The 75th Anniversary of the St Valentine Day's Massacre

[elmersalsa]

On a Wednesday night of February 14, 1951 in Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Sugar Ray Robinson of Harlem, NY took on World Middleweight Champion Jake LaMotta of the Bronx, NY. It was The Raging Bull's second title defense and sixth fight with the Sugar Man.

It was the first time that both of them fought each other for a world title since they met for the first time in 1943. Robinson had a 4-1 edge in the rivalry.

But this fight was the most important and popular of their historical rivalry because the middleweight crown was at stake.

Ironically, Robinson with an extraordinary and unbelievable record of 121-1-1 with 80 knockouts, fought the entire 1940s decade with only 1 loss in 123 fights! And that loss was in his second fight with LaMotta in Detroit in 1943.

So, Robinson has not lost a fight in 8 years. He also by the way became World Welterweight Champion in 1946 and held it until 1950.

Having no more great competition at welterweight, Robinson jumps to middleweight and becomes the #1 contender.

The fight was one of the greatest boxing matches in the history of boxing. It was pure grit, heart, will and determination. None of the two combatants gave each other an inch. It was blow for blow. Robinson, 29, was peppering straight left jabs and right uppercuts and LaMotta, age 28 was relentless with unbelievable pressure.

One had to give in, and that was LaMotta. He took the best shots that Robinson had to offer. And LaMotta despite all that punching he took, never went down.

A series of right-lefts combinations had LaMotta in trouble and the American referee, Frank Sikora, had to mercifully stop the fight.

The winner by technical knockout and new Middleweight Champion of the World! Sugar Ray Robinson!

LaMotta drops to 78-15-3 with 28 knockout wins.
Robinson improves to 122-1-1 with 81 knockouts.

It would be the last fight between them for good. But, boy! It was brutal!

[elmersalsa]