BoxRec

The amazing man passed at age 95.....last of the golden era legends...

RIP Jake, one of the great ones.

RIP Raging Bull

Oh man, that sucks. One of my favorite characters. RIP Jake.

RIP Jake!

- Chuck Johnston

Rip Jack true warrior!

What a fighter

RIP

A tough champion who fought not once - not twice but 6 times against the greatest of all time. What a champion and what a legend he's left the sport. God bless and rest in peace.

Few quotes from the Bronx Bull:

"I was so good at boxing because I worked hard. I worked harder then anybody. When other boxers used to box in the gym, 3 or 4 rounds, I used to box 10 - 20 rounds"

"The three toughest fighters I ever fought were Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Robinson. I fought Sugar so many times, I'm surprised I'm not diabetic."

"there's now way I'm goin' down. I don't go down for nobody."

"on the way here this guy steps up to us and says, 'Would you like to join Jehovah's witnesses?' And Rocky (Graziano) says 'I didn't see nothing!' "

R.I.P Champ. A true boxing legend

Jake was almost certainly the oldest living ex champion. Anyone have an idea who has inherited that prize now?

Tony demarco is 85..

RIP champ

IF his passing is not an "era ender" I just know what would qualify.

RIP..... He's probably on the other side right now...... refusing to fall.

I was beginning to think that Jake was immortal.

He is one of the toughest men ever to walk this Earth.

RIP Champ.

Damn sad news. RIP.

i think you'd struggle to find a healthier looking man through his 90s...

Tinnie wrote:Damn sad news. RIP.

i think you'd struggle to find a healthier looking man through his 90s...

Jack LaLanne when he was alive

evrenb wrote:Tony demarco is 85..

Yes, Tony DeMarco is now the oldest living former champion at 85. Jose Napoles is now the last surviving member of the inaugural International Boxing Hall of Fame. Nino Benvenuti is now the longest living former World Middleweight Champion currently at age 79.

Anyways, RIP Champ (Jake LaMotta) thanks for the memories and he lived a long life.

RIP to the Bronx Bull. Hard as nails.

scorpio83 wrote:

evrenb wrote:Tony demarco is 85..

Yes, Tony DeMarco is now the oldest living former champion at 85. Jose Napoles is now the last surviving member of the inaugural International Boxing Hall of Fame. Nino Benvenuti is now the longest living former World Middleweight Champion currently at age 79.

Anyways, RIP Champ (Jake LaMotta) thanks for the memories and he lived a long life.

Not quite true Scorpio, Terry Downes is 81.

Flump wrote:

scorpio83 wrote:

evrenb wrote:Tony demarco is 85..

Yes, Tony DeMarco is now the oldest living former champion at 85. Jose Napoles is now the last surviving member of the inaugural International Boxing Hall of Fame. Nino Benvenuti is now the longest living former World Middleweight Champion currently at age 79.

Anyways, RIP Champ (Jake LaMotta) thanks for the memories and he lived a long life.

Not quite true Scorpio, Terry Downes is 81.

Thanks Flump, I forgot that Downes is still living at 81 is now the oldest living former middleweight champion.

R.I.P champ! One of the toughest SOBs that ever put on the boxing gloves for pay.

It just goes to show that everybody is built differently and you can't bring in rules to suit everybody for this very reason.
LaMotta took some severe and persistent batterings around the head from Robinson, and several others, with no apparent effect. Other poor guys can get caught with one punch and they quickly become medical emergencies.
Remember also that LaMotta fought in 15 rounders with smaller , more compact gloves which when they became wet could on occasion result in the removal of padding from over the knuckles. And still the Bronx Bull battled on until he was 95.
I saw a photo today from one of his fights with Robinson and what I noticed was that he had legs like tree trunks. Added to this was his aggression. This is important.
There can be little doubt that in contact sports, the gritting of teeth, and head down fearlessness coupled with an attitude which shouts ' your not going to beat me you b####### ' protects the body to an extent. This I think was LaMotta.

Carlos Ortiz is still alive I believe. He has to be over 80!

The oldest now would likely be former bantamweight champion Robert Cohen at 86. Credit to Jose Corpas who figured it from notes for his Al Brown biography "Black Ink."

scorpio83 wrote:

Flump wrote:

scorpio83 wrote:
Yes, Tony DeMarco is now the oldest living former champion at 85. Jose Napoles is now the last surviving member of the inaugural International Boxing Hall of Fame. Nino Benvenuti is now the longest living former World Middleweight Champion currently at age 79.

Anyways, RIP Champ (Jake LaMotta) thanks for the memories and he lived a long life.

Not quite true Scorpio, Terry Downes is 81.

Thanks Flump, I forgot that Downes is still living at 81 is now the oldest living former middleweight champion.

Flump, Downes had just passed away at 81 and now Nino Benvenuti is the oldest living former middleweight champion.