Peter Maher vs. Bob Fitzsimmons (2nd meeting)
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Bob Fitzsimmons 165 lbs beat Peter Maher 180 lbs by KO at 1:35 in round 1
- Date: 1896-02-21
- Location: near Langtry, TX, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico
- Referee: George Siler
- 5-ounce gloves.
- This bout was billed for the world heavyweight title & for the National Police Gazette Championship Belt.
- Held near Langtry, TX, in Coahuila, Mexico. Judge Roy Bean ([1]) was responsible for bringing Maher and Fitzsimmons together. Bean thumbed his nose at the Texas Rangers and Mexican authorities by holding the bout on a sandbar in the Rio Grande river. This was done to thwart the authority of the Rangers and made it impossible for the Mexicans to gain access to his location.
- Spectators were brought in on a special train and a footbridge was constructed to allow easier access to the sandbar. Alcohol flowed and the wagers were made.
- Weights from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
- The men would fight a three-round exhibition at Madison Square Garden February 29.
- Well-known photos, which are erroneously labeled by many sources as having been taken at this fight, portray the Australian Billy Smith vs. Billy Lewis bout. For example, this photo.
- Rumble on the Rio Grande, by Kelsey McCarson: [2]
- Image of memorial plaque
