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boxing

Combat sport in which two opponents fight each other with their fists.[1]

A popular form of entertainment across the country in the 19th century, boxing matches were often held at saloons. A saloon owner could pack the house with spectators, sell alcohol at inflated prices and earn a take on the gambling revenue.[1]

Matches were often held between two local fighters, or a perceived champion might have taken on all comers, the latter of which was generally based less on skill and more on the endurance of the fighters.[1]

The Marquess of Queensberry rules, introduced in 1867, provided an accepted standardized system for general matches. They dictated that the fight be a fair, stand-up match within a square ring, fought with fists only above the waist and no wrestling or holding was allowed. The fight was to be conducted in rounds of three minutes, with one minute between rounds for resting. If either fighter was down for ten seconds for any reason, the win was awarded to the other fighter. Though the official rules also called for boxing gloves,[1] this portion of the system was often ignored. The fight could be set to a limited number of rounds, the winner called based on technical points or, more often than not, as long as it took for one opponent to fall.[2]

In May of 1877,[2] Bret Maverick, Dandy Jim Buckley and Noah Perkins took rooms at the Bonanza Hotel during their stay in Deadwood.[1]

Stampede: In April of 1877,[3] Tony Cadiz discovered Battling Kreuger, an apparently unbeatable fighter, during a talent expedition for his Golden Nugget Saloon in Deadwood. He offered two-to-one odds against any challenger to stand against Kreuger for ten rounds. In May, Bret Maverick and Dandy Jim Buckley recruited Noah Perkins to challenge Kreuger. Madame Pompey and her girls, as well as many Deadwood residents, put thousands of dollars on Perkins. But Perkins withdrew from the match when he learned Bret had lied to him about his reasons to fight Krueger. Bret was then forced to step in for Perkins or forfeit all the money bet against Kreuger. Having studied Kreuger's fighting, Bret and Buckley had learned that Kreuger's weakness was his belly. Once in the ring, Bret managed to defeat Kreuger by finding an opening to hit him repeatedly in the stomach until he was incapacitated and ultimately delivered a knock-out blow to Kreuger's jaw. In oder to cover the large amount of cash bet against Kreuger, Cadiz had to put the Golden Nugget up as security. Kreuger's loss also resulted in Cadiz's loss of his saloon to a party of Deadwood Gulch miners.[4]