Sugar Ray Robinson

Robinson, Sugar Ray (1921–1989), professional boxer. World welterweight champion and five times world middleweight champion, bon vivant, stylish dresser, night club owner, believed by many to be pound-for-pound the best boxer in the history of the sport, Sugar Ray Robinson, more than any other black public figure between World War II and the 1960s, epitomized black masculinity and the cool. He was unquestionably the most admired black male among African American males in the 1950s.

Born Walker Smith in Detroit on 3 May 1921, he borrowed the amateur card of a friend, Ray Robinson, and was known under that name for the rest of his life. “Sugar” was the signifying acknowledgment of the refulgence of his grace and overall athletic ability. With his processed hair, his smooth moves (he danced professionally for a time), his defiance of the Mob when he refused to “carry” Jake LaMotta in their sixth fight, his silk shirts, his apolitical aplomb, Robinson strikingly melded the personas of the street or underworld Negro, the working class black, and the gifted, aloof artist, representing a sense of the hip black male elegance and tough poise that was widely admired. Certainly, Norman Mailer had Robinson in mind for some portions of his 1957 essay, “The White Negro,” just as Albert Murray must have been thinking of him in certain parts of his 1970 book, The Omni-Americans. Ralph Ellison surely had him in mind in describing the three cool-walking black boys with conked hair in his 1952 novel Invisible Man. It was not until the rise of Muhammad Ali in the middle 1960s and the new era of Black Power and African American militancy that Robinson's influence as a major African American cultural icon began to fade, tarnished, in part, by his lack of political engagement. Robinson died on 12 April 1989 in Culver City, California, after a lengthy bout with Alzheimer's disease. With Dave Anderson, he coauthored Sugar Ray, an autobiography published in 1970.

Gerald Early

For more information on Sugar Ray Robinson, visit Britannica.com.

Sugar Ray Robinson (1921-1989) was one of the first African American athletes who became well-known outside the boxing arena. He was the world welterweight champion from 1946 to 1951, won the middleweight title five times between 1951 and 1960, and has been universally acclaimed as one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport.

Born Walker Smith, Jr., in Detroit, Michigan on May 3, 1921, Robinson became interested in boxing as a teenager, when he moved to New York City with his parents. When he was 13, he fought in the Police Athletic League competition, and by the time he was 15 he was fighting unlicensed amateurs. At the beginning of his career, he used his real name and was known as "Smitty" to his friends. One night he showed up for an amateur fight, but did not have the official identity card he needed to fight. He borrowed the boxing card from a friend named Ray Robinson. From then on, he used that name.

According to Ron Borges in HBO World Championship Boxing sportswriter Jack Case, who saw a young Robinson fight at the Salem Crescent Gym in New York in 1939, told Robinson's manager, George Gainford, "That's a sweet fighter you've got there." "Sweet as sugar," answered Gainford. The nickname "Sugar Ray," like manager Gainford, would be with Robinson for the rest of his career.

Robinson was married three times. His first marriage, when Robinson was still a teenager, produced one son, Ronnie Smith. The marriage was later annulled. He then married Edna Mae Holly and they had one son, Ray Jr., in 1949. Robinson married Millie Bruce in 1965, and the two would remain together for the rest of his life.

Early Professional Career

Robinson became a professional boxer in 1940. His first fight, against Joe Echevarria, ended with Robinson's victory in the second round.

Robinson served in the U.S. Army during World War II, but his major battles during that time were with a boxing rival named Jake LaMotta. Robinson had been unbeaten in his first 40 fights. The 41st was against LaMotta. Robinson had easily beaten LaMotta in a 10-round match in New York City, but at a rematch in Detroit, LaMotta won. This was the first defeat of his career. Three weeks later, Robinson avenged himself by beating LaMotta again. This would be a pattern that repeated itself throughout his career; when another boxer beat him (and it happened rarely), Robinson came back in a rematch and pounded the other boxer into defeat.

"That was the thing about Robinson," boxing trainer and historian Teddy Atlas told writer Borges. "He not only won his rematches, he stopped the guy.… He was magnificent after a loss. … He corrected his mistakes and took his opponent apart if they fought again." Atlas also told Borges, "If I had a guy who beat Ray Robinson I'd be sure to do one thing. Don't give him a rematch. Ray had more than talent. He had genius."

After defeating LaMotta in the rematch, Robinson would continue to win for the next eight years. In 1945, Robinson beat LaMotta twice more, prompting LaMotta to say, according to Ron Flatter of ESPN.com,"I fought Sugar Ray so often, I almost got diabetes." LaMotta also said, "No one else wanted to fight him. And no one else wanted to fight me, so thank God he was around so we fought each other."

World Welterweight Champ

In December 1946, Robinson beat Tommy Bell after 15 rounds, earning the welterweight championship. In defending his title in 1947, Robinson knocked out Tommy Doyle in eight rounds. Doyle, who had sustained brain injuries in a previous match, never woke up. Ron Flatter, in ESPN.com, reported that when the police investigated the death and asked Robinson if he had meant to get Doyle "in trouble," Robinson replied, "Mister, it's my business to get him in trouble." Some people said that Robinson had dreamed, the night before this match, that he would kill his opponent, and that when Doyle did die, Robinson lost his "killer instinct." Even so, Robinson remained an incredible fighter.

A Flamboyant Style

Robinson lived in larger-than-life style, with a pink Cadillac convertible, fur coat, and flashy diamond jewelry. He was the owner of a Harlem nightclub where jazz legends like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis played. Robinson was surrounded by an entourage of assistants, including a barber, secretary, voice coach, masseur, trainers, women, and his manager, George Gainford. He was an entrepreneur when that was an unheard-of thing for African Americans to do and at a time when many African Americans were not even allowed to vote. Robinson was a shrewd businessman and hard bargainer. Ron Flatter noted that he was "as much a part of the New York scene in the forties and fifties as the Copa and Sinatra." Fan Tallulah Dancier recalled in Colored Reflections, "I remember seeing pictures of him in Ebony magazine and Jetmagazine with flashy diamonds, a huge fur coat, sitting on a Rolls Royce. But everybody liked him."

"St. Valentine's Day Massacre"

In 1951, Robinson went up against Jake LaMotta again, in a match known as the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre." The referee stopped the fight in the 13th round, when LaMotta could barely stand and no longer had the strength to punch back.

Boxing had its shady side, and Robinson refused to give in to the Mob. He failed to obey the directives of what writer Ron Borges described as "a group of characters to whom legitimate business was only a figure of speech," and "carry" LaMotta through more rounds in that fight. As a result, Robinson was forced to leave the United States for a while because Jim Norris, a Mob-connected character who ran boxing in those days, froze him out of U.S. fighting. He headed to Europe, where his streak of 91 fights without a defeat ended when British boxer Randy Turpin took the welterweight title by winning a 15-round decision in London. Two months later, however, Robinson regained the title by beating Turpin in a 10-round technical knock out (TKO).

In 1952, Robinson went up for the light-heavyweight championship against Joey Maxim in Yankee Stadium. It was a hot night and the temperature in the ring was over 100 degrees. The heat, more than his opponent, wore Robinson down. By the 14th round, he couldn't get up to fight when the bell rang. Six months later, he announced that he was retiring from the sport.

Returned to Boxing

For a short time, Robinson entertained audiences by tap dancing in a nightclub act and undertook various business ventures. But two years later, he was back in the ring, regaining the middleweight championship by beating Carl "Bobo" Olsen three times. He lost the title in 1957 in a bout against Gene Fullmer, but won it back four months later in a rematch. Robinson knocked Fullmer out in the fifth round with a left hook; it was the first time Fullmer had ever been knocked out.

Later that year, Robinson lost the title again, and won it back in a bloody battle against Carmen Basilio. Robinson gained an early advantage in the first fight, cutting open Basilio's eye and nose. An angered Basilio fought back furiously, leading to a split decision in Basilio's favor. Like many other boxers Robinson had beaten, Basilio hated Robinson and claimed that he wouldn never admit how hard he had been punched. "Robinson wouldn't tell the truth to God," Basilio said, according to Ron Flatter.

Robinson hated losing, and followed his classic pattern In a rematch six months later, even though he was sick with a virus, Robinson hit Basilio so hard he couldn't use his left eye and won a split decision, winning the middleweight championship for the fifth and last time.

Career Declined

Robinson didn't fight for two more years. When he finally reentered the ring, he lost the title for good. On January 22, 1960, in a 15-round split decision against Paul Pender, the referee decided in favor of Pender. Ron Flatter reported that when Robinson's manager, George Gainford, complained, Robinson told him, "No beefs, George. Sometimes we got the best of it in the past."

Robinson made about $4 million during his career, but by the mid-1960s his lavish lifestyle had reduced his finances to nothing. In 1965, Robinson, broke and 44 years old-ancient in the grueling, youth-oriented sport of boxing-had to fight five times in 35 days, receiving as little as $1,100 per fight. After losing ten rounds to Joey Archer, he announced his retirement and this time he meant it.

Robinson turned from boxing to show business, and recouped his financial losses, through acting and singing. He appeared on television and in movies and also started a youth foundation in 1969. Robinson moved to California with his third wife, Millie. In one of his last public appearances, Robinson was the best man at the 1986 wedding of his old rival, Jake LaMotta.

Robinson suffered from Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. He died in Culver City, California, on April 12, 1989, at the age of 67.

An Enduring Legacy

Robinson's lifetime record was 175 wins, 19 losses, 6 draws, 2 no-contests, and 109 knockouts. That record has not been forgotten, nor has his incredible grace, speed, and flamboyant style, both in and out of the ring.

Ron Borges quoted trainer and historian Teddy Atlas, who said, "The great ones are pioneers in some way. That's what Ray was. He took speed and combination punching and a certain smoothness when it wasn't all connected and he connected it. Everything he did, he did with more meaning and more accuracy. He didn't just throw flurries, he threw tighter, harder combinations that were all meaningful." Trainer Eddie Futch told Borges, "He had marvelous balance and speed and superb reflexes. He was just as dangerous with either hand when going backwards and he knew almost everything there was to know about how to box."

The Ring magazine chose Robinson as the best boxer in its entire 75 years of publication, and said that "pound for pound" he was the best boxer in the history of the sport.

Further Reading

"The Sugar in the Sweet Science," ESPN.com,http://204.202.129.27/sportscentury/features/00947963.html (March 1, 1999).

"All-Time Greatest Fighters: Sugar Ray Robinson," HBO World Championship Boxing, http://hbo.com/boxing/columnsfeatures/greats/cmp/greats-robinson.shtml (March 1, 1999).

"Sugar Ray Robinson," Colored Reflections, http://www.net4tv.com/color/50/Srobinson.htm (March 1, 1999).

"Sugar Ray Robinson," International Boxing Hall of Fame, http://www.ibhof.com/robinson.htm (March 1, 1999).

"Sugar Ray Robinson: God's Fighter,"HBO World Championship Boxing, http://hbo.com/boxing/columnsfeatures/cmp/robinsonarticle.shtml (March 1, 1999).

"Sugar Ray Robinson: Perspective," Colored Reflections, http://www.net4tv.com/color/50/SrobinsonPer.htm (March 1, 1999).

"Sugar Ray Robinson: The Bright Lights and Dark Shadows of a Champion," HBO World Championship Boxing, http://hbo.com/boxing/columnsfeatures/cmp/robinsondocu.shtml (March 1, 1999).

boxer

Personal Information

Born Walker Smith, Jr., May 3, 1921, in Detroit, MI; son of Walker Smith, Sr., and Leila Smith. Married three times: second wife, Edna M. Holly, 1943-60; third wife, Millie Johnson, 1965-89. Died April 12, 1989.

Career

Professional boxer, 1940-65. Welterweight world champion, 1946-51; middleweight world champion five times, 1951, 1951-52, 1955, 1957, 1958-60. Inducted to Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

Life's Work

It is a testament to Sugar Ray Robinson's greatness as a boxer that when people discuss who was the greatest boxer of all-time, pound- for-pound, not only is no one else usually picked, but rarely is anyone else even considered. Robinson dominated first the welterweight and then the middleweight divisions at a time when boxing's popularity was at its peak, and his skills were so widely admired that famed boxing writer Bert Sugar once wrote that being knocked out by Robinson "was more of an honor than a disgrace."

Robinson was born Walker Smith, Jr. on May 3, 1921 in Detroit. He grew up poor in the Black Bottom section of that city. In 1932 his father, Walker Sr., and his mother Leila were divorced, and the elder Walker left the family. Leila took Ray and his sisters to New York, where she looked for work. Young Walker had tried boxing at the Brewster gym back in Detroit, and he pursued the sport in earnest once in New York. His manager, George Gainford, ran the gym Smith trained at as an amateur, and remembered the first time Smith came to his gym. "I told Smitty he was too young to fight," he recalled in Harry Carpenter's book, Masters of Boxing. "Besides, he said his ma would kill him if he got mixed up with the fight game. So I chased him away from the gym, back to delivering groceries and dancing for dimes. But he turned up again. I took him into my home, taught him a few tricks and let him stay around when I took my team round the clubs.... I smacked him down more than once. Smitty deserved his breaks, though. In those days he had nothing."

A turning point in the legend of Sugar Ray Robinson came one night in Kingston, New York, when Smith was 15. Gainford was short one boxer for a show, and decided to use Smith. Since New York state law forbade anyone under the age of 16 to box, however, Smith needed fake credentials. Gainford happened to have in his pocket the fight card of one Ray Robinson. Smith fought under that name that night, and he would never be known as anything else for the rest of his career. The rest of his name was coined in Watertown, New York, when a reporter observed to Gainford that Robinson was "as sweet as sugar," the trainer concurred. The fighter was briefly known as Ray (Sugar) Robinson, until it was decided Sugar Ray sounded better.

Robinson won the New York Golden Gloves championship at featherweight (126 pounds) in 1939 and lightweight (135 pounds) in 1940. Some historians claim he was never beaten as an amateur, although others say he lost twice. On October 4, 1940, Robinson turned professional with a bout at Madison Square Garden. The 19- year old stopped a fighter named Joe Echevarria in the second round, and his winning streak extended through the first 40 fights and 28 months of his professional career. Twenty-nine of those early victims failed to go the distance with Robinson, including world-ranked welterweights such as Pete Lello, Fritzie Zivic, Norman Rubio, Tony Motisi and Izzy Jannazzo.

Robinson's first professional winning streak came to a close, and one of his most lasting rivalries was born, on February 5, 1943 in Detroit. He lost a 10-round decision to Jake LaMotta, a fighter he had beaten the previous fall in another 10-round decision in New York. Three weeks after losing to LaMotta, Robinson beat him in another rematch in Detroit. The second fight between the two was the only one of six LaMotta would ever win, but his status as the first fighter ever to beat Robinson was a major facet of his reputation for years to come. The LaMotta-Robinson series has gone down in history as one of the sport's great rivalries.

Robinson fought at a pace that would be unheard of today. It was not unusual for him to fight twice within the span of a week, and in 1941 alone he fought an amazing 20 times, including two fights in August just two days apart. His schedule slowed in 1943, when he had just six fights, and ground to a halt in late summer, when he began a stint in the U.S. Army. The first bit of controversy in Robinson's career stemmed from that army hitch. The army was letting high-profile boxers, most notably Joe Louis, avoid combat duty by fighting exhibition bouts for troops overseas. When Robinson's boxing unit set sail, however, he did not show up. He was awarded an honorary discharge, and later claimed to have fallen down a flight of stairs and suffered amnesia, but some in the press held a grudge against Robinson long afterward.

Robinson resumed his busy fight schedule in the fall of 1944, and built another win streak, winning five fights before that year was out, nine in 1945 and 16 in 1946. It was in the last fight in 1946 in which Robinson won his first world title. He had run his record to 74-1 by the time the National Boxing Association (the forerunner of the present-day World Boxing Association) granted him a fight against Tommy Bell for the vacant world welterweight championship. Robinson won the fight on a 15-round decision and his days as a champion boxer had begun.

Robinson stayed fit with four non-title bouts early in 1947, then put his title on the line for the first time against Jimmy Doyle on June 24. In what sounds like legend but is actually fact, Robinson dreamed the night before the fight that he would kill Doyle with a left hook. Robinson was shaken by the dream and tried to pull out of the fight, but the promoters called in a Catholic priest to reassure him that his worries were unwarranted and that he must go through with the fight. In the eighth round, just as in the dream, Robinson hit Doyle with a devastating left hook. Doyle was carried from the ring on a stretcher and died the next day without ever regaining consciousness. At the coroner's inquest Robinson was asked if he knew Doyle was hurt, and he replied, as quoted by Carpenter, "It's my business to keep fighters in trouble when they're hurt." Leila Smith later said she believed her son was traumatized throughout his life by the incident.

Robinson did not let the tragedy slow him down, however, and he won five more fights, all by knockout, before the year was over. One was a title defense against Chuck Taylor, and he won five more fights and one more title defense in 1948. He fought 13 times in 1949, gaining 12 wins and a draw--the draw coming in a non-title bout with Henry Brimm--and won his only title defense that year against Kid Gavilan in Philadelphia. He stepped up the pace in 1950, fighting 19 bouts and winning them all, including a title defense against Charley Fusari.

In 1950 Robinson made another career move, moving up to middleweight and winning the Pennsylvania middleweight title. He defended that title twice, never going to the full middleweight limit of 160 pounds, but hovering around the mid-150s and fighting larger men, something Robinson was never afraid to do. In November and December he held his first tour of Europe, something that sounds odd today when fighters rarely box more than four or five times in a year. He won non-title fights in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany, before setting his sights on the world middleweight title.

To win that prize Robinson needed to reacquaint himself with an old rival. He had already beaten Jake LaMotta four times in five fights, but since they had last fought over five years earlier, LaMotta had gone on to win the NBA middleweight title. Their fight on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1951, was their sixth meeting, but the first in which a crown was at stake. Robinson gradually took control over the first half of the fight, and over the last several rounds he pounded LaMotta with one of the most savage beatings in the history of the sport until the doctor at ringside called for the fight to be halted in the 13th round. Because the fight had been held in Chicago, the boxing writers who were there decreed the fight "another Valentine's Day Massacre." The fight was recreated in the 1980 Martin Scorcese film bio of LaMotta, "Raging Bull," with Robert DeNiro as LaMotta, following Robinson around the ring after the fight's conclusion taunting, "You never got me down, Ray. You never got me down." The win marked the end of Robinson's reign as the welterweight champion, what some have called his prime period, but started a longer career in the middleweight ranks.

Robinson's career could not have come at a better time in history for him to be a big star. Before World War II and since Vietnam boxing was not widely popular, and widespread attention was usually only granted to contenders in the heavyweight division. But from the late 1940s until the mid 1960s boxing, an easy sport to televise, was a staple on prime-time television, sometimes being broadcast as many as four times a week. With so much boxing being televised, weight classes blow heavyweight necessarily had to receive more exposure, and during the heyday of televised boxing Sugar Ray Robinson was one of the sport's top stars.

Before defending his middleweight title in 1951, Robinson made another tour of Europe, and won all his bouts except for one in Germany. He almost started a riot by knocking out German hero Gerhard Hecht, allegedly with kidney punches, a punch that was legal in the United States but not in Europe. He was initially disqualified, and had to hide under the ring when angry fans began pelting him with bottles. It was later discovered that Hecht had a broken rib, though, and the decision was changed to a no-contest.

His last fight on the tour was a title defense against Randy Turpin in London, and an unprepared Robinson lost his title on a 15-round decision. Carpenter remembered Robinson explaining, "I was never hit with so many jabs in my life and I couldn't do a thing about it. I was sold out because of the travelling. My eyes were tired and couldn't focus properly." Two months later a better-prepared Robinson fought a rematch against Turpin, and he regained the title before 60,000 fans at New York's Polo Grounds when he knocked Turpin out with one of his classic left hooks.

Robinson took a year off from non-title fights in 1952, fighting only three times and defending his title against two strong challengers, Bobo Olson and Rocky Graziano. Then, on June 25, he fought what many fans consider to be one of his best fights, a fight he actually lost, for Joey Maxim's light-heavyweight title. Robinson made no attempt to bulk up to the light-heavyweight limit of 175 pounds, fighting instead at his natural weight of 157 and giving away almost 20 pounds. The fight was held on the hottest night of the year in New York City. It was 104 degrees at ringside, and about 140 degrees under the ring lights. Spectators were passing out in the crowd. Robinson outboxed the bigger, stronger man every step of the way, and was far ahead on all the scorecards, needing only to finish the fight to become the third man in boxing history (along with Henry Armstrong and Bob Fitzsimmons) to win the title in three weight classes.

The heat took its toll, though, and Maxim wore Robinson down by leaning on him with his greater weight throughout the fight. Even referee Ruby Goldstein suffered heat exhaustion and had to be replaced after the 10th round, but Robinson stayed strong--until the 13th round. Then he tired visibly and at one point in the round, when Maxim stepped back away from a Robinson hook, Robinson fell right to the canvas on his follow-through. At the end of the round Robinson was almost delirious and had to be helped back to his corner by his handlers, who tried frantically to revive him for the last two rounds. When the bell sounded for the start of the 14th, however, Robinson could not stand up, and his only fight for the light-heavyweight title went down in history as a near-miss. It was also the only fight of his career in which he failed to complete the match.

Winning his third title was the last real goal Robinson had left. Carpenter quotes him as saying prior to the Maxim fight, "The papers say I do everything for Ray Robinson first. That could be. I see a lot of bad in boxing. I see a lot of fighters finished and broke. I don't want that for me. I want to come out with money. I don't want to keep fighting like Joe Louis." After losing to Maxim, Robinson said goodbye to boxing, and started a career as a song- and-dance man. Some say Robinson's reputation would be even greater than it is today if he had stayed retired, but between bad business investments, tax problems and extravagant spending habits, he was faced with no other choice by 1955 than to return to boxing.

After his return to boxing, Robinson was never again the unbeatable force he had been during his prime, but he still had some of his most memorable fights during this period. After winning five of six fights during the early part of 1955, Robinson was given a shot against the middleweight champ, whom he had beaten for the title in 1952. This time he knocked Bobo Olson out in the second round, and again in a rematch early in 1956. Robinson now held the middleweight title for the third time.

Robinson was often resented by his contemporaries for defending his interests at the bargaining table as determinedly as he defended his titles in the ring. Since early in his career he had earned a reputation as a ruthless businessman, and many fighters whose careers would have been well-served by a fight with Robinson were frustrated that he refused to sign to fight anyone who would not agree to terms that were heavily lopsided in Robinson's favor.

It was not only fighters who found Robinson a formidable opponent in money disputes. Even the rule that allows federal income taxes to be computed based on average earnings over a number of years sprang from a confrontation between Robinson and the Internal Revenue Service. But as champion Robinson was especially aggressive in pursuing his own financial interests. A typical Robinson fight contract dictated that Robinson got the much larger portion of the gate and most or all of the money from television. It also dictated that if the challenger won, he had to give Robinson a rematch with his next fight and Robinson would get most of the money from that fight, too. It was that contractually mandated rematch which would serve him the best in the late 1950s.

On the second day of 1957 Robinson lost his title on a decision to Gene Fullmer, a Mormon from Utah. On the first day of May that year, however, the two met again, and Robinson regained his title with a fifth-round knockout on which many boxing historians consider his best-ever punch. A left hook that came from nowhere landed flush on Fullmer's jaw and sent him staggering backwards toward the canvas, then left him futilely trying to drag himself back to his feet. Fullmer said in an interview years later that he did not even know he'd been knocked out until his cornermen told him as he sat on his stool some minutes later. Robinson now held the title for the fourth time.

In September of that year, Robinson lost his title on a decision to the great fighter Carmen Basilio. Basilio harbored a great deal of dislike for Robinson, and the two had a true rivalry by the time they met in their rematch on March 25, 1958. Many observers of the fight game thought this was the night when Robinson would truly look his age, and Basilio would finish off the old champ's career as a viable contender once and for all. But Basilio was troubled from about the sixth round on with a badly swollen eye, and Robinson won a brutal fight with a 15-round decision. He had to be carried from the ring to the dressing room, from the dressing room to his Cadillac, and from the car to his hotel room, but he had won the middleweight championship for a fifth time.

Robinson was nearing 40 now, but he still could not afford to retire from boxing. Part of it was because of his back taxes. But Robinson had also become accustomed to a fairly extravagant lifestyle, which had also become a defining aspect of his image. He had bought for himself over the years a bar, three Harlem apartment buildings, a cleaning and dyeing shop, and a lingerie shop (the latter for his wife--the former Edna Mae Holly, to whom he was married from 1943-60; he had been married briefly to another woman as a teenager, but details are sketchy). The traveling entourage for Robinson consisted of his wife; Gainford, his manager; a male secretary; three trainers; a golf pro; a personal barber; an odd- job man; a chauffeur; and a midget court jester. They carried 100 pieces of luggage among them, and it cost about $3,000 a week to support the lot of them.

Robinson had tried to protect his public image early in his career, donating portions of, and sometimes whole purses, to charity, including Jimmy Doyle's widow, but as his career progressed he became increasingly unconcerned about his reputation where money was involved. The New York Times Book of Sports Legends recalled Robinson saying, "I went through $4 million, but I have no regrets. If I had the chance to do it over again, I'd do it the same way. I didn't gamble away my money. I used it to help people live. I took my family and my friends on trips with me. I loaned it to strangers to pay their bills, and sometimes I didn't get it back."

Robinson went into a period of inactivity in 1959, fighting only one tune-up fight in December. The NBA stripped Robinson of his title for not defending it, but other jurisdictions continued to recognize him as the champion until he lost that distinction to Paul Pender in Boston in January 1960. He had, of course, written a rematch clause into his contract for the fight, but in June he lost that fight as well. In December he fought for the NBA title, but Fullmer retained that title on a draw. There was one last attempt at Fullmer's championship the following year, but the champ kept his title on a decision, and Robinson, despite fighting 46 more times over the next five years, never again fought for the world championship. He finally retired in 1965 with a career record of 175 wins, 19 defeats, six draws and two no-contests.

That same year Robinson married his third wife, the former Millie Wiggins Bruce, who was several years older than he was. They lived in Los Angeles, where Ray established the Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation, an organization that funded and organized recreational activities for young people. Ray continued to work out until the mid 1970s, when his age began to take its toll. In the late 1970s a young fighter named Ray Leonard began using the old "Sugar Ray" nickname; some close to Robinson speculated that he must have resented the young fighter usurping his moniker, but for the record, at least, Robinson gave Leonard his blessing.

In the 1980s, as Alzheimer's Disease, a common malady among boxers with long careers, took hold of Robinson, Millie's side of the family took control of the youth foundation. Family members, such as Ray's mother and son (Ray Jr., whom he had with Edna Mae), expressed distrust of Millie and resentment at her refusal to let anyone, even them, see Ray. For her part, she insisted that the two of them were proud people and that as his wife it was her responsibility to protect him and keep anyone from seeing him in his compromised and vulnerable condition. Ray died on April 12, 1989.

In 1997, as part of its 75th anniversary, Ring magazine picked the best fighter pound-for-pound of the last 75 years. The three finalists were Robinson, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali. Robinson was picked as the winner, which came as no surprise to anyone. Louis had said decades earlier that he thought Robinson was the greatest fighter in the world, and Ali had said in 1975, as quoted in African-American Sports Greats, "I believe I am the greatest heavyweight of all time, but Ray Robinson was the greatest fighter of all time." Nearly sixty years after he first put on the gloves, Sugar Ray Robinson was still the sweetest.

Further Reading

Books

• African-American Sports Greats: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by David L. Porter, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995, p. 286.
• The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall of Fame Official Record Book, by James B. Roberts and Alexander G. Skutt, Ithaca, NY: McBooks Press, 1997, p. 358.
• The Encyclopedia of Boxing, compiled by Maurice Goldsworthy, p. 171.
• Masters of Boxing, by Harry Carpenter, p. 51.
• The New York Times Book of Sports Legends, edited by Joseph J. Vecchione, New York: Random House, 1991, p. 264.

• Sports Illustrated, July 13, 1987, p. 70; April 24, 1989, p. 96.

— Mike Eggert

Quotes:

"I've always believed that you can think positive just as well as you can think negative."

"To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will."

Sugar Ray Robinson

Statistics
Real name	Walker
Nickname(s)	Sugar
Rated at	Lightweight Welterweight Middleweight Light heavyweight
Nationality	American
Birth date	May 3, 1921(1921-05-03)
Birth place	Black Bottom Detroit,not Georgia
Death date	April 12, 1989 (aged 67)
Death place	Culver City, California
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	200
Wins	173
Wins by KO	108
Losses	19
Draws	6
No contests	2

Sugar Ray Robinson (born Walker Smith Jr., May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989) was a professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances at the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

Robinson was 85-0 as an amateur with 69 of those victories coming by way of knockout, 40 in the first round. He turned professional in 1940 at the age of 19 and by 1951 had a professional record of 128-1-2 with 84 knockouts. Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and won the world middleweight title in the latter year. He retired in 1952, only to come back two and a half years later and regain the middleweight title in 1955. He then became the first boxer in history to win a divisional world championship five times, a feat he accomplished by defeating Carmen Basilio in 1958 to regain the middleweight championship. Robinson was named "fighter of the year" twice: first for his performances in 1942, then nine years and over 90 fights later, for his efforts in 1951. He defeated other Hall of Fame fighters such as Jake LaMotta, Carmen Basilio, Gene Fullmer, Carl 'Bobo' Olson, Henry Armstrong, Rocky Graziano and Kid Gavilan . Robinson engaged in 200 pro bouts, and his professional career lasted nearly 26 years.

Robinson was named the greatest fighter of the 20th century by the Associated Press, and the greatest boxer in history by ESPN.com in 2007. The Ring magazine rated him the best pound for pound boxer of all-time in 1997, and its "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1950s. Muhammad Ali, who repeatedly called himself "The Greatest" throughout his career, ranked Robinson as the greatest boxer of all time. Other Hall of Fame boxers such as Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Leonard said the same.

Renowned for his flamboyant lifestyle outside the ring, Robinson is credited with being the originator of the modern sports "entourage". After his boxing career ended, Robinson attempted a career as an entertainer, but struggled, and lived modestly until his death in 1989. In 2006, he was featured on a commemorative stamp by the United States Postal Service.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Boxing career 2.1 Amateur career 2.2 Early professional career 2.3 Welterweight Champion 2.4 Middleweight Champion 2.5 Comeback 2.6 Decline 3 After retiring as a boxer 4 Personal life 5 Boxing style 6 Legacy 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links

Early life

Robinson was born Walker Smith Jr. in either Ailey, Georgia, (according to his birth certificate) — or Detroit, Michigan, (according to his autobiography),^[1] to Walker Smith Sr. and Leila Hurst.^[2] Robinson was the youngest of three children; his older sister Marie was born in 1917 and his older sister Evelyn was born in 1919. His father was a cotton, peanut, and corn farmer in Georgia, who moved the family to Detroit where he initially found work as a construction worker.^[2] According to Robinson, Smith Sr. later worked two jobs to support his family—cement mixer and sewer worker. "He had to get up at six in the morning and he'd get home close to midnight. Six days a week. The only day I really saw him was Sunday...I always wanted to be with him more."^[3]

His parents separated and he moved with his mother to Harlem at the age of twelve. Robinson originally aspired to be a doctor, but after dropping out of De Witt Clinton High school in ninth grade he switched his goal to boxing.^[4] When he was 14, he attempted to enter his first boxing tournament but was told he needed to first obtain an AAU membership card. However, he could not procure one until he was sixteen years old. He received his name when he circumvented the AAU's age restriction by borrowing a card from his friend Ray Robinson.^[1] Subsequently told that his style was "sweet as sugar" by future manager George Gainford, Smith Jr. became known as "Sugar" Ray Robinson.^[5][6]

Robinson idolized Henry Armstrong and Joe Louis as a youth, and actually lived on the same block as Louis in Detroit when Robinson was 11 and Louis was 17.^[6] Robinson stated in his autobiography that he was devastated when Louis lost to Max Schmeling in 1936—he even briefly contemplated quitting boxing.^[7] Outside of the ring, Robinson got into trouble frequently as a youth, and was involved with a violent street gang.^[6] He also married when he was 16. He had one child with his wife before divorcing her at the age of 19.^[6]

Boxing career

Amateur career

He finished his amateur career with an 85–0 record with 69 knockouts—40 coming in the first round. He won the Golden Gloves featherweight championship in 1939, and the organization's lightweight championship in 1940.^[1]

Early professional career

Robinson made his professional debut on October 4, 1940, winning via second-round knockout over Joe Echevarria.^[8] Robinson fought five more times in 1940, winning each time, with four wins coming by way of knockout.^[8] 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. Robinson defeated Zivic in front of 20,551 at Madison Square Garden—one of the largest crowds in the arena to that date.^[9] Robinson won the first five rounds according to The New York Times Joseph C. Nichols, before Zivic came back to land several punches to Robinson's head in the sixth and seventh rounds.^[9] Robinson controlled the next two rounds, and had Zivic wobbly in the ninth. After a close tenth round, Robinson was announced as the winner on all three scorecards.^[9]

In 1942, Robinson knocked out Zivic in the tenth round in a January rematch.^[8] The knockout loss was only the second of Zivic's career in more than 150 fights.^[10] Robinson knocked him down in the ninth and tenth rounds before the referee stopped the fight. Zivic and his corner protested the stoppage; James P. Dawson of The New York Times stated, however, that "[t]hey were criticizing a humane act. The battle had been a slaughter, for want of a more delicate word."^[10] Robinson then won four consecutive bouts by knockout, before defeating Servo in a controversial split decision in their May rematch.^[8] After winning three more fights, Robinson faced Jake LaMotta, who would become one of his more prominent rivals, for the first time in October.^[8] He defeated LaMotta via unanimous decision. Robinson weighed 145 lb (66 kg) compared to 157.5 for LaMotta, but he was able to control the fight from the outside the entire bout, and actually landed the harder punches during the fight.^[11] Robinson then won four more fights, including two against Izzy Jannazzo, from October 19 to December 14.^[8] For his performances, Robinson was named "Fighter of the Year". He finished 1942 with a total of 14 wins and no losses.^[8]

Robinson built a record of 40–0 before losing for the first time to LaMotta in a 10 round re-match.^[8][12] LaMotta, who had a 16 lb (7.3 kg) weight advantage over Robinson, knocked Robinson out of the ring in the eighth round, and won the fight by decision.^[8] The fight took place in Robinson's former home town of Detroit, and attracted a record crowd.^[12] After being controlled by Robinson in the early portions of the fight, LaMotta came back to take control in the later rounds.^[12] After winning the third LaMotta fight less than three weeks later,^[8] Robinson then defeated his childhood idol former champion Henry Armstrong. Robinson only fought Armstrong because Armstrong was in need of finances. By now Armstrong was an old fighter, and Robinson later stated that he carried Armstrong.

On February 27, 1943, Robinson was inducted into the United States Army, where he was again referred to as Walker Smith.^[13] Robinson had a short 15 month military career. Robinson served with Joe Louis, and the pair went on tours where they performed exhibition bouts in front of US troops. Robinson got into trouble several times while in the military. He argued with superiors who he felt were discriminatory against him, and refused to fight exhibitions when he was told African American soldiers were not allowed to watch them.^[6][14] In 1944, Robinson was examined by Military authorities who claimed he had a mental deficiency.^[15] Robinson received his honorable discharge on June 3, 1944.^[16] Robinson did develop a close friendship with Louis while in the military however, and the two went into business together after returning from service. They planned to start a liquor distribution business in New York City, but were denied a license due to their race.^[17]

Besides the loss in the LaMotta rematch, the only other mark on Robinson's record during this period was a 10 round draw against Jose Basora in 1945.^[8]

Welterweight Champion

By 1946, Robinson had fought 75 fights to a 73–1–1 record,^[8] and beaten every top contender in the welterweight division. However, he refused to cooperate with the Mafia, which controlled much of boxing at the time, and was denied a chance to fight for the welterweight championship.^[18] Robinson was finally given a chance to win a title against Tommy Bell on December 20, 1946.^[8] Robinson had already beaten Bell once via decision in 1945. The two fought for the title vacated by Servo, who had himself lost twice to Robinson in non-title bouts. In the fight, Robinson, who only a month before had been involved in a 10 round brawl with Artie Levine, was knocked down by Bell.^[8] The fight was called a "war," but Robinson was able to pull out a close 15 round decision, winning the vacant welterweight title.

The following year, after four non-title bouts, Robinson defended his title for the first time by knocking out Jimmy Doyle, in the eighth round.^[8] Before that fight, Robinson had a dream that he was going to accidentally kill Doyle in the ring.^[19] As a result, he decided to pull out of the fight. However, a priest and a minister convinced him to go ahead with the bout. His foe, however, died from the injuries he sustained.^[19] Robinson said that the impact of Doyle's death was "very trying."^{[citation needed]}

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. Gavilan hurt Robinson several times in the fight, but Robinson controlled the final rounds with a series of jabs and left hooks.^[20] In 1949, he boxed 16 times, but again only defended his title once. In that title fight, a rematch with Gavilan, Robinson again won via decision. The first half of the bout was very close, but Robinson took control in the second half. 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.

Robinson fought 19 times in 1950.^[8] He successfully defended his welterweight title for the last time against Charley Fusari. Robinson won a lopsided 15 round decision, knocking Fusari down once.^[8] Robinson donated all but $1 of his purse for the Fusari fight to cancer research.^[21] In 1950, Robinson fought George Costner, who had also taken to calling himself "Sugar" and stated in the weeks leading up to the fight that he was the rightful deserver of the name. "We better touch gloves, because this is the only round," Robinson said as the fighters were introduced at the center of the ring. "Your name ain't Sugar, mine is."^[22] Robinson then knocked Costner out in 2 minutes and 49 seconds.^[8]

Middleweight Champion

Robinson stated in his autobiography that one of the main considerations for his move up to middleweight was the increasing difficulty he was having in making the 147 lb (67 kg) welterweight weight limit.^[23] However, the move would also prove beneficial financially as the division then contained some of the biggest names in boxing. Vying for the Pennsylvania state middleweight title in 1950, Robinson defeated Robert Villemain.^[8] Later that year, in defense of that crown, he defeated Jose Basora, who had previously drawn with Robinson. Robinson's 50-second knock-out of Basora in the rematch set a record that would stand for 38 years. Robinson then defeated Carl Olson, a future title holder at that weight whom Robinson later met and defeated three more times.

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.^[8] Robinson out boxed LaMotta for the first 10 rounds, then unleashed a series of savage combinations on LaMotta for three rounds^[6], finally stopping the champion for the first time in their legendary six bout series—and giving LaMotta his first legitimate knockout loss in 95 professional bouts.^[24] This bout, and some of the other bouts in the six-fight Robinson-LaMotta rivalry, was depicted in the Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull. "I fought Sugar Ray so often, I almost got diabetes," LaMotta later said.^[5]

After winning his second world title, he embarked on a European tour which took him all over the Continent. Robinson travelled with his flamingo-pink Cadillac, which caused quite a stir in Paris,^[25] and an entourage of 13 people, some included "just for laughs".^[26] He was a hero in France due to his recent defeat of LaMotta—the French hated LaMotta for defeating Marcel Cerdan in 1949 and taking his championship belt (Cerdan died in a plane ride en route to his rematch with LaMotta).^[6] Robinson even met the President of France and made an impromptu decision to kiss his wife four times—twice on each cheek—in front of a ceremony attended by France's upper crust.^[27] During his fight in Berlin against Gerhard Hecht, Robinson was disqualified when he knocked his opponent with a punch to the kidney: a punch legal in the US, but not Europe.^[19] The fight was later declared a no-contest.^[8] In London, he lost the world middleweight title to Englishman Randy Turpin in a sensational bout.^[28] Three months later in front of 60,000 fans at the Polo Grounds,^[19] 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 a series of punches, causing the referee to stop the bout.^[29] Following the victory, residents of Harlem danced in the streets.^[30] Robinson won the "Fighter of the Year" award again for his performances in 1951.

In 1952, he fought a rematch with Olson which he won by decision.^[8] He then defeated former champion, Rocky Graziano, in a 3 round fight, before challenging world light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim at Yankee Stadium. Robinson built a lead on all three judges scorecards, but the 103 degree temperature inside the ring took its toll.^[5] 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,^[5] and suffered the only knock-out of his career.^[8]

After that bout, Robinson retired with a record of 131-3-1-1 and dedicated his time to show business; singing and tap dancing. After about three years, the decline of his businesses, lack of success in his performance career, Robinson decided to make his return to boxing.

Comeback

In 1955, Robinson returned to the ring. Although he had been inactive for two and a half years, his work as a dancer kept him in peak physical condition: in his autobiography, Robinson states that in the weeks leading up to his debut for a dancing engagement in France, he ran five miles (8 km) every morning, and then danced for five hours each night. Robinson even stated that the training he did in his attempts to establish a career as a dancer were harder than any he undertook during his boxing career.^[31] Robinson began his comeback 1955, winning a knockout in his first return bout before losing a decision to Ralph 'Tiger' Jones. He bounced back, however, and defeated Rocky Castellani by a split decision, then challenged Bobo Olson for the world middleweight title. He won the middleweight championship for the third time via a second round knockout—his third victory over Olson. He followed this with another knockout over Olson a year later in his last successful title defense, blasting Olson with quick left hooks, defeating him for the fourth and final time, stopping him for the third time.

In 1957, Robinson lost his title to Gene Fullmer.^[8] Fullmer used his aggressive, forward moving style to control Robinson, and knocked him down in the fight.^[32] Robinson, however, noticed that Fullmer was vulnerable to the left hook. Fullmer headed into their May rematch as a 3–1 favorite.^[33] In the first two rounds Robinson followed Fullmer around the ring, however in the third round he changed tactics and made Fullmer come to him.^[33] At the start of the fourth round Robinson came out on the attack and stunned Fullmer, and when Fullmer returned with his own punches, Robinson traded with him, as opposed to clinching as he had done in their earlier fight. The fight was fairly even after four rounds.^[33] 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.^[33] Boxing critics have referred to the left-hook which knocked out Fullmer as "the perfect punch".^[34] It marked the first time in 44 career fights that Fullmer had been knocked out, and when someone asked Robinson after the fight how far the left hook had travelled, Robinson replied: "I can't say. But he got the message."^[33]

Later that year, he lost his title to former welterweight champion Carmen Basilio in a rugged 15 round fight in front of 38,000 at Yankee Stadium,^[35] but regained it for a record fifth time when he beat Basilio in the rematch. Robinson struggled to make weight, and had to go without food for nearly 20 hours leading up to the bout. He badly damaged Basilio's eye early in the fight, and by the seventh round it was swollen shut.^[36] The two judges gave the fight to Robinson by wide margins: 72–64 and 71–64. The referee scored the fight for Basilio 69–64, and was booed loudly by the crowd of 19,000 when his decision was announced.^[36] The first fight won the "Fight of the Year" award from The Ring magazine for 1957 and the second fight won the "Fight of the Year" award for 1958.^[8]

Decline

Robinson knocked out Bob Young in the second round in Boston in his only fight in 1959.^[8] A year later, he defended his title against Paul Pender. Robinson entered the fight as a 5–1 favorite, but lost a split decision in front of 10,608 at Boston Garden.^[37] The day before the fight Pender commented that he planned to start slowly, before coming on late. He did just that and outlasted the aging Robinson, who, despite opening a cut over Pender's eye in the eighth round, was largely ineffective in the later rounds.^[37] An attempt to regain the crown for an unheard of sixth time proved beyond Robinson. Despite Robinson's efforts, Pender won by decision in that rematch. On December 3 of that year, Robinson and Fullmer fought a 15-round draw for the WBA middleweight title, which Fullmer retained.^[8] In 1961, Robinson and Fullmer fought for a fourth time, with Fullmer retaining the NBA middleweight title by a unanimous decision.^[8] The fight would be Robinson's last title bout.

Robinson spent the rest of the 1960s fighting 10-round contests. In October 1961, Robinson defeated future world champion Denny Moyer via unanimous decision. A 12–5 favorite, the 41 year old Robinson defeated the 22 year old Moyer by staying on the outside, rather than engaging him.^[38] In their rematch four months later, Moyer defeated Robinson on points, as he pressed the action and made Robinson back up throughout the fight. Moyer won 7–3 on all three judges scorecards.^[39] Robinson lost twice more in 1962, before winning six consecutive fights against mostly lesser opposition.^[8] In February 1963, Robinson lost via unanimous decision to former world champion and fellow Hall of Famer Joey Giardello. Giardello knocked Robinson down in the fourth round, and the 43 year old took until the count of nine to rise to his feet.^[40] Robinson was also nearly knocked down in the sixth round, but was saved by the bell. He rallied in the seventh and eight rounds, before struggling in the final two.^[40] Robinson also embarked on another tour of Europe.

Robinson fought for the final time in 1965. He lost via unanimous decision to Joey Archer.^[41] 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; Archer admitted afterward that it was only the second time he had knocked an opponent down in his career.^[8] The crowd of 9,023 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh gave Robinson several standing ovations, even while he was being thoroughly outperformed by Archer.^[41]

On November 11, 1965, Robinson announced his retirement from boxing, saying: "I hate to go too long campaigning for another chance."^[42] Robinson retired from boxing with a record of 175-19-6 with 110 knockouts in 200 professional bouts,^[8] ranking him among the all-time leaders in knockouts.

After retiring as a boxer

In his autobiography Robinson states that by 1965 he was broke, having spent all of the $4 million in earnings he made inside and out of the ring in his career.^[43] A month after his last fight, Robinson was honored with a Sugar Ray Robinson Night on December 10, 1965 in New York's Madison Square Garden. During the ceremony, he was honored with a massive trophy. However, there was not a piece of furniture in his small Manhattan apartment with legs strong enough to support it. Robinson was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1967, two years after he retired. Very few remember that he participated, impersonating a retired boxer, in two episodes ([The Contenders, part 1 and 2][1]) of the third season of Mission Impossible, in 1968. In 1966, he portrayed Biff Bower, an ex-boxer turned club owner and trumpet player in the Irwin Allen series "Land of the Giants" episode, "Giants and All That Jazz." In 1969 he founded the Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation for inner-city Los Angeles area. The foundation does not sponsor a boxing program.^[44] He was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus that was treated with insulin.^[45] In Robinson's last years, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.^[45] He died in Los Angeles at the age of 67 and was interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Personal life

Robinson married Marjorie Joseph in 1938; the marriage was annulled the same year. Their son, Ronnie Smith, was born in 1939. Robinson met his second wife Edna Mae Holly, a noted dancer who performed at the Cotton Club and toured Europe with Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway, in 1940.^[46] According to Robinson, he met her at a local pool he frequented after his boxing workouts. In an attempt to get her attention he pushed her into the pool one day, and claimed it was an accident.^[47] After this attempt was met with disdain, he appeared at the nightclub she danced at and introduced himself. Soon the couple were dating and they married in 1943. They had one son, Ray Robinson Jr. (born 1949) and divorced in 1960.^[46] In April 1959, Robinson's oldest sister Marie died of cancer at the age of 41.^[48]

In 1965, Robinson married Millie Wiggins Bruce, who was several years his senior, and the couple settled in Los Angeles.^[19] When Robinson was sick with his various ailments, his son accused Robinson's wife of keeping him under the influence of medication to manipulate him. According to Ray Robinson Jr., when Sugar Ray's mother died, Sugar Ray could not attend his mother's funeral because Millie was drugging and controlling him.^[49] However, Robinson had been hospitalized the day before his mother's death due to agitation which caused his blood pressure to rise. Robinson Jr. and Edna Mae also claimed that they were kept away from Robinson by Millie during the last years of his life.^[49] He was much respected for his discipline by jazzman Miles Davis.

Boxing style

Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that's in rhythm or you're in trouble.

—Ray Robinson^[50]

Robinson was a fluid boxer who possessed a quick jab and knockout power. He possessed tremendous versatility—according to boxing analyst Bert Sugar, "Robinson could deliver a knockout blow going backward."^[51] Robinson was efficient with both hands, and he displayed a variety of effective punches—according to a TIME magazine article in 1951, "Robinson's repertoire, thrown with equal speed and power by either hand, includes every standard punch from a bolo to a hook—and a few he makes up on the spur of the moment."^[6] Robinson commented that once a fighter has trained to a certain level, their techniques and responses become almost reflexive. "You don't think. It's all instinct. If you stop to think, you're gone."^[52]

Legacy

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.

—Sugar Ray Leonard^[51]

Without a doubt the greatest pound for pound fighter that ever lived.

—Jake LaMotta^[53]

The king, the master, my idol.

—Muhammad Ali on Robinson^[53]

Robinson is widely considered the greatest boxer in history, and has been ranked as the greatest boxer of all time by sportswriters, fellow boxers, and trainers.^[1][53] The phrase "pound for pound", was created by sportswriters for him during his career as a way to compare boxers irrespective of weight,^[5][22] and Hall of Fame fighters such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Leonard have ranked Robinson as the greatest pound for pound boxer in history.^[51][54][55] In 1997, The Ring ranked him as the best pound for pound fighter in history,^[5] and in 1999, he was named "welterweight of the century" and "middleweight of the century" by the Associated Press.^[56] In 2007, ESPN.com featured the piece "50 Greatest Boxers of All Time", in which it named Robinson the top boxer in history.^[57] In 2003, The Ring magazine ranked him number 11 in the list of all-time greatest punchers in history.^[58]

Robinson was one of the first African Americans to establish himself as a star outside of sports. He was an integral part of the New York social scene in the 1940s and 1950s.^[5] His glamorous restaurant, Sugar Ray's, hosted stars such as Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, Nat "King" Cole, Joe Louis, and Lena Horne among others.^[59] Robinson was known as a flamboyant personality outside the ring. He combined striking good looks,^[60] with charisma, and a flair for the dramatic: He drove a flamingo-pink Cadillac, and was an accomplished singer and dancer, who once pursued a career in the entertainment industry.^[61] According to ESPN.com's Ron Flatter: "He was the pioneer of boxing's bigger-than-life entourages, including a secretary, barber, masseur, voice coach, a coterie of trainers, beautiful women, a dwarf mascot and lifelong manager George Gainford."^[5][62] When Robinson later returned to Paris in 1962—where he was still a national hero—to get him to cross the seas the French had to promise to bring over his masseur, his hairdresser, a guy who whistled while he trained, and his trademark Cadillac.^[63] This larger than life persona made him the idol of millions of African American youths in the 1950s. Robinson inspired several other fighters who took the nickname "Sugar" in homage to him such as Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Shane Mosley.

Sugar Ray is mentioned in the lyrics of Billy Joel's song "We Didn't Start the Fire." The artist Jean-Michel Basquiat painted an homage to the boxer Untitled (Sugar Ray Robinson), in 1982. Robinson was also featured on a 2006 United States postage stamp, which reportedly had a circulation of over 100 million.^[64].

See also

• Ring Magazine pound for pound
• Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Sugar Ray Robinson Returns to the Ring to a 'Stamping Ovation' of 100 Million, usps.com, April 7, 2006, accessed June 5, 2007.
2. ^ ^{a b} Robinson and Anderson. pg. 7
3. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pgs.woman 8–9
4. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pg. 5
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Flatter, Ron. The sugar in the sweet science, espn.com, accessed June 6, 2007.
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Businessman Boxer, TIME, June 25, 1951, available online via time.com, accessed June 6, 2007.
7. ^ Robinson and Anderon. pg. 40
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae} Sugar Ray Robinson, boxrec.com, accessed June 4, 2007.
9. ^ ^{a b c} Nichols, Joseph C.Harlem Fighter Still Unbeaten, The New York Times, November 1, 1941, accessed June 6, 2007.
10. ^ ^{a b} Dawson, James P. Robinson Knocks Out Zivic in Tenth Round to Score 27th Victory in Row, The New York Times, January 17, 1942, accessed June 6, 2007.
11. ^ Nichols, Joseph C. Robinson Takes Unanimous Decision Over La Motta in Garden 10-Round Bout,The New York Times, October 3, 1942, accessed June 6, 2007.
12. ^ ^{a b c} Associated Press. Robinson's Streak Ended by LaMotta, The New York Times, February 6, 1943, accessed June 6, 2007.
13. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pg. 110
14. ^ Robinson also discusses this at length in: Robinson and Anderson. Chapter nine
15. ^ Ray Robinson, fbi.gov, accessed June 6, 2007.
16. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pg. 130
17. ^ Boyd and Robinson II. pg. 94
18. ^ Sugar: Too sweet for Raging Bull, bbc.co.uk, July 13, 2001, accessed June 6, 2007.
19. ^ ^{a b c d e} Sugar Ray Robinson, Contemporary Black Biography, The Gale Group, 2006 ISBN 0-7876-7927-5, available online via Answers.com, accessed June 6, 2007.
20. ^ Boyd and Robinson II. pg. 93
21. ^ Boyd and Robinson II. pgs. 105–06
22. ^ ^{a b} Anderson, Dave. Sports of the Times; The Original Sugar Ray 'Never Lost', The New York Times, April 13, 1989, accessed April 10, 2008.
23. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pg. 165
24. ^ Jake LaMotta, boxrec.com, accessed June 6, 2007.
    * LaMotta had lost by knockout to Billy Fox earlier in his career. However, that fight was later ruled to have been fixed and LaMotta was sanctioned for letting Fox win.
25. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pgs. 187–88
26. ^ Dethroned in London, The New York Times, July 15, 1951, accessed June 6, 2007.
27. ^ Sugar Ray Gives Mme. Auriol Kiss; Boxer as Cancer Fund 'Envoy,' Busses French Chief's Wife Twice on Each Cheek, The New York Times, May 17, 1951, accessed June 6, 2007.
28. ^ Sugar's Lumps, TIME, July 23, 1951, available online at time.com, accessed June 6, 2007.
29. ^ Daley, Arthur. Sports of The Times; For the Championship, The New York Times, September 12, 1951, accessed June 6, 2007.
30. ^ Harlem Hails Robinson; More Than 10,000 Cheer Verdict, Sing and Dance in Street, The New York Times, September 13, 1951, accessed June 6, 2007.
31. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pg. 227
32. ^ Nichols, Joseph C. Utah 160-Pounder to Defend Crown, The New York Times, May 1, 1957, accessed June 6, 2007.
33. ^ ^{a b c d e} Nichols, Joseph C. Robinson Knocks Out Fullmer in Fifth Round to Regain Middleweight Crown, The New York Times, May 2, 1957 accessed June 6, 2007.
34. ^ Fitzgerald and Hudson. pg. 40
    *Gene Fullmer, ibhof.com, accessed June 6, 2007.
35. ^ Basilio Takes Title By Beating Robinson, The New York Times, September 24, 1957, accessed June 6, 2007.
36. ^ ^{a b} Nichols, Joseph C. Robinson Outpoints Basilio and Wins World Middleweight Title Fifth Time.The New York Times, March 26, 1958, accessed June 6, 2007.
37. ^ ^{a b} nichols, Joseph C. 5-1 Choice Loses A Split Decision, The New York Times, January 23, 1960, accessed June 6, 2007.
38. ^ Conkilin, William R. Robinson Beats Moyer in Ten-Rounder Here, The New York Times, October 22, 1961, accessed June 6, 2007.
39. ^ Teague, Robert L. Denny Moyer Defeats Robinson, The New York Times, February 18, 1962, accessed June 6, 2007.
40. ^ ^{a b} Left Hook Floors Sugar Ray in 4th, The New York Times, June 25, 1963, accessed June 6, 2007.
41. ^ ^{a b} Associated Press. Robinson Beaten in Archer Fight, The New York Times, November 11, 1965, accessed June 6, 2007.
42. ^ Associated Press. Robinson Declares Bout With Archer Was His Last Fight, The New York Times, November 12, 1965, accessed June 6, 2007.
43. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pg. 4
44. ^ Wiley. pg. 223
45. ^ ^{a b} Pace, Frank. Keeping Pace with Sugar Ray Robinson, LA Sports Magazine, August 1976, available online via hofmag.com, accessed June 5, 2007.
46. ^ ^{a b} Edna Mae Robinson, ex-wife of boxing champ Sugar Ray Robinson, dies, JET, May 27, 2002, available online via findarticles.com, accessed June 6, 2007.
47. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pgs. 90–1
48. ^ Ray Robinson's' Sister Dies, The New York Times, April 21, 1959, accessed June 6, 2007.
49. ^ ^{a b} Wiley. pg. 221
50. ^ Robinson and Anderson. pg. 75
51. ^ ^{a b c} Sugar Ray Robinson quotes, cgmworldwide.com, accessed June 6, 2007.
52. ^ Hauser. pg. 29
53. ^ ^{a b c} Sugar Ray Bio, cgmworldwide.com, accessed June 4, 2007.
    *Review Joe and Teddy Pick Their Top Fighters, espn.com, accessed June 4, 2007.
    * Smith, Michael David. ESPN Greatest Boxers List: Sugar Ray Robinson No. 1, aolsports.com, May 13, 2007, accessed June 6, 2007.
    * Wiley. pg. 226
    *Anderson, Dave. Sugar Ray Robinson, Boxing's 'Best,' Is Dead, The New York Times, April 13, 1989, accessed April 10, 2008.
    * Trickett, Alex, and Dirs, Ben. Who is the greatest of them all?, bbc.co.uk, June 13, 2005, accessed June 6, 2007.
54. ^ Kehoe, Patrick. Ray Robinson: The champions’ champion. secondsout.com, accessed June 4, 2007.
55. ^ Hauser. pg. 212
56. ^ Associated Press. Sugar Ray named century's best, espn.com, December 8, 1999, accessed March 4, 2009.
57. ^ 50 Greatest Boxers of All Time, espn.com, accessed June 4, 2007.
58. ^ Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers, The Ring, (2003), available online at about.com, accessed June 6, 2007.
59. ^ Boyd and Robinson II. pg. 105
60. ^ Goldman, Albert. Sugar Ray: Is He a Black Gable?, The New York Times, October 8, 1968, accessed June 6, 2007.
    * Sammons. pg. xii
    *The Man Who Comes Back, TIME, April 7, 1958, available via time.com accessed June 6, 2007.
61. ^ Fitzgerald and Hudson. pgs. 205–06
62. ^ Robinson talks in length about his decision to travel with such a large group of people in: Robinson and Anderson. Chapter 13—When he travelled to Paris, a steward referred to his companions as his "entourage" though Robinson states he did not like the literal definition (attendants) as he felt they were his friends, he liked the word and began to use it in regular conservation when referring to them. ibid. pg. 169
63. ^ Daley, Robert. Sugar Ray Is Still Young in Paris; Age Hasn't Dimmed Robinson's Skills in Frenchmen's Eyes, The New York Times, May 13, 1962, accessed June 6, 2007.
64. ^ The 2006 Commemorative Stamp Program, usps.com, November 30, 2005, accessed June 6, 2007.

References

Boyd, Herb, and Robinson, Ray II. Pound for Pound: A Biography of Sugar Ray Robinson, New York: HarperCollins, 2005 ISBN 0-06-018876-6 Donelson, Thomas, and Lotierzo, Frank. Viewing Boxing from Ringside, Lincoln: iUniverse, 2002 ISBN 0-595-23748-7 Fitzgerald, Mike H., and Hudson, Dabid L. Boxing's Most Wanted: The Top Ten Book of Champs, Chumps and Punch-drunk Palookas, Virginia: Brassey's, 2004 ISBN 1-57488-714-9 Hauser, Thomas. The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing, Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2000 ISBN 1-55728-597-7

Robinson, Sugar Ray, and Anderson, Dave. Sugar Ray, London: De Capo Press, 1994 ISBN 0-306-80574-X Sammons, Jeffrey Thomas. Beyond the Ring: The Role of Boxing in American Society, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998 ISBN 0-252-06145-4 Wiley, Ralph. Serenity: A Boxing Memoir, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000 ISBN 0-8032-9816-1

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sugar Ray Robinson

• Professional boxing record for Sugar Ray Robinson from Boxrec
• The Official Site of Sugar Ray Robinson
• Highlight Video
• Sugar Ray Robinson - IBHOF Biography
• Sugar Ray Robinson at Find a Grave

Sporting positions
Preceded by Marty Servo Vacated	World Welterweight Champion 20 Dec 1946– 14 Feb 1951 Vacated	Succeeded by Johnny Bratton Recognized by NBA
Preceded by Jake LaMotta	World Middleweight Champion 14 Feb 1951– 10 Jul 1951	Succeeded by Randy Turpin
Preceded by Randy Turpin	World Middleweight Champion 12 Sep 1951– Dec 1952 Retired	Succeeded by Carl (Bobo) Olson
Preceded by Carl (Bobo) Olson	World Middleweight Champion 9 Dec 1955– 2 Jan 1957	Succeeded by Gene Fullmer
Preceded by Gene Fullmer	World Middleweight Champion 1 May 1957– 23 Sep 1957	Succeeded by Carmen Basilio
Preceded by Carmen Basilio	World Middleweight Champion 25 Mar 1958– 22 Jan 1960 Only recognized by New York and Massachusetts at time of title loss	Succeeded by Paul Pender

Persondata
NAME	Sugar Ray Robinson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Walter Smith Jr.
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Hall of Fame American pugilist
DATE OF BIRTH	May 3, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH	Ailey, Georgia
DATE OF DEATH	April 12, 1989
PLACE OF DEATH	Los Angeles, California

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