910 The Fight Arena The area was erected on land leased by Arthur J. Source: Nevada Historical Society Date: 1910 Fight Headquarters Official headquarters for the fight was in downtown Reno, at the corner of Center Street and W. Promoters Jack Gleason and Tex Rickard appeared on the ticket, along with the two fighters. Source: Nevada Historical Society Date: 1910 Admission ticket Prime tickets for the fight ranged from $25 to $50. Source: Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries Date: 1910 Promotional poster A promotional poster produced in 1910 promised a fight beyond compare. Source: Neal Cobb Date: 1910 Before the fight Spectators arrived at the fight arena by buggy, automobile, rail, and foot. In the fifteenth round, Johnson knocked Jeffries down three times, prompting officials to call the fight before Jeffries could be knocked unconscious.
#Jim jeffries boxer full
Images Fifteen rounds The crowd was riveted for fourteen full rounds.
State Historical Marker #220 is located at the site, which is now a salvage yard. The arena was torn down that October, with the lumber sold to repay creditors. Fifteen rounds in, Rickard recognized that Jeffries was about to collapse and called the bout, crowning Johnson the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. What they captured quickly escalated from a few tentative thrusts into a forceful defeat of the former heavyweight champion by the much stronger and more nimble Johnson. Attendance was estimated at more than 20,000, with live telegraph coverage keeping the world riveted and nine cameramen documenting the event from different angles. It was the most publicized sporting event in American history to that date. McLaughlin, a crew of up to 300 men at a time toiled for ten hours a day, supplied with whiskey breaks by contractor Charles Friedhoff. Supervised by San Francisco architect W.L. On the eastern edge of city limits, the location was conveniently situated near both the Southern Pacific railroad tracks and the streetcar line joining Reno and Sparks. On June 23, workers began to construct a massive wooden amphitheater on land owned by Patrick Flanigan on East 4th Street, the site of the 1905 Hart-Root fight. The two competitors arrived in town in advance to train-Jim Jeffries at Moana Springs, south of town, and Jack Johnson to the west at Rick’s Resort. Having retired undefeated in 1904 as the heavyweight champion of the world, Jeffries was considered still deserving of the title by many, amid rampant racial prejudice. Promoters eager to find a “Great White Hope” to seize his crown convinced Jim Jeffries to come out of retirement and reclaim the heavyweight title for white America. By 1908, black fighter Jack Johnson had ascended to the top of the sport.
The bout was promoted in advance as the “Fight of the Century”-a rather brash claim, considering the century was just a decade old-but the import of the fight was undeniable. Reno’s leaders campaigned vigorously for the fight, convincing Rickard they could be ready in time for the scheduled date of July 4th. The catch? The fight was just two weeks away.īoxing promoter George Lewis “Tex” Rickard had originally intended to hold the highly-anticipated event in San Francisco, but a last-minute cancellation by wary California Governor James N. All eyes turned to Reno on Jwith the exciting news that the small city would soon be hosting the heavyweight championship battle between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries.
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