In 1980, Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes stepped into the ring for one of the most one-sided boxing matches in history. Holmes had won his past 36 fights while Ali was coming out of retirement, having not won a fight in two years. While the fight itself was forgettable, the event kicked off a trend that forever changed boxing and more drastically, Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the parking lot of the legendary Caesars Palace Casino, a stadium with 25,000 screaming fans was constructed for the event—and torn down the next day. It was by no means the first boxing match Las Vegas had hosted, but it was the beginning of an era of “Vegas Superfights.” Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand Garden, and Mandalay Bay would go on to host boxing legends like George Foreman, Mike Tyson, and Sugar Ray Leonard. When Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather finally agreed to the “Fight of the Century” in 2015, there was little doubt as to which city would play host.

Since that first superfight in 1980, Vegas has come to rely on boxing events as a draw to fill its restaurants, rooms, and roulette tables. In the Eighties, Caesars would even provide a guest with ringside seats, airfare, and a room, so long as that guest was willing to bring $50,000 for gambling in the casino ($125,000 in today’s money).