115 years ago yesterday: Joseph "The Old Master" Saifus Butts vs. Oscar Matthew "Battling" Nelson I

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First, longest (in fact, reaching the 42nd - or, by some reports, 48th - round, longer than both subsequent matches' 38 rounds combined and the lengthiest in the modern era of the sport) and most famous of three battles between Joe Butts* "The Old Master"** and his arch-rival "The Durable Dane". It also is among the very earliest bouts captured on film, just nine years after Corbett vs. Fitzsimmons, as well as being among the first interacial contests for a world championship.

* later went by his mother's maiden name, Gant, which a newspaper reporter erroneously transcribed once as "Gans", which stuck for the rest of his career.

** Ironically, the Old Master was quite young when he died of tuberculosis - still prime boxing years, in fact, at just 35. Battling Nelson would outlive him by 44 years - the margin eclipsing Gans' whole life by nearly a decade.

A week from Thursday is the 113th anniversary of their rubbermatch, which also has theoretical extant footage out there (the silent film being screened worldwide titled "Nelson-Gans Fight") but not uploaded anywhere online that I can see. Nelson was victorious by KO in both rematches, but likely would have lost the first even if not for the low blow disqualification as Butts/Gant/Gans had dropped him numerous times.

Both the quality and the distance from which it was shot are unfortunate - but hey, at least we have this.