Joe Gans vs. Battling Nelson The Gans-Nelson fight was the longest fight in modern boxing history at forty-two rounds, the first major bout captured on film, and one of the earliest interracial title bouts (with the African-American Gans as the favorite of the all-white crowd). Set at the Casino Amphitheatre in Goldfield, Nevada, this titanic struggle also served to help establish the Silver State as a boxing haven.