Sugar Ray Robinson

Name: Ray Robinson
Alias: Sugar Ray
Birth Name: Walker Smith Jr.
Hometown: Harlem, New York, USA
Birthplace: Vidalia, Georgia, USA
Died: 1989-04-12 (Age:67)
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 180cm
Reach: 184cm
Referee: Record
Pro Boxer: Record
Amateur Boxer: Record

• 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 pound-for-pound boxer of all-time. Robinson is frequently ranked among the top three boxers ever in both the welterweight and middleweight classes.

Amateur Achievements

Robinson's amateur record is usually listed as 85-0 with 69 knockouts, 40 in the first round. However, he lost to Billy Graham and Patsy Pesca under his given name, Walker Smith Jr.

• Won the 1938 New York Metropolitan AAU Open 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 Fighter of the Year for 1942 and 1951 by The Ring.
• Named Fighter of the Year for 1950 by the Boxing Writers Association of America.
• Named Fighter of the Decade for the 1950s by The Ring.
• Inducted into The Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1967.
• Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
• Named Welterweight Fighter of the Century, Middleweight Fighter of the Century, and Fighter of the Century by the Associated Press in 1999.
• The Ring ranked Robinson as the best fighter of the last 80 years in 2002.
• The Ring ranked Robinson as the 11th greatest puncher of all-time in 2003.
• Inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
• The United States Postal Service honored Robinson with a stamp in 2006.
• Historian Bert Sugar ranked Robinson #1 in his 2006 book Boxing's Greatest Fighters.
• ESPN ranked Robinson as the greatest fighter in history in 2007.

Notes

• Robinson was born Walker Smith Jr. He got his boxing name when he used the AAU card of an ex-boxer named Ray Robinson.
• According to Robinson's autobiography, Sugar Ray, sportswriter Jack Case, after seeing one of Robinson’s amateur performances, said he “sure was a sweet fighter.” Chase called him “Sugar Ray” in one of his sports columns and the now-famous moniker was born.
• Robinson was a coach for the 1941 New York Golden Gloves Team at the Intercity Golden Gloves Tournament held in Chicago.
• Robinson won his first 40 professional fights before losing to Jake LaMotta on February 5, 1942. Robinson then went unbeaten in his next 91 fights.
• Robinson had six fights with Jake LaMotta and won five of them. LaMotta said, "I fought Sugar Ray so often, I almost got diabetes."
• Height dispute: Robinson's height is usually listed as 5'11", but he was often listed as 6'0" early in his career. He was reported as being 5'11½" at the weigh-in for his bout with Robert Villemain in 1950.
• On February 27, 1943, Robinson was inducted into the United States Army. He toured Army camps with Joe Louis and boxed exhibitions for soldiers.
• On March 29, 1944, shortly before he was scheduled to set sail for Europe, Robinson disappeared from his barracks at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York. Robinson said he fell down the stairs in his barracks and didn't remember anything from the time of the fall until he woke up in a hospital on April 5. According to his file, a stranger found him in the street on April 1 and helped him to a hospital. Robinson received an honorable discharge from the Army as a sergeant on June 3, 1944.
• Robinson won the vacant World Welterweight Championship in his 76th professional fight, defeating Tommy Bell by a 15-round unanimous decision on December 20, 1950. Robinson would defend the title five times before relinquishing it to fight as a middleweight.
• Robinson defeated Robert Villemain by a 15-round unanimous decision to win the vacant Pennsylvania World Middleweight Championship on June 5, 1950. The state withdrew recognition from World Middleweight champion Jake LaMotta for failure to defend. Robinson stopped LaMotta in 13 rounds to win the undisputed title on February 14, 1951.
• Robinson lost the World Middleweight Championship to Randy Turpin by a 15-round decision on July 10, 1951. He regained the title from Turpin with a 10th-round knockout on September 12, 1951.
• Robinson unsuccessfully challenged Joey Maxim for the World Light Heavyweight Championship on June 25, 1952. Robinson, way ahead on points, couldn't come out for the 14th round due to heat exhaustion. The temperature at ringside was 103 degrees. It was the only stoppage loss of Robinson's career.
• After losing to Maxim, Robinson retired with a record of 132-3-2.
• Robinson, who once owned an entire block of shops and businesses in Harlem, returned to the ring in 1955 because he needed money.
• Robinson would win and lose the World Middleweight Championship three times between 1955 and 1960.
• Robinson retired for good in 1965 with a record of 174-19-6.
• Robinson defeated fifteen former, reigning or future world champions during his professional career.
• When his boxing career ended, Robinson dabbled in acting. 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.
• In 1969, Robinson founded the Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation in Los Angeles.
• View: Sugar Ray Robinson's Exhibition Bouts

Professional Record

• Has defeated 12 opponents (7 by KO) in world title fights.
  • 6 opponents (5 by KO) in World Middleweight Title fights.
  • 6 opponents (2 by KO) in World Welterweight Title fights.
• Has a record of 14-7-1 (7 KOs) in world title fights.
• Has a record of 30-11-1 (11 KOs) against former, current, and future world champions:
  • Won against Sammy Angott (3 times), Marty Servo (twice), Fritzie Zivic (twice), Maxie Berger, Jake LaMotta (5 times), Izzy Jannazzo (4 times), Henry Armstrong, Kid Gavilan (twice), Bobo Olson (4 times), Randy Turpin, Rocky Graziano, Gene Fullmer, Carmen Basilio, Denny Moyer, Ralph Dupas.
  • Lost against Jake LaMotta, Randy Turpin, Joey Maxim, Gene Fullmer (twice), Carmen Basilio, Paul Pender (twice), Denny Moyer, Terry Downes, Joey Giardello.
  • Drew against Gene Fullmer.

Death Info

• Robinson died at Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California. He was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.
• Robinson is listed as Sugar Ray Robinson by the California Death Records database and the Social Security Death Records database. His Social Security number was 080-28-1189.
• The California Death Records database list his place of birth as Michigan, and Robinson states in his autobiography that he was born in Detroit. However, his birth certificate list his place of birth as Ailey, Georgia. Robinson said his mother was pregnant with him when she moved from Georgia to Detroit.

External Links

• Official Website
• Sugar Ray by Sugar Ray Robinson with Dave Anderson, Publisher: Da Capo Press, 1969
• Boxing's Greatest Fighters By Bert Randolph Sugar, Publisher: Lyons Press, 2006
• Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson By Wil Haygood, Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009
• Robinson's film credits at IMDb

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