Tex Rickard: The first great promotion.

[Willie Pep 229]

IMO Tex Rickard should be noted for creating boxing's first great promotion. While Johnson-Jeffries was without doubt America's first fight of the century (that crossed over to the general public) it was of course driven by racial discord.

Dempsey-Carpentier was a mismatch with no justification yet Rickard took this non-fight and put 75K butts in the seats with 25% of them being women.

He pulled this off via pure promotion. He had Hollywod stars involved (Chaplin; Fairbanks; Pickford); and when the Press howled it was a mismatch he invented the 'evil eye' punch; and in the end built his own stadium and then packed it.

Don King and Bob Arum have put on some great shows themselevs but all their big ones always offered top fighters. Rickard pulled in a million plus with, what everyone in the know knew was, a stinker and yet everyone went home satisfied. That's magic!

I don't think that feat has been matched. (Except maybe Don King's Chavez-Haugen bout, but I don't know if 130,000 Mexicans counts.)

[QueensburyRules]

IMO Tex Rickard should be noted for creating boxing's first great promotion. While Johnson-Jeffries was without doubt America's first fight of the century (that crossed over to the general public) it was of course driven by racial discord.

Dempsey-Carpentier was a mismatch with no justification yet Rickard took this non-fight and put 75K butts in the seats with 25% of them being women.

He pulled this off via pure promotion. He had Hollywod stars involved (Chaplin; Fairbanks; Pickford); and when the Press howled it was a mismatch he invented the 'evil eye' punch; and in the end built his own stadium and then packed it.

Don King and Bob Arum have put on some great shows themselevs but all their big ones always offered top fighters. Rickard pulled in a million plus with, what everyone in the know knew was, a stinker and yet everyone went home satisfied. That's magic!

I don't think that feat has been matched. (Except maybe Don King's Chavez-Haugen bout, but I don't know if 130,000 Mexicans counts.)

- -Them Mexicans were just Americans soon to be, so yeah, they count double, the current exchange rate of Americans for Mexicans.

Tex's first great Fight of the Century promo was the first Battling Nelson vs Joe Gans fight in Nevada. The purse $$$ Double Eagles were displayed behind a window in downtown Goldfield in a large glass vase. Epic 42 rd fight won by Gans via DQ of Nelson who was starting to fall apart.

[Willie Pep 229]

- -Them Mexicans were just Americans soon to be, so yeah, they count double, the current exchange rate of Americans for Mexicans.

Tex's first great Fight of the Century promo was the first Battling Nelson vs Joe Gans fight in Nevada. The purse $$$ Double Eagles were displayed behind a window in downtown Goldfield in a large glass vase. Epic 42 rd fight won by Gans via DQ of Nelson who was starting to fall apart.

This video has a still photo of the stacks of gold coins. The 'historian' claims Nelson organized the photo op - he makes no mention of Rickard - doubt he knows he was involved. (I didn't know until you pointed it out.)

The fight took place in a town called Gold Field. as a successful promotional gimmick (Shelby Montana should have taken notice but they were dealing with Kearns not Rickard.)

https://********/pnrzvEhZqXM

[billeau2]

This video has a still photo of the stacks of gold coins. The 'historian' claims Nelson organized the photo op - he makes no mention of Rickard - doubt he knows he was involved. (I didn't know until you pointed it out.)

The fight took place in a town called Gold Field. as a successful promotional gimmick (Shelby Montana should have taken notice but they were dealing with Kearns not Rickard.)

https://********/pnrzvEhZqXM

now a Ghost Town with a very very haunted hotel.

[Willie Pep 229]

now a Ghost Town with a very very haunted hotel.

Gold ran out like Deadwood? -- needed a legend to get shot dead there and they could have milked the tourism until legalized ********.

Have you visited the hotel?

[billeau2]

Gold ran out like Deadwood? -- needed a legend to get shot dead there and they could have milked the tourism until legalized ********.

Have you visited the hotel?

No. I will lol. We have property not real far away. I want to do a ghosttown tour...there are a few such towns, they intrigue me.

[QueensburyRules]

This video has a still photo of the stacks of gold coins. The 'historian' claims Nelson organized the photo op - he makes no mention of Rickard - doubt he knows he was involved. (I didn't know until you pointed it out.)

The fight took place in a town called Gold Field. as a successful promotional gimmick (Shelby Montana should have taken notice but they were dealing with Kearns not Rickard.)

https://********/pnrzvEhZqXM

- -Keep in mind any mug with a Brownie could "organize" a photo op then. Rickard as a former gold miner, broker, and ******** raconteur put up the $$$ in the downtown display that was it's own "op."

[HOUDINI563]

I disagree regarding Carpentier vs Dempsey. Carp was light heavyweight champion of the world as well as European Heavyweight champion. He was well known in the US prior to fighting Dempsey. Carp fell into the various light heavyweight champions through the years who moved up to challenge the heavyweight champion. Mike Spinks had zero credentials as a heavyweight when he challenged and beat Holmes many decades later.