The perfect fight venue: Colliers, West Virginia
Posted: 22 Aug 2016, 05:28
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Located on the West Virginia panhandle, nestled nicely between the Pennsylvania and Ohio borders, Colliers, West Virginia proved the prefect location for staging an illegal prize fight.
On May 30th 1880* Paddy Ryan and Joe Goss met to decide the heavyweight championship of the world. The square was staked within running distance of both neighboring borders, and only if the authorities from all three States succeeded in arriving at the scene simultaneously would there be any risk of arrest.**
(The site was actually chosen just for this reason.)
I did some checking and discovered that the MGM Grand, located at 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, is approximately 45 miles from the California border, with most of the ground to be traversed being desert, (and then you end up in Death Valley National Park anyway) and concluded that the MGM Grand is no place to stage an illegal prize fight.
Paddy Ryan defeated Goss by KO in the 87th round (or approximately after 87 minutes of fisticuffs) and claimed the title.
* or maybe June 1st or possibly even April 17th – depending which source you wish to believe – thank you Internet, you useless collection of misinformation
** if you run west you might have to swim the Ohio River; better to head for Pittsburgh
Located on the West Virginia panhandle, nestled nicely between the Pennsylvania and Ohio borders, Colliers, West Virginia proved the prefect location for staging an illegal prize fight.
On May 30th 1880* Paddy Ryan and Joe Goss met to decide the heavyweight championship of the world. The square was staked within running distance of both neighboring borders, and only if the authorities from all three States succeeded in arriving at the scene simultaneously would there be any risk of arrest.**
(The site was actually chosen just for this reason.)
I did some checking and discovered that the MGM Grand, located at 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, is approximately 45 miles from the California border, with most of the ground to be traversed being desert, (and then you end up in Death Valley National Park anyway) and concluded that the MGM Grand is no place to stage an illegal prize fight.
Paddy Ryan defeated Goss by KO in the 87th round (or approximately after 87 minutes of fisticuffs) and claimed the title.
* or maybe June 1st or possibly even April 17th – depending which source you wish to believe – thank you Internet, you useless collection of misinformation
** if you run west you might have to swim the Ohio River; better to head for Pittsburgh