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Anyone who has even the most basic knowledge of the life of Ray Robinson will know that he is unfortunately no longer with us. As a big fan of Ray Robinson, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to dedicate a page to the man whom many consider to be the best pound for pound boxer ever.
(BORN MAY 3, 1921, AILEY, GEORGIA, - DIED APRIL 12, 1989, CULVER CITY, LOS ANGELES).
EARLY LIFE
Robinson was born in Ailey, Georgia and grew up in Detroit and in Harlem. He was born Walker Smith Jr., and began boxing in Harlem shortly after he moved with his mother to New York City at the age of twelve. When he was fourteen years old, he attempted to enter his first boxing tournament but was told he needed to obtain a AAU membership card. Unfortunately, he could not get that until he was sixteen. He was forced borrow a card from his friend, Ray Robinson, and became the 1940 Golden Gloves lightweight champion under that name. He was told that his style was "sweet as sugar" and thus became known as "Sugar" Ray Robinson.
BEGINNING OF PROFESSIONAL BOXING CAREER
Robinson made his professional debut in 1940 by knocking out Joe Echevarria in 2 rounds. In 1941 he defeated world champion Sammy Angott, future champion Marty Servo and former champion Fritzie Zivic. The Robinson-Angott fight was held above the lightweight limit, since Angott did not want to risk losing his lightweight title to Robinson. The Robinson-Zivic fight, according to Robinson, would be the toughest fight of his career. In 1942, Robinson was named "Fighter of the Year", after winning rematches against Zivic, Servo, and Angott, winning a decision over Jake LaMotta, and winning a total of 14 fights with no losses.
Robinson built a record of 40-0 before losing for the first time to LaMotta in a 10-round rematch. LaMotta, who had a 16 pound weight advantage over Robinson, dropped Robinson and won the fight by decision. After this second fight, the two men would fight four more times, and Robinson would win all four bouts. After winning the third LaMotta fight, Robinson defeated former champion Henry Armstrong, who was one of Robinson's idols, who Robinson fought only because Armstrong was in need of finances. By now Armstrong was an old fighter, and Robinson stated that he carried Armstrong. The only other blot (besides the LaMotta rematch) that would be on Robinson's record, prior to winning his first title, would be a 10 round draw against Jose Basora in 1945.
WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
On December 20, 1946, Tommy Bell, who Robinson had once beaten by decision, was matched against Robinson for a second time in New York City for the world welterweight title, which had been vacated by Servo, who by that time had himself lost to Robinson, twice. In this rematch, Robinson, who only a month before had been involved in a 10 round brawl with Artie Levine, was knocked down by Bell. The fight was called a "war", but Robinson was able to pull out a close 15 round decision, winning the vacant welterweight title, a title he had long sought to capture.
In 1947, Robinson defended his title for the first time by knocking out Jimmy Doyle in the eighth round. Before that fight, Robinson had a dream that he was going to accidentally kill Doyle in the ring. As a result, he decided to pull out of the fight. However, a priest and a minister talked to Robinson and convinced him to go ahead with the bout. Robinson did just that and, unfortunately, Doyle died from the injuries sustained in the fight that night. Robinson said that the impact of Doyle's death was "very trying."
In 1948, Robinson fought five times, but only one bout was a title defense. Among the fighters he defeated in those non-title bouts, was future world champion Kid Gavilan in a close, controversial 10 round fight. In 1949, he boxed 16 times, and again only defended his title once. In that title fight, a rematch with Gavilan, the challenger was again beaten on points. The first half of the bout had been very close, but Robinson asserted his dominance in the second half, and Gavilan would have to wait two more years to begin his own historic reign as welterweight champion. The only boxer to match Robinson that year was Henry Brimm, who fought him to a 10-round draw in Buffalo.
1950 brought 19 fights to Robinson. He successfully defended his welterweight title against Charley Fusari, which would be Robinson's last defense of that title. Robinson won a lopsided 15 round decision, knocking Fusari down once. This last defense of his title ended the reign of the man many consider to be the best welterweight champion of all time.
MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
Robinson that year had previously beaten Robert Villemain to receive the Pennsylvania state world middleweight title. Later that year, in defense of that crown, he defeated Jose Basora, who had previously drawed with Robinson, and defeated Carl Olson; a future title holder at that weight whom Robinson would meet and beat four times. Robinson's 50-second knock-out of Basora in the rematch set a record that would stand for 38 years.
On February 14, 1951, Robinson and LaMotta met for the sixth time. The fight would become known as The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Robinson won the undisputed world middleweight title with a 13th round technical knockout. Robinson out boxed LaMotta for the first 10 rounds, then unleashed a series of savage combinations on LaMotta for three rounds, finally stopping the champion for the first time in their legendary six bout series.
After winning his second world title, he embarked on a European tour which would take him all over the Continent. During his fight in Berlin against Gerhard Hecht, Robinson was disqualified after hitting his opponent on the kidneys. The fight was later declared a no-contest. In London, he lost the world Middleweight title to Randy Turpin in a sensational bout. Many felt that Robinson was not in proper condition for the fight. Three months later in New York, he knocked Turpin out in ten rounds to recover the title. In that bout Robinson was leading on the cards but was cut by Turpin. With the fight in jeopardy, Robinson let loose on Turpin, knocking him down, then getting him to the ropes and unleashing savage punches on him, causing the referee to stop the bout. Robinson would again win the "Fighter of the Year" award for 1951.
1952 brought the second bout with Olson which ended in another victory for Robinson, by decision. He would later face and defeat former champion, Rocky Graziano, in a 3-round thriller. Later that year, he challenged world light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim at Yankee Stadium. Robinson built a large lead on the cards, but the 104-degree temperature inside the ring took its toll. The referee, Ruby Goldstein, was the first victim of the heat, and had to be replaced by referee Ray Miller. The fast-moving Robinson was next, and at the end of round 13, Robinson collapsed from the heat and failed to answer the bell for the next round, and suffered the only knock-out of his career. After that bout, Robinson retired with a record of 131-3-1-1. Robinson spent much of his retirment in France as a tap dancer.
COMEBACK
Later, in 1955, he returned to the ring. He won five fights, but the "ring rust" was still there, and he lost a decision to Ralph 'Tiger' Jones. He bounced back, however, and after defeating Rocky Castellani by a split decision, he challenged Bobo Olson for the world middleweight title. Olson had been a solid champion during Robinson's absence, but Robinson retained his dominance over Olson, and won the middleweight title for the third time with a two-round knock-out, defeating Olson for the third time. They fought for the last time a year later, and Robinson closed the four fight series with a fourth round knock out in 1956.
In 1957 he lost his grip on the crown against Gene Fullmer. Fullmer's wild, aggressive style gave Robinson trouble, and Robinson was knocked down in the fight. Robinson, however, noticed that Fullmer was vulnerable to the left hook. In the rematch, Fullmer again aggressively stalked after Robinson, and the fight was very even for five rounds. But in the fifth, Robinson was able to win the title back for a fourth time by knocking-out Fullmer with a lightning fast, powerful left hook. Boxing critics have referred to the left-hook which knocked out Fullmer as The Perfect Punch.
Later that year, his title went to Carmen Basilio after a 15 round war. Robinson was to regain it for an amazing record fifth time by beating Basilio in the rematch, badly damaging Basilio's eye in the process. The fight was decided by the judges that night in Chicago, Illinois. The first fight won the "Fight of the Year" award for 1957 and the second fight won the "Fight of the Year" award for 1958. Many feel that Robinson was never the same after the Basilio fights.
DECLINE
Robinson's only bout in 1959 was against Bob Young in Boston which Robinson was victorious. A year later, he lost his title against Paul Pender. An attempt to regain the crown for an unheard of sixth time proved beyond him. Despite Robinson's valiant efforts, Pender won by decision in that rematch. On December 3 of that year, Robinson and Fullmer fought a 15-round draw for the NBA middleweight title, which Fullmer retained. Many felt that Robinson deserved the decision, however.
In 1961, Robinson and Fullmer fought for a fourth time, with Fullmer retaining the WBA middleweight title by a unanimous decision in Robinson's last title bout. The rest of the 1960s were spent fighting 10-round contests, including a victory over future world champion Denny Moyer and a loss to former world champion and fellow Hall of Famer Joey Giardello. Robinson also toured Europe once again. The end came in 1965, after another 14 bouts and a defeat to Joey Archer. Famed sports author Pete Hamill mentioned that one of the saddest experiences of his life was watching Robinson lose to Archer. He was even knocked down and Hamill pointed out that Archer had no knockout punch at all.
RETIREMENT
Sugar Ray Robinson retired from the ring with a record of 175-19-6-2 (109 KOs) in 202 professional bouts, ranking him among the most prolific knock-out kings of all time. In 2003, Ring magazine ranked him number eleven in the list of all-time greatest punchers in history. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame and is featured on a 2006 United States postage stamp, issued in a ceremony in 7 April 2006 in New York City. Along with Joe Louis, he is the only boxer ever afforded this honor. He is generally considered the greatest fighter of all time, the greatest welterweight champion of all time, and one of the greatest, if not the greatest, middleweight champions of all time. A month after his last fight, he was honored with a Sugar Ray Robinson Night on December 10, 1965 in New York's Madison Square Garden. That night, he was honoured with a massive trophy. There was not a piece of furniture in his shabby Manhattan apartment with legs strong enough to support it.
DEATH
Robinson suffered from diabetes mellitus and was a constant insulin user. During a period of Robinson's life, like fellow boxing legend Joe Louis, he had a problem with drug addiction. In Robinson's last years, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease. He died in Los Angeles at the age of 67 and was interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.
RETROSPECTIVE
"Robinson could deliver a knockout blow going backward," boxing historian Bert Sugar said.
"He boxed as though he were playing the violin," sportswriter Barney Nagler observed.
"I fought Sugar Ray so often, I almost got diabetes," Jake La Motta once said.
Sugar Ray Leonard, who took Robinson's name (after he asked Robinson's permission), said, "Someone once said there was a comparison between Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson. Believe me, there's no comparison. Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest."
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