Historical Markers of Washoe County & Reno
Location: Reno Directions: At the corner of 4th and Toana Sts, east of Virginia Street
N 39° 31.989 W 119° 47.789
Date Conquered: 8/23/07 Quick Description: A unique marker commemorating one of the biggest boxing matches in Nevada. Signed: No -- Historically, this marker was signed. (No signs exist today.) Full Description: Exact description as reads ... 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 outspoken black pugilist. Gamblers had their money on Jeffries, but Johnson easily handled his opponent and Jeffries's 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. #220 sits in a much "older" section of Reno just east of the Virginia strip. HM 220 sits at the SE corner of the intersection. The fenced junkyard directly behind this marker sits on the original site of the prize fight.
Full Description: Exact description as reads ... 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 outspoken black pugilist. Gamblers had their money on Jeffries, but Johnson easily handled his opponent and Jeffries's 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. #220 sits in a much "older" section of Reno just east of the Virginia strip. HM 220 sits at the SE corner of the intersection. The fenced junkyard directly behind this marker sits on the original site of the prize 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 outspoken black pugilist. Gamblers had their money on Jeffries, but Johnson easily handled his opponent and Jeffries's 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. #220 sits in a much "older" section of Reno just east of the Virginia strip. HM 220 sits at the SE corner of the intersection. The fenced junkyard directly behind this marker sits on the original site of the prize fight.
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.
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