BoxRec

Burley could be criticized for being inconsistant but many people hold Sugar Ray Robinson in high regards and he seems to have been rather inconsistant. Robinson has draws with Jose Basora and Henry Brimm in his prime.

Robinson's draws with those guy should be weighed when rating him. However, in his first 131 fights, Robinson had those two draws, a loss to LaMotta (whom he had already beat 4 times) and 128 wins.
You have to be pretty darn consistent to go 128-1-2 against some pretty good competition.

Of course Burley wasn't as good as Robinson. However, that isn't why he isn't on of the Top 20 fighters of All-Time. In the long history of boxing there are simply more than 19 other guys that were better than him.
He was a great fighter who should have got a title shot. As said before, Top 20, no way, Top 50 you could make a case for. Top 100 without question.

Perfect, Ampling.

"Robinson was inconsistent..." in WHO's Universe???

over 200 fights, 25 years in the Top and most always against fellow top men or noted fighters,

now you see what I always try to point out about "modern" mentality and assessment... easy to have an 0 record with only 30 fights against a handful of top men, BUT By God in Robinsons time 20 defeats in 100 fights against Top men was expected and took nothing away from the top boys. but to better that still with the SRR's of the game was REMARKABLE!!!

get a _uncken grip!

Thanks alp and jim. I started to reply to that SRR "inconsistent" post, but stopped in mid sentence. Somehow it didn't even seem worthy of a reply, but you both replied admirably.

Chuck1052 wrote:Charley Burley often held down a full-time job even when he was a top fighter due to the fact that his ring earnings weren't anything to write home about. How many great fighters had to deal with such a handicap during their prime years in the sport?

- Chuck Johnston

Actually, that was the norm for many top fighters in that era who never won a major title.

Yes, there were top fighters who held down full-time jobs in their early years, but Charley Burley was holding down full-time jobs during the 1940s, a period when he was one of the best fighters in the world. One likely reason is that Burley probably made less than $100,000. in ring earnings during his entire career.


- Chuck Johnston

I was under the impression that some of Robinson's official wins were rather dubious such as against Georgie Abrams and one of the La Motta fights.

I can assure u anything in re Abrams or Lamotta being robbed vs Sugar is bunk!

There was probably sour grapes in regard to Zivics summing up of Burley .. Burley had pissed on Zivics fireworks, and was a hometown rival.

Nobody can honestly say if Burley was as great as some say, but he was definetly good enough to have held a world title back then, he would have been favoured to have beaten Ross,Armstrong and the previously mentioned Zivic.

charley fought fritzie three times - 2 wins and a loss.

jimglen wrote:I wonder what the very capable Sonny Jones thought about that devious...

I can openly recognize top class, some would rather get their backs patted and been scene in 'favour' or found in the Status Quo of the IN Crowd, but it still be-littles the truth though, doesn't it?

Your point is JimGlen?

Fritzies W over Burley was a bit dubious.

yeah it was. but 2 out of 3 aint bad, as the song says. maybe thats what grouched up zivic about burley