Today in History

1891 Bob Fitzsimmons wins world middleweight boxing title

Fitzsimmons knocked out Jack Dempsey in New Orleans. He defended this title only twice as he struggled to make the weight. He won the heavyweight title in 1897 and became one of New Zealand's first sporting heroes.

Although born in England, Fitzsimmons learned his boxing in Timaru and was always regarded as a New Zealand boxer. He won his first world title in 1891 when he knocked out Jack Dempsey (not to be confused with the later heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey) to win the world middleweight championship.

In 1897 at Carson City in Nevada Fitzsimmons knocked out James J Corbett  to add the world heavyweight crown to his CV. This was the first fight to be filmed and he held the title for two years. Known as Ruby Bob, he gained a third world title at the age of 40 when he beat George Gardner over 20 rounds in San Francisco in 1903 for the light-heavyweight crown.

Fitzsimmons embarked upon a career on the vaudeville stage when his boxing days ended.

He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

Image: Bob Fitzsimmons tobacco card (Bob Fitzsimmons website)