The Fitzsimmons-Maher Prizefight
Langtry, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1896, Judge Roy Bean made national headlines with a unique boxing match held at this site. Robert James Fitzsimmons was to fight James J. Corbett, the heavyweight champion, but the Legislature had outlawed boxing in Texas. While promoters sought a new location for the match, Corbett retired, handing the title to Irishman Peter Maher, who soon agreed to fight Fitzsimmons. Bean arranged for spectators, the press and Texas Rangers to travel by train from El Paso to Langtry, where he held the fight on a sandbar on Mexico's side of the Rio Grande; Texas lawmen had no authority there and Mexico had no law enforcement on hand. Fitzsimmons knocked Maher out in 95 seconds, winning the title. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1896, when Texas outlawed prizefighting, saloon-keeper and self-styled 'Law West of the Pecos' Judge Roy Bean engineered a legal end-run to stage a heavyweight title bout at Langtry. With the fight banned on both sides, Bean set the ring on a Rio Grande sandbar on the Mexican side, beyond the reach of Texas Rangers who rode along as spectators. Bob Fitzsimmons flattened Peter Maher in 95 seconds to claim the crown.
Why it matters
The spectacle captured the freewheeling character of the frontier borderlands, where an eccentric justice of the peace could turn a legal loophole into national headlines.
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Related people
- · Judge Roy Bean
- · Robert Fitzsimmons
- · Peter Maher
- · James J. Corbett
Themes & tags
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