What was the unofficial name of the event that caused the man who defeated the great John L. Sullivan to rescind his retirement after hearing of the outcome?
Fitzsimmons-Maher Prizefight The Fitzsimmons-Maher Prizefight (February 21, 1896), also considered, unofficially, as the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship, occurred between Bob Fitzsimmons and Peter Maher on a sandbar in the Rio Grande River just far enough outside of the American city of Langtry, Texas, in which state boxing was illegal, to be considered technically in the Mexican state of Coahuila de Zaragoza. Fitzsimmons was victorious, knocking Maher out in the first round; however, upon hearing of the outcome of the fight, the 1895 World Heavyweight Champion James J. Corbett immediately rescinded his retirement.
John McCarthy (referee) John Michael McCarthy (born October 12, 1962) is an American mixed martial arts referee, perhaps best known for his officiating of numerous bouts promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) dating back to UFC 2. Known to fans as "Big" John McCarthy, he took a brief sabbatical from officiating toward the end of 2007 to pursue a career in television commentary for The Fight Network and also provided commentary for Affliction, before returning to his role as a referee in 2008. McCarthy is also a former Los Angeles Police Officer, and a Tactical Self-Defense Instructor at the Los Angeles Police Academy, as well as the founder of C.O.M.M.A.N.D: a training and certification school for MMA referees and judges. He has also officiated bouts in Bellator, and is a qualified boxing referee. In February 2015, Big John & Bellator commentator Sean Wheelock launched their new weekly podcast, Let's Get It On with Big John McCarthy & Sean Wheelock.