Sugar Ray Robinson

Class of 1990
Modern Category
Hall of Fame bio:click

World Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee

Name: Sugar Ray Robinson
Birth Name: Walker Smith Jr.
Born: 1921-05-03
Birthplace: Ailey, Georgia, USA
Died: 1989-04-12 (Age:67)
Nationality: US American
Hometown: Harlem, New York, USA
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 5′ 11″   /   180cm
Reach: 72½″   /   184cm
Boxing Record: click

Managers: Curt Horrmann & George Gainford
Trainers: Soldier Jones, Harry Wiley & Pee Wee Beale
Sugar Ray Robinson Gallery

Sugar Ray Robinson is considered by many boxing historians and enthusiasts to be the greatest boxer ever, pound-for-pound. He is frequently, if not always, ranked among the top three boxers ever in both the welterweight and middleweight classes.

Amateur Achievements

• Amateur Record: 85-2 with 69 KOs (40 in the first round)

• April 11, 1938 won the New York Metropolitan AAU Open Boxing Championship at bantamweight vs Ed Cappelli.

• Golden Gloves Titles won in 1939:
• New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions at featherweight vs. Armand Dascenza
• Intercity Golden Gloves Tournament at featherweight vs. Tony Ancona
• New York Daily News Golden Gloves Tournament at featherweight vs. Louis Valentine

• Golden Gloves Titles won in 1940:
• New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions at lightweight vs. Jimmy Butler
• Intercity Golden Gloves Tournament at lightweight vs. Tony Ancona
• New York Daily News Golden Gloves Tournament at lightweight vs. Andy Nonella

• View: Sugar Ray Robinson's Golden Gloves Record

Preceded by: Tony Saraullo	New York Daily News Golden Gloves Open Featherweight Champion 1939	Succeeded by: Louis Valentine
Preceded by: Tony Saraullo	New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions Featherweight Champion 1939	Succeeded by: Frankie Donato
Preceded by: Eddie Dempsey	Intercity Golden Gloves Featherweight Champion 1939	Succeeded by: Frankie Donato
Preceded by: Willie Smith	New York Daily News Golden Gloves Open Lightweight Champion 1940	Succeeded by: Willie Smith
Preceded by: Johnny Pleasant	New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions Lightweight Champion 1940	Succeeded by: Johnny Green
Preceded by: Johnny Pleasant	Intercity Golden Gloves Lightweight Champion 1940	Succeeded by: Johnny Green

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Awards & Recognition

• Named The Ring Fighter of the Year for 1942 and 1951
• Named the "Fighter of the Decade" (1950s) by The Ring
• Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990
• Named "Fighter of the Century" as well as "Best Middleweight & Best Welterweight of the Century" by The Associated Press in 1999
• Named the 11th greatest puncher of all-time by The Ring in 2003
• Inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2006
• The United States Postal Service honored Robinson with a stamp in 2006.

Miscellaneous

• Robinson beat thirteen different world champions during his professional career.
• As an amateur Robinson was beat by Patsy Pesca * and Billy Graham**
• View: Sugar Ray Robinson's Exhibition Bouts
• Height dispute: Robinson's height is usually listed as 5'11", but early in his career he was often listed as 6'0". In 1950 he was reported as being 5' 11 1/2" at the weigh-in for his bout with Robert Villemain.
• Served in the United States Army, boxing exhibitions in the United States for American soldiers.
• Was a coach for the 1941 New York Golden Gloves Team at the Intercity Golden Gloves Tournament held in Chicago.
• Once owned an entire block of shops and businesses in Harlem.
• When his boxing career ended, Robinson became an actor. He appeared in such films as The Detective, starring Frank Sinatra, and Candy, starring Marlon Brando. He also appeared on the television shows Mission: Impossible, The Mod Squad, and Fantasy Island.

Sources

• *Pound for Pound: A Biography of Sugar Ray Robinson
  
• **Boxing's Greatest Fighters

Death Info

Ray Robinson is listed as SUGAR RAY ROBINSON in both the Social Security Death Records database and the California Death Records database on the RootsWeb website. His Social Security number was 080-28-1189. According to the California Death Records, he was born in Michigan on May 3, 1921. Both his autobiography and Social Security Records list the same birthdate. The index is wrong as to his place of birth, as he was actually born in Ailey, Montgomery County, Georgia. When he was an infant, his family moved to Glenwood, Georgia.

External Link

• Official site: [1]

Preceded by: Marty Servo Vacated	World Welterweight Champion 1946 Dec 20 – 1951 Feb 14 Vacated	Succeeded by: Johnny Bratton Recognized by NBA
Preceded by: Jake LaMotta	World Middleweight Champion 1951 Feb 14 – 1951 Jul 10	Succeeded by: Randy Turpin
Preceded by: Randy Turpin	World Middleweight Champion 1951 Sep 12 – 1952 Dec Retired	Succeeded by: Carl (Bobo) Olson
Preceded by: Carl (Bobo) Olson	World Middleweight Champion 1955 Dec 9 – 1957 Jan 2	Succeeded by: Gene Fullmer
Preceded by: Gene Fullmer	World Middleweight Champion 1957 May 1 – 1957 Sep 23	Succeeded by: Carmen Basilio
Preceded by: Carmen Basilio	World Middleweight Champion 1958 Mar 25 – 1960 Jan 22 Robinson was recognized only by New York and Massachusetts when he lost the title. He had been stripped by the NBA due to inactivity.	Succeeded by: Paul Pender