Sugar Ray Robinson

Not to be confused with Sugar Ray Leonard.

Sugar Ray Robinson
Robinson in 1966
Born	Walker Smith Jr (1921-05-03)3 May 1921 Ailey, Georgia, U.S.
Died	April 12, 1989(1989-04-12) (aged 67) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Statistics
Weight(s)	Lightweight Welterweight Middleweight Light heavyweight
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Reach	72+1⁄2 in (184 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	200
Wins	173
Wins by KO	109
Losses	19
Draws	6
No contests	2
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing United States New York Golden Gloves 1939 New York Featherweight 1940 New York Lightweight Intercity Golden Gloves 1939 Chicago Featherweight 1940 New York Lightweight

Sugar Ray Robinson (born Walker Smith Jr.; May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is regarded by many as the best Pound for pound boxer of all time.

Robinson was a dominant amateur but his exact amateur record is not known and is usually listed as 85-0 with 69 knockouts, 40 in the first round. However it has been reported he lost to Billy Graham and Patsy Pesca as a teenager under his given name, Walker Smith Jr. He turned professional in 1940 at the age of 19 and by 1951 had a professional record of 128–1–2 with 84 knockouts. From 1943 to 1951 Robinson went on a 91-fight unbeaten streak, the third-longest in professional boxing history. Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and won the world middleweight title in the latter year. He retired in 1952, only to come back two-and-a-half years later and regain the middleweight title in 1955. He then became the first boxer in history to win a divisional world championship five times (a feat he accomplished by defeating Carmen Basilio in 1958 to regain the middleweight championship). Robinson was named "fighter of the year" twice: first for his performances in 1942, then nine years and over 90 fights later, for his efforts in 1951. Historian Bert Sugar ranked Robinson as the greatest fighter of all time and in 2002, Robinson was also ranked number one on The Ring magazine's list of "80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years".

Renowned for his classy and flamboyant lifestyle outside the ring, Robinson is credited with being the originator of the modern sports "entourage". After his boxing career ended, Robinson attempted a career as an entertainer, but it was not successful. He struggled financially until his death in 1989. In 2006, he was featured on a commemorative stamp by the United States Postal Service.

Early life

Robinson was born Walker Smith Jr. in Ailey, Georgia, to Walker Smith Sr. and Leila Hurst. Robinson was the youngest of three children; his eldest sister Marie was born in 1917, and his other sister Evelyn in 1919. His father was a cotton, peanut, and corn farmer in Georgia, who moved the family to Detroit where he initially found work in construction. According to Robinson, Smith Sr. later worked two jobs to support his family—cement mixer and sewer worker. "He had to get up at six in the morning and he'd get home close to midnight. Six days a week. The only day I really saw him was Sunday...I always wanted to be with him more."

His parents separated, and he moved with his mother to the New York City neighborhood of Harlem at the age of twelve. Robinson originally aspired to be a doctor, but after dropping out of DeWitt Clinton High School (in the Bronx) in ninth grade he switched his goal to boxing. When he was 15, he attempted to enter his first boxing tournament but was told he needed to first obtain an AAU membership card. However, he could not procure one until he was eighteen years old. He received his name when he circumvented the AAU's age restriction by borrowing a birth certificate from his friend Ray Robinson. Subsequently told that he was "sweet as sugar" by a lady in the audience at a fight in Watertown, New York, Smith Jr. became known as "Sugar" Ray Robinson.

Robinson idolized Henry Armstrong and Joe Louis as a youth, and actually lived on the same block as Louis in Detroit when Robinson was 11 and Louis was 17. Outside the ring, Robinson got into trouble frequently as a youth, and was involved with a street gang. He married at 16. The couple had one son, Ronnie, and divorced when Robinson was 19. He reportedly finished his amateur career with an 85–0 record with 69 knockouts – 40 coming in the first round, though this has been disputed. He won the Golden Gloves featherweight championship in 1939, and the organization's lightweight championship in 1940.

Boxing career

Early career

Robinson made his professional debut on October 4, 1940, winning by a second-round stoppage over Joe Echevarria. Robinson fought five more times in 1940, winning each time, with four wins coming by way of knockout. In 1941, he defeated world champion Sammy Angott, future champion Marty Servo and former champion Fritzie Zivic. The Robinson-Angott fight was held above the lightweight limit, since Angott did not want to risk losing his lightweight title. Robinson defeated Zivic in front of 20,551 at Madison Square Garden—one of the largest crowds in the arena to that date. Robinson won the first five rounds, according to Joseph C. Nichols of The New York Times, before Zivic came back to land several punches to Robinson's head in the sixth and seventh rounds. Robinson controlled the next two rounds, and had Zivic in the ninth. After a close tenth round, Robinson was announced as the winner on all three scorecards.

In 1942 Robinson knocked out Zivic in the tenth round in a January rematch. The knockout loss was only the second of Zivic's career in more than 150 fights. Robinson knocked him down in the ninth and tenth rounds before the referee stopped the fight. Zivic and his corner protested the stoppage; James P. Dawson of The New York Times stated "[t]hey were criticizing a humane act. The battle had been a slaughter, for want of a more delicate word." Robinson then won four consecutive bouts by knockout, before defeating Servo in a controversial split decision in their May rematch. After winning three more fights, Robinson faced Jake LaMotta, who would become one of his more prominent rivals, for the first time in October. He defeated LaMotta by a unanimous decision, although he failed to get Jake down. Robinson weighed 145 lb (66 kg) compared to 157.5 for LaMotta, but he was able to control the fight from the outside for the entire bout, and actually landed the harder punches during the fight. Robinson then won four more fights, including two against Izzy Jannazzo, from October 19 to December 14. For his performances, Robinson was named "Fighter of the Year". He finished 1942 with a total of 14 wins and no losses.

Robinson built a record of 40–0 before losing for the first time to LaMotta in a 10-round re-match. LaMotta, who had a 16 lb (7.3 kg) weight advantage over Robinson, knocked Robinson out of the ring in the eighth round, and won the fight by decision. The fight took place in Robinson's former home town of Detroit, and attracted a record crowd. After being controlled by Robinson in the early portions of the fight, LaMotta came back to take control in the later rounds. After winning the third LaMotta fight less than three weeks later, Robinson then defeated his childhood idol: former champion Henry Armstrong. Robinson fought Armstrong only because the older man was in need of money. By now Armstrong was an old fighter, and Robinson later stated that he carried the former champion.

On February 27, 1943, Robinson was inducted into the United States Army, where he was again referred to as Walker Smith. Robinson had a 15-month military career. Robinson served with Joe Louis, and the pair went on tours where they performed exhibition bouts in front of US Army troops. Robinson got into trouble several times while in the military. He argued with superiors who he felt were discriminatory against him, and refused to fight exhibitions when he was told African American soldiers were not allowed to watch them. In late March 1944, Robinson was stationed at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, waiting to ship out to Europe, where he was scheduled to perform more exhibition matches. But on March 29, Robinson disappeared from his barracks. When he woke up on April 5 in Fort Jay Hospital on Governor's Island, he had missed his sailing for Europe and was under suspicion of deserting. He himself reported falling down the stairs in his barracks on the 29th, but said that he had complete amnesia, and he could not remember any events from that moment until the 5th. According to his file, a stranger had found him in the street on April 1 and helped him to a hospital. In his examination report, a doctor at Fort Jay concluded that Robinson's version of events was sincere. He was examined by military authorities, who claimed he suffered from a mental deficiency. Robinson was granted an honorable discharge on June 3, 1944. He later wrote that unfair press coverage of the incident had "branded" him as a "deserter". Robinson maintained his close friendship with Louis from their time in military service, and the two went into business together after the war. They planned to start a liquor distribution business in New York City, but were denied a license due to their race.

Besides the loss in the LaMotta rematch, the only other mark on Robinson's record during this period was a 10-round draw against José Basora in 1945.

Welterweight champion

Robinson in 1947

By 1946, Robinson had fought 75 fights to a 73–1–1 record, and beaten every top contender in the welterweight division. However, he refused to cooperate with the Mafia, which controlled much of boxing at the time, and was denied a chance to fight for the welterweight championship. Robinson was finally given a chance to win a title against Tommy Bell on December 20, 1946. Robinson had already beaten Bell once by decision in 1945. The two fought for the title vacated by Servo, who had himself lost twice to Robinson in non-title bouts. In the fight, Robinson, who only a month before had been involved in a 10-round brawl with Artie Levine, was knocked down by Bell. The fight was called a "war", but Robinson was able to pull out a close 15-round decision, winning the vacant World Welterweight title.

In 1948 Robinson fought five times, but only one bout was a title defense. Among the fighters he defeated in those non-title bouts was future world champion Kid Gavilán in a close, controversial 10-round fight. Gavilán hurt Robinson several times in the fight, but Robinson controlled the final rounds with a series of jabs and left hooks. In 1949, he boxed 16 times, but again only defended his title once. In that title fight, a rematch with Gavilán, Robinson again won by decision. The first half of the bout was very close, but Robinson took control in the second half. Gavilán would have to wait two more years to begin his own historic reign as welterweight champion. The only boxer to match Robinson that year was Henry Brimm, who fought him to a 10-round draw in Buffalo.

Robinson fought 19 times in 1950. He successfully defended his welterweight title for the last time against Charley Fusari. Robinson won a lopsided 15-round decision, knocking Fusari down once. Robinson donated all but $1 of his purse for the Fusari fight to cancer research. In 1950 Robinson fought George Costner, who had also taken to calling himself "Sugar" and stated in the weeks leading up to the fight that he was the rightful possessor of the name. "We better touch gloves, because this is the only round", Robinson said as the fighters were introduced at the center of the ring. "Your name ain't Sugar, mine is." Robinson then knocked Costner out in 2 minutes and 49 seconds.

Jimmy Doyle incident

In June 1947, after four non-title bouts, Robinson was scheduled to defend his title for the first time in a bout against Jimmy Doyle. Robinson initially backed out of the fight because he had a dream that he was going to kill Doyle. A priest and a minister convinced him to fight. His dream was proven to be true. On June 25, 1947 Robinson dominated Doyle and scored a decisive knockout in the eighth round that knocked Doyle unconscious and resulted in Doyle's death later that night. Robinson said that the impact of Doyle's death was "very trying".

After his death, criminal charges were threatened against Robinson in Cleveland, up to and including murder, though none actually materialized. After learning of Doyle's intentions of using the bout's money to buy his mother a house, Robinson gave Doyle's mother the money from his next four bouts so she could purchase herself a home, fulfilling her son's intention.

Middleweight champion

It is stated in his autobiography that one of the main considerations for his move up to middleweight was the increasing difficulty he was having in making the 147 lb (67 kg) welterweight weight limit. However, the move up would also prove beneficial financially, as the division then contained some of the biggest names in boxing. Vying for the Pennsylvania state middleweight title in 1950, Robinson defeated Robert Villemain. Later that year, in defense of that crown, he defeated Jose Basora, with whom he had previously drawn. Robinson's 50-second, first-round knockout of Basora set a record that would stand for 38 years. In October 1950, Robinson knocked out Bobo Olson a future middleweight title holder.

On February 14, 1951, Robinson and LaMotta met for the sixth time. The fight would become known as The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Robinson won the undisputed World Middleweight title with a 13th round technical knockout. Robinson outboxed LaMotta for the first 10 rounds, then unleashed a series of savage combinations on LaMotta for three rounds, finally stopping the champion for the first time in their legendary six-bout series—and dealing LaMotta his first legitimate knockout loss in 95 professional bouts. LaMotta had lost by knockout to Billy Fox earlier in his career. However, that fight was later ruled to have been fixed and LaMotta was sanctioned for letting Fox win. That bout, and some of the other bouts in the six-fight Robinson-LaMotta rivalry, was depicted in the Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull. "I fought Sugar Ray so often, I almost got diabetes", LaMotta later said. Robinson won five of his six bouts with LaMotta.

After winning his second world title, he embarked on a European tour which took him all over the Continent. Robinson traveled with his flamingo-pink Cadillac, which caused quite a stir in Paris, and an entourage of 13 people, some included "just for laughs". He was a hero in France due to his recent defeat of LaMotta—the French hated LaMotta for defeating Marcel Cerdan in 1949 and taking his championship belt (Cerdan died in a plane crash en route to a rematch with LaMotta). Robinson met President of France Vincent Auriol at a ceremony attended by France's social upper crust. During his fight in Berlin against Gerhard Hecht, Robinson was disqualified when he knocked his opponent with a punch to the kidney: a punch legal in the US, but not Europe. The fight was later declared a no-contest. In London, Robinson lost the world middleweight title to British boxer Randolph Turpin in a sensational bout. Three months later in a rematch in front of 60,000 fans at the Polo Grounds, he knocked Turpin out in ten rounds to recover the title. In that bout Robinson was leading on the cards but was cut by Turpin. With the fight in jeopardy, Robinson let loose on Turpin, knocking him down, then getting him to the ropes and unleashing a series of punches that caused the referee to stop the bout. Following Robinson's victory, residents of Harlem danced in the streets. In 1951, Robinson was named Ring Magazine's "Fighter of the Year" for the second time.

In 1952 he fought a rematch with Olson, winning by a decision. He next defeated former champion Rocky Graziano by a third-round knockout, then challenged World Light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim. In the Yankee Stadium bout with Maxim, Robinson built a lead on all three judges' scorecards, but the 103 °F (39 °C) temperature in the ring took its toll. The referee, Ruby Goldstein, was the first victim of the heat, and had to be replaced by referee Ray Miller. The fast-moving Robinson was the heat's next victim – at the end of round 13, he collapsed and failed to answer the bell for the next round, suffering the only knockout of his career.

On June 25, 1952, after the Maxim bout, Robinson gave up his title and retired with a record of 131–3–1–1. He began a career in show business, singing and tap dancing. After about three years, the decline of his businesses and the lack of success in his performing career made him decide to return to boxing. He resumed training in 1954.

Comeback

In 1955 Robinson returned to the ring. Although he had been inactive for two and a half years, his work as a dancer kept him in peak physical condition: in his autobiography, Robinson states that in the weeks leading up to his debut for a dancing engagement in France, he ran five miles every morning, and then danced for five hours each night. Robinson even stated that the training he did in his attempts to establish a career as a dancer were harder than any he undertook during his boxing career. He won five fights in 1955, before losing a decision to Ralph 'Tiger' Jones. He bounced back, however, and defeated Rocky Castellani by a split decision, then challenged Bobo Olson for the world middleweight title. He won the middleweight championship for the third time with a second-round knockout—his third victory over Olson. After his comeback performance in 1955, Robinson expected to be named fighter of the year. However, the title went to welterweight Carmen Basilio. Basilio's handlers had lobbied heavily for it on the basis that he had never won the award, and Robinson later described this as the biggest disappointment of his professional career. "I haven't forgotten it to this day, and I never will", Robinson wrote in his autobiography. Robinson and Olson fought for the last time in 1956, and Robinson closed the four fight series with a fourth-round knockout.

In 1957 Robinson lost his title to Gene Fullmer. Fullmer used his aggressive, forward moving style to control Robinson, and knocked him down in the fight. Robinson, however, noticed that Fullmer was vulnerable to the left hook. Fullmer headed into their May rematch as a 3–1 favorite. In the first two rounds Robinson followed Fullmer around the ring, however in the third round he changed tactics and made Fullmer come to him. At the start of the fourth round Robinson came out on the attack and stunned Fullmer, and when Fullmer returned with his own punches, Robinson traded with him, as opposed to clinching as he had done in their earlier fight. The fight was fairly even after four rounds. But in the fifth, Robinson was able to win the title back for a fourth time by knocking out Fullmer with a lightning fast, powerful left hook. Boxing critics have referred to the left-hook which knocked out Fullmer as "the perfect punch". It marked the first time in 44 career fights that Fullmer had been knocked out, and when someone asked Robinson after the fight how far the left hook had travelled, Robinson replied: "I can't say. But he got the message."

Later that year, he lost his title to Basilio in a rugged 15 round fight in front of 38,000 at Yankee Stadium, but regained it for a record fifth time when he beat Basilio in the rematch. Robinson struggled to make weight, and had to go without food for nearly 20 hours leading up to the bout. He badly damaged Basilio's eye early the fight, and by the seventh round it was swollen shut. The two judges gave the fight to Robinson by wide margins: 72–64 and 71–64. The referee scored the fight for Basilio 69–64, and was booed loudly by the crowd of 19,000 when his decision was announced. The first fight won the "Fight of the Year" award from The Ring magazine for 1957 and the second fight won the "Fight of the Year" award for 1958.

Decline

Robinson, Madison Square Garden, 1966

Robinson at an ABC TV Jazz Show in 1969

Robinson knocked out Bob Young in the second round in Boston in his only fight in 1959. A year later, he defended his title against Paul Pender. Robinson entered the fight as a 5–1 favorite, but lost a split decision in front of 10,608 at Boston Garden. The day before the fight Pender commented that he planned to start slowly, before coming on late. He did just that and outlasted the aging Robinson, who, despite opening a cut over Pender's eye in the eighth round, was largely ineffective in the later rounds. An attempt to regain the crown for an unheard of sixth time proved beyond Robinson. Despite Robinson's efforts, Pender won by decision in that rematch. On December 3 of that year, Robinson and Fullmer fought a 15-round draw for the WBA middleweight title, which Fullmer retained. In 1961, Robinson and Fullmer fought for a fourth time, with Fullmer retaining the WBA middleweight title by a unanimous decision. The fight would be Robinson's last title bout.

Robinson spent the rest of the 1960s fighting 10-round contests. In October 1961 Robinson defeated future world champion Denny Moyer by a unanimous decision. A 12–5 favorite, the 41-year-old Robinson defeated the 22-year-old Moyer by staying on the outside, rather than engaging him. In their rematch four months later, Moyer defeated Robinson on points, as he pressed the action and made Robinson back up throughout the fight. Moyer won 7–3 on all three judges scorecards. Robinson lost twice more in 1962, before winning six consecutive fights against mostly lesser opposition. In February 1963 Robinson lost by a unanimous decision to former world champion and fellow Hall of Famer Joey Giardello. Giardello knocked Robinson down in the fourth round, and the 43-year-old took until the count of nine to rise to his feet. Robinson was also nearly knocked down in the sixth round, but was saved by the bell. He rallied in the seventh and eight rounds, before struggling in the final two. He then embarked on an 18-month boxing tour of Europe.

Robinson's second no-contest bout came in September 1965 in Norfolk, Virginia in a match with an opponent who turned out to be an impostor. Boxer Neil Morrison, at the time a fugitive and accused robber, signed up for the fight as Bill Henderson, a capable club fighter. The fight was a fiasco, with Morrison being knocked down twice in the first round and once in the second before the disgusted referee, who said "Henderson put up no fight", walked out of the ring. Robinson was initially given a TKO in 1:20 of the second round after the "obviously frightened" Morrison laid himself down on the canvas. Robinson fought for the final time in November 1965. He lost by a unanimous decision to Joey Archer. Famed sports author Pete Hamill mentioned that one of the saddest experiences of his life was watching Robinson lose to Archer. He was even knocked down and Hamill pointed out that Archer had no knockout punch at all; Archer admitted afterward that it was only the second time he had knocked an opponent down in his career. The crowd of 9,023 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh gave Robinson several standing ovations, even while he was being thoroughly outperformed by Archer.

On November 11, 1965, Robinson announced his retirement from boxing, saying: "I hate to go too long campaigning for another chance." Robinson retired from boxing with a record of 173–19–6 (2 no contests) with 108 knockouts in 200 professional bouts, ranking him among the all-time leaders in knockouts.

Professional boxing record

200 fights	200 wins	0 losses
By knockout	130	0
By decision	70	0
By disqualification	0	0
Draws	0
No contests	0

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
200	Win	200–0–0 (2)	Joey Archer	KO	10	10 Nov 1965	Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
199	Win	199–0–0 (2)	Rudolph Bent	TKO	3 (10), 2:20	20 Oct 1965	Community Arena, Steubenville, Ohio, U.S.
198	Win	198–0 (2)	Peter Schmidt	UD	10	1 Oct 1965	Cambria County War Memorial Arena, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
197	Win	197–0–0 (2)	Harvey McCullough	UD	10	23 Sep 1965	Philadelphia Athletic Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
196	NC	196-0 (2)	Neil Morrison	NC	2 (10), 1:20	15 Sep 1965	Norfolk Arena, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
195	Win	195–0–0 (1)	Stan Harrington	KO	10	10 Aug 1965	Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
194	Win	194–0–0 (1)	Harvey McCullough	UD	10	27 Jul 1965	Richmond Arena, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
193	Win	193–0–0 (1)	Ferd Hernandez	KO	10	12 Jul 1965	Hacienda, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
192	Win	192–0–0 (1)	Harvey McCullough	UD	10	24 Jun 1965	Washington Coliseum, Washington, D.C., U.S.
191	Win	191–0–0 (1)	Stan Harrington	TKO	10	1 Jun 1965	Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
190	Win	190–0–0 (1)	Memo Ayón	TKO	10	24 May 1965	Plaza de Toros El Toreo, Tijuana, Mexico
189	Win	189–0–0 (1)	Rocky Randell	KO	3 (10), 0:58	28 Apr 1965	Norfolk Municipal Auditorium, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
188	Win	188–0–0 (1)	Earl Bastings	KO	1 (10), 2:34	3 Apr 1965	Sports Center, Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
187	Win	187–0–0 (1)	Jimmy Beecham	KO	2 (10), 1:48	6 Mar 1965	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica
186	Win	186–0–0 (1)	Fabio Bettini	PTS	10	27 Nov 1964	Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, Italy
185	Win	185–0–0 (1)	Jean Beltritti	PTS	10	14 Nov 1964	Palais des Sports de Marseille, Marseille, France
184	Win	184–0–0 (1)	Jean Baptiste Rolland	PTS	10	7 Nov 1964	Stade Helitas, Caen, France
183	Win	183–0–0 (1)	Jackie Cailleau	PTS	10	24 Oct 1964	Palais des Sports, Nice, France
182	Win	182–0–0 (1)	Johnny Angel	TKO	6 (8)	12 Oct 1964	London Hilton, London, England
181	Win	181–0–0 (1)	Yoland Leveque	PTS	10	28 Sep 1964	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
180	Win	180–0–0 (1)	Mick Leahy	TKO	10	3 Sep 1964	Paisley Ice Rink, Paisley, Scotland
179	Win	179–0–0 (1)	Art Hernández	MD	10	27 Jul 1964	Omaha City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
178	Win	178–0–0 (1)	Clarence Riley	TKO	6 (10), 2:40	8 Jul 1964	Wahconah Park, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
177	Win	177–0–0 (1)	Gaylord Barnes	UD	10	19 May 1964	Portland Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S.
176	Win	176–0–0 (1)	Armand Vanucci	PTS	10	9 Dec 1963	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
175	Win	175–0–0 (1)	Andre Davier	PTS	10	29 Nov 1963	Palais des Sports, Grenoble, France
174	Win	174–0–0 (1)	Emiel Sarens	KO	8 (10)	16 Nov 1963	Palais des Sports, Brussels, Belgium
173	Win	173–0–0 (1)	Fabio Bettini	PTS	10	9 Nov 1963	Palais des Sports de Gerland, Lyon, France
172	Win	172–0–0 (1)	Armand Vanucci	PTS	10	14 Oct 1963	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
171	Win	171–0–0 (1)	Joey Giardello	KO	10	24 Jun 1963	Philadelphia Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
170	Win	170–0–0 (1)	Maurice Roblet	KO	3 (10)	4 May 1963	Palais des Sports Léopold-Drolet, Quebec, Canada
169	Win	169–0–0 (1)	Billy Thornton	KO	3 (10), 0:50	11 Mar 1963	Lewiston Armory, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
168	Win	168–0–0 (1)	Bernie Reynolds	KO	4 (10)	25 Feb 1963	Estadio Quisqueya, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
167	Win	167–0–0 (1)	Ralph Dupas	SD	10	30 Jan 1963	Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
166	Win	166–0–0 (1)	Georges Estatoff	TKO	6 (10)	10 Nov 1962	Palais des Sports de Gerland, Lyon, France
165	Win	165–0–0 (1)	Diego Infantes	KO	2 (10), 1:15	17 Oct 1962	Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
164	Win	164–0–0 (1)	Terry Downes	KO	10	25 Sep 1962	Empire Pool, London, England
163	Win	163–0–0 (1)	Phil Moyer	KO	10	9 Jul 1962	Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
162	Win	162–0–0 (1)	Bobby Lee	KO	2 (10), 2:38	27 Apr 1962	National Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
161	Win	161–0–0 (1)	Denny Moyer	KO	10	17 Feb 1962	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
160	Win	160–0–0 (1)	Wilf Greaves	KO	8 (10), 0:43	8 Dec 1961	Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
159	Win	159–0–0 (1)	Al Hauser	TKO	6 (10), 1:59	20 Nov 1961	Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
158	Win	158–0–0 (1)	Denny Moyer	UD	10	21 Oct 1961	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
157	Win	157–0–0 (1)	Wilf Greaves	SD	10	25 Sep 1961	Convention Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
156	Win	156–0–0 (1)	Gene Fullmer	KO	15	4 Mar 1961	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	For NBA middleweight title
155	Win	155–0–0(1)	Gene Fullmer	SD	15	3 Dec 1960	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	For NBA middleweight title
154	Win	154–0–0 (1)	Paul Pender	KO	15	10 Jun 1960	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	For The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
153	Win	153–0–0 (1)	Tony Baldoni	KO	1 (10), 1:40	2 Apr 1960	Baltimore Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
152	Win	152–0–0 (1)	Paul Pender	KO	15	22 Jan 1960	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	Lost The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
151	Win	151–0–0 (1)	Bob Young	KO	2 (10), 1:18	14 Dec 1959	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
150	Win	150–0–0 (1)	Carmen Basilio	SD	15	25 Mar 1958	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Won The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
149	Win	149–0–0 (1)	Carmen Basilio	TKO	15	23 Sep 1957	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S.	Lost The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
148	Win	148–0-0 (1)	Gene Fullmer	KO	5 (15), 1:27	1 May 1957	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Won NBA, The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
147	Win	147–0 (1)	Gene Fullmer	KO	15	2 Jan 1957	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Lost The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles; For NBA middleweight title
146	Win	146–0 (1)	Bob Provizzi	UD	10	10 Nov 1956	New Haven Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
145	Win	145–0 (1)	Bobo Olson	KO	4 (15), 2:51	18 May 1956	Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Retained The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
144	Win	144–0 (1)	Bobo Olson	KO	2 (15), 2:51	9 Dec 1955	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Won The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
143	Win	143–0 (1)	Rocky Castellani	SD	10	22 Jul 1955	Cow Palace, Daly City, California, U.S.
142	Win	142–0 (1)	Garth Panter	UD	10	4 May 1955	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
141	Win	141–0 (1)	Ted Olla	TKO	3 (10), 2:15	14 Apr 1955	Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
140	Win	140–0 (1)	Johnny Lombardo	SD	10	29 Mar 1955	Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
139	Win	139–0 (1)	Ralph Jones	TKO	10	19 Jan 1955	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
138	Win	138–0 (1)	Joe Rindone	KO	6 (10), 1:37	5 Jan 1955	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
137	Win	137–0 (1)	Joey Maxim	TKO	13 (15)	25 Jun 1952	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S.	For The Ring, and lineal light-heavyweight titles
136	Win	136–0 (1)	Rocky Graziano	KO	3 (15), 1:53	14 Apr 1952	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Retained The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
135	Win	135–0 (1)	Bobo Olson	UD	15	13 Mar 1952	San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.	Retained The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
134	Win	134–0 (1)	Randolph Turpin	TKO	10 (15), 2:52	12 Sep 1951	Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
133	TKO	133–0 (1)	Randolph Turpin	PTS	15	10 Jul 1951	Earls Court Arena, London, England	Lost The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
132	Win	132–0 (1)	Cyrille Delannoit	RTD	3 (10)	1 Jul 1951	Palazzo Dello Sport, Turin, Italy
131	NC	131–0 (1)	Gerhard Hecht	NC	2 (10)	24 Jun 1951	Waldbühne, Berlin, Germany
130	Win	130–0	Jean Walzack	TKO	6 (10)	16 Jun 1951	Palais des Sports, Liège, Belgium
129	Win	129–0	Jan de Bruin	TKO	8 (10)	10 Jun 1951	Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium
128	Win	128–0	Jean Wanes	UD	10	26 May 1951	Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland
127	Win	127–0	Kid Marcel	TKO	5 (10)	21 May 1951	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
126	Win	126–0	Don Ellis	KO	1 (10), 1:36	9 Apr 1951	Municipal Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
125	Win	125–0	Holly Mims	UD	10	5 Apr 1951	Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
124	Win	125–0	Jake LaMotta	TKO	13 (15), 2:04	14 Feb 1951	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Won The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
123	Win	124–0	Hans Stretz	TKO	5 (10)	25 Dec 1950	Haus der Technik, Frankfurt, Germany
122	Win	123–0	Robert Villemain	TKO	9 (10)	22 Dec 1950	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
121	Win	122–0	Jean Walzack	UD	10	16 Dec 1950	Palais des Expositions, Geneva, Switzerland
120	Win	120–0	Luc van Dam	KO	4 (10)	9 Dec 1950	Palais des Sports, Brussels, Belgium
119	Win	116–0	Jean Stock	TKO	2 (10)	27 Nov 1950	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
118	Win	115–0	Bobby Dykes	MD	10	8 Nov 1950	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
117	Win	114–0	Bobo Olson	KO	12 (15), 1:19	26 Oct 1950	Philadelphia Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.	Retained Pennsylvania State middleweight title
116	Win	113–0	Joe Rindone	TKO	6 (10), 0:55	16 Oct 1950	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
115	Win	112–0	Billy Brown	UD	10	4 Sep 1950	Coney Island Velodrome, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
114	Win	111–0	José Basora	KO	1 (15), 0:55	25 Aug 1950	Scranton Stadium, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S	Retained Pennsylvania State middleweight title
113	Win	110–0	Charley Fusari	PTS	15	9 Aug 1950	Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S	Retained The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
112	Win	109–0	Robert Villemain	UD	15	5 Jun 1950	Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S	Won vacant Pennsylvania State middleweight title
111	Win	108–0	Ray Barnes	UD	10	28 Apr 1950	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
110	Win	107–0	Cliff Beckett	TKO	3 (10), 1:45	21 Apr 1950	Memorial Hall, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
109	Win	106–0	George Costner	KO	1 (10), 2:49	22 Mar 1950	Philadelphia Convention Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
108	Win	105–	Jean Walzack	UD	10	27 Feb 1950	St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
107	Win	104–0	Aaron Wade	KO	3 (10)	22 Feb 1950	Municipal Auditorium, Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
106	Win	103–0	Johnny Dudley	KO	2 (12), 0:40	18 Feb 1950	Municipal Stadium, Orlando, Florida, U.S.
105	Win	102–0	Al Mobley	TKO	6 (10)	13 Feb 1950	Coliseum Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S.
104	Win	101–0	George LaRover	TKO	4 (10), 1:38	30 Jan 1950	New Haven Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
103	Win	100-0	Vern Lester	KO	5 (10), 0:12	13 Nov 1949	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
102	Win	99–0	Don Lee	UD	10	9 Nov 1949	Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado, U.S.
101	Win	98–0	Charley Dodson	KO	3 (10), 0:20	12 Sep 1949	Houston City Auditorium, Houston, Texas, U.S.
100	Win	97–0	Benny Evans	TKO	5 (10), 2:56	9 Sep 1949	Omaha City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
99	Win	96–0	Steve Belloise	RTD	7 (10)	24 Aug 1949	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S.
98	Win	95–0	Kid Gavilán	UD	15	11 Jul 1949	Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.	Retained The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
97	Win	94–0	Cecil Hudson	KO	5 (10)	20 Jun 1949	Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
96	Win	93–0	Freddie Flores	TKO	3 (10), 2:41	7 Jun 1949	Page Arena, New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
95	Win	92–0	Earl Turner	TKO	8 (10), 1:51	20 Apr 1949	Oakland Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S.
94	Win	91–0	Don Lee	UD	10	11 Apr 1949	Omaha City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
93	Win	90–0	Bobby Lee	UD	10	25 Mar 1949	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
92	Win	89–0	Henry Brimm	SD	10	15 Feb 1949	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
91	Win	89–0	Young Gene Buffalo	KO	1 (10), 2:55	10 Feb 1949	Kingston Armory, Kingston, Pennsylvania, U.S.
90	Win	88–0	Bobby Lee	UD	10	15 Nov 1948	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
89	Win	87–0	Kid Gavilán	UD	10	23 Sep 1948	Yankee Stadium, Bronx New York, U.S.
88	Win	86–0	Bernard Docusen	UD	15	28 Jun 1948	Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Retained The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
87	Win	85–0	Henry Brimm	UD	10	16 Mar 1948	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
86	Win	84–0	Ossie Harris	UD	10	4 Mar 1948	Toledo Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
85	Win	83–0	Chuck Taylor	TKO	6 (15), 2:07	19 Dec 1947	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	Retained The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
84	Win	82–0	Billy Nixon	TKO	6 (10), 2:10	10 Dec 1947	Elizabeth Armory, Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.
83	Win	81–0	California Jackie Wilson	TKO	7 (10), 1:35	28 Oct 1947	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
82	Win	80–0	Flashy Sebastian	KO	1 (10), 1:02	29 Aug 1947	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
81	Win	79–0	Sammy Secreet	KO	1 (10), 1:50	21 Aug 1947	Rubber Bowl, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
80	Win	78–0	Jimmy Doyle	TKO	8 (15)	24 Jun 1947	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.	Retained The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
79	Win	77–0	Georgie Abrams	SD	10	16 May 1947	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
78	Win	76–0	Eddie Finazzo	TKO	4 (10), 2:30	8 Apr 1947	Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
77	Win	75–0	Freddie Wilson	TKO	3 (10), 1:10	3 Apr 1947	Akron Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
76	Win	74–0	Bernie Miller	TKO	3 (10), 1:32	27 Mar 1947	Dorsey Park, Miami, Florida, U.S.
75	Win	73–0	Tommy Bell	UD	15	20 Dec 1946	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.	Won vacant NBA, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
74	Win	72–0	Artie Levine	KO	10 (10), 2:41	6 Nov 1946	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
73	Win	71–0	Cecil Hudson	KO	6 (10), 2:58	1 Nov 1946	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
72	Win	70–0	Ossie Harris	UD	10	7 Oct 1946	Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
71	Win	69–0	Sidney Miller	KO	3 (10), 1:52	25 Sep 1946	Twin City Bowl, Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.
70	Win	68–0	Vinnie Vines	KO	6 (10), 2:46	15 Aug 1946	Hawkins Stadium, Albany, New York, U.S.
69	Win	67–0	Joe Curcio	KO	2 (10), 0:10	12 Jul 1946	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
68	Win	66–0	Norman Rubio	PTS	10	25 Jun 1946	Roosevelt Stadium, Union City, New Jersey, U.S.
67	Win	65–0	Freddie Wilson	KO	2 (10), 2:00	12 Jun 1946	Worcester Auditorium, Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
66	Win	64–0	Freddie Flores	KO	5 (10), 2:52	21 Mar 1946	Golden Gate Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
65	Win	63–0	Izzy Jannazzo	UD	10	14 Mar 1946	Fifth Regiment Armory, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
64	Win	62–0	Sammy Angott	UD	10	4 Mar 1946	Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
63	Win	61–0	Cliff Beckett	KO	4 (10), 0:40	27 Feb 1946	St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
62	Win	60–0	O'Neil Bell	KO	2 (10), 1:10	15 Feb 1946	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
61	Win	59–0	Tony Riccio	TKO	4 (10), 2:16	5 Feb 1946	Elizabeth Armory, Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.
60	Win	58–0	Dave Clark	TKO	2 (10), 2:22	14 Jan 1946	Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
59	Win	57–0	Vic Dellicurti	UD	10	4 Dec 1945	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
58	Win	56–0	Jimmy Mandell	TKO	5 (10), 1:31	18 Sep 1945	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
57	Win	55–0	Jimmy McDaniels	KO	2 (10), 1:23	15 Jun 1945	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
56	Win	54–0	José Basora	SD	10	14 May 1945	Philadelphia Convention Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
55	Win	54-0	Jake LaMotta	UD	10	23 Feb 1945	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
54	Win	53–0	George Costner	KO	1 (10), 2:55	14 Feb 1945	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
53	Win	52–0	Tommy Bell	UD	10	16 Jan 1945	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
52	Win	51–0	Billy Furrone	TKO	2 (10), 2:28	10 Jan 1945	Uline Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
51	Win	50–0	George Martin	TKO	7 (10), 3:00	22 Dec 1944	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
50	Win	49–0	Sheik Rangel	TKO	2 (10), 2:50	12 Dec 1944	Philadelphia Convention Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
49	Win	48–0	Vic Dellicurti	UD	10	24 Nov 1944	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
48	Win	47–0	Lou Woods	TKO	9 (10), 2:10	27 Oct 1944	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
47	Win	46–0	Izzy Jannazzo	KO	2 (10), 1:10	13 Oct 1944	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
46	Win	45–0	Henry Armstrong	UD	10	27 Aug 1943	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
45	Win	44–0	Ralph Zannelli	UD	10	1 Jul 1943	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
44	Win	43–0	Freddie Cabral	KO	1 (10), 2:20	30 Apr 1943	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
43	Win	42–0	Jake LaMotta	UD	10	26 Feb 1943	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
42	Win	41–0	California Jackie Wilson	MD	10	19 Feb 1943	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
41	Win	40–0	Jake LaMotta	TKO	10	5 Feb 1943	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
40	Win	40–0	Al Nettlow	TKO	3 (10)	14 Dec 1942	Philadelphia Convention Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
39	Win	39–0	Izzy Jannazzo	KO	8 (10), 2:43	1 Dec 1942	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
38	Win	38–0	Vic Dellicurti	UD	10	6 Nov 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
37	Win	37–0	Izzy Jannazzo	UD	10	19 Oct 1942	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
36	Win	36–0	Jake LaMotta	UD	10	2 Oct 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
35	Win	35–0	Tony Motisi	KO	1 (10), 2:41	27 Aug 1942	Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
34	Win	34–0	Reuben Shank	KO	2 (10), 2:26	21 Aug 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
33	Win	33–0	Sammy Angott	UD	10	31 Jul 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
32	Win	32–0	Marty Servo	SD	10	28 May 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
31	Win	31–0	Dick Banner	KO	2 (10), 0:32	30 Apr 1942	Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
30	Win	30–0	Harvey Dubs	TKO	6 (10), 2:45	17 Apr 1942	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
29	Win	29–0	Norman Rubio	TKO	7 (12), 3:00	20 Mar 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
28	Win	28–0	Maxie Berger	TKO	2 (12), 1:43	20 Feb 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
27	Win	27–0	Fritzie Zivic	TKO	10 (12), 0:31	16 Jan 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
26	Win	26–0	Fritzie Zivic	UD	10	31 Oct 1941	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
25	Win	25–0	Marty Servo	UD	10	25 Sep 1941	Philadelphia Convention Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
24	Win	24–0	Maxie Shapiro	TKO	3 (10), 2:04	19 Sep 1941	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
23	Win	23–0	Maurice Arnault	TKO	1 (8), 1:29	29 Aug 1941	Atlantic City Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
22	Win	22–0	Carl Guggino	TKO	3 (8), 2:47	27 Aug 1941	Queensboro Arena, Queens, New York U.S.
21	Win	21–0	Sammy Angott	UD	10	21 Jul 1941	Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
20	Win	20–0	Pete Lello	TKO	4 (8), 1:48	2 Jul 1941	Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.
19	Win	19–0	Mike Evans	KO	2 (8), 0:52	16 Jun 1941	Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
18	Win	18–0	Nick Castiglione	KO	1 (10), 1:21	19 May 1941	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
17	Win	17–0	Victor Troise	TKO	1 (8), 2:39	10 May 1941	Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
16	Win	16–0	Joe Ghnouly	TKO	3 (8), 2:07	30 Apr 1941	Uline Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
15	Win	15–0	Charley Burns	KO	1 (10), 2:35	24 Apr 1941	Waltz Dream Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
14	Win	14–0	Jimmy Tygh	TKO	1 (10), 1:51	14 Apr 1941	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
13	Win	13–0	Jimmy Tygh	KO	8 (10), 1:13	3 Mar 1941	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Gene Spencer	RTD	4 (6)	27 Feb 1941	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Bobby McIntire	UD	6	21 Feb 1941	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Benny Cartagena	KO	1 (6), 1:33	8 Feb 1941	Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	George Zengaras	PTS	6	31 Jan 1941	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Frankie Wallace	TKO	1 (6), 2:10	13 Jan 1941	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Tony Iacovacci	KO	1 (6), 0:40	4 Jan 1941	Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Oliver White	TKO	3 (4)	13 Dec 1940	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Norment Quarles	TKO	4 (8), 0:56	9 Dec 1940	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Bobby Woods	KO	1 (6), 1:31	11 Nov 1940	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Mitsos Grispos	UD	6	22 Oct 1940	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Silent Stafford	TKO	2 (4)	8 Oct 1940	Municipal Auditorium, Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Joe Echevarria	TKO	2 (4), 0:51	4 Oct 1940	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.

Later life

In his autobiography, Robinson states that by 1965 he was broke, having spent all of the $4 million in earnings he made inside and out of the ring during his career. A month after his last fight, Robinson was honored with a Sugar Ray Robinson Night on December 10, 1965, in New York's Madison Square Garden. During the ceremony, he was honored with a massive trophy. However, there was not a piece of furniture in his small Manhattan apartment with legs strong enough to support it. Robinson was elected to the Ring Magazine boxing Hall of Fame in 1967, two years after he retired and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. In the late 1960s he acted in some television shows, like Mission: Impossible. An episode of Land of the Giants called "Giants and All That Jazz" had Sugar as a washed up boxer opening a nightclub. He also appeared in a few films including the Frank Sinatra cop movie The Detective (1968), the cult classic Candy (1968), and the thriller The Todd Killings (1971) as a police officer. In 1969, he founded the Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation for the inner-city Los Angeles area. The foundation does not sponsor a boxing program. He was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus that was treated with insulin.

Death

In Robinson’s last years he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He died in Los Angeles on April 12, 1989 at the age of 67. Robinson is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Personal life

Sugar Ray Robinson with Edna Mae Holly in 1956

Robinson married Marjorie Joseph in 1938; the marriage was annulled the same year. Their son, Ronnie Smith, was born in 1939. Robinson met his second wife Edna Mae Holly, a noted dancer who performed at the Cotton Club and toured Europe with Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. According to Robinson, he met her at a local pool he frequented after his boxing workouts. In an attempt to get her attention he pushed her into the pool one day, and said it was an accident. After this attempt was met with disdain, he appeared at the nightclub she danced at and introduced himself. Soon the couple were dating and they married in 1944. They had one son, Ray Robinson Jr. (born 1949) before their acrimonious divorce in 1962. She appeared on the first cover of Jet magazine in 1951.

In April 1959, Robinson's eldest sister, Marie, died of cancer at the age of 41.

In 1965, Robinson married Millie Wiggins Bruce and the couple settled in Los Angeles. When Robinson was sick with his various ailments, his son accused the elder Robinson's wife of keeping him under the influence of medication to manipulate him. According to Ray Robinson Jr., when Robinson Sr's mother died, he could not attend his mother's funeral because Millie was drugging and controlling him. However, Robinson had been hospitalized the day before his mother's death due to agitation which caused his blood pressure to rise. Robinson Jr. and Edna Mae also said they were kept away from Robinson by Millie during the last years of his life.

Robinson was a Freemason, a membership shared with a number of other athletes, including fellow boxer Jack Dempsey. Robinson guest-starred in Season 2, Episode 6 of Irwin Allen's Land of the Giants.

Boxing style

Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that's in rhythm or you're in trouble.

— Ray Robinson

Robinson was the modern definition of a boxer puncher. He was able to fight almost any style: he could come out one round brawling, the next counterpunching, and the next fighting on the outside flicking his jab. Robinson would use his formless style to exploit his opponents' weaknesses. He also possessed great speed and precision. He fought in a very conventional way with a firm jab, but threw hooks and uppercuts in flurries in an unconventional way. He possessed tremendous versatility—according to boxing analyst Bert Sugar, "Robinson could deliver a knockout blow going backward." Robinson was efficient with both hands, and he displayed a variety of effective punches—according to a Time article in 1951, "Robinson's repertoire, thrown with equal speed and power by either hand, includes every standard punch from a bolo to a hook—and a few he makes up on the spur of the moment." Robinson commented that once a fighter has trained to a certain level, their techniques and responses become almost reflexive. "You don't think. It's all instinct. If you stop to think, you're gone."

Legacy

Robinson being held aloft by Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basilio in 1965

Robinson has been ranked as the greatest boxer of all time by sportswriters, fellow boxers, and trainers. The phrase "pound for pound" was created by sportswriters for him during his career as a way to compare boxers irrespective of weight. Hall of Fame fighters Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Roberto Durán and Sugar Ray Leonard have ranked Robinson as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer in history. In 1997, The Ring ranked him as the best pound-for-pound fighter in history, and in 1999 he was named "welterweight of the century", "middleweight of the century", and overall "fighter of the century" by the Associated Press. In 2007 ESPN.com featured the piece "50 Greatest Boxers of All Time", in which it named Robinson the top boxer in history. In 2003, The Ring ranked him number 11 in the list of all-time greatest punchers. Robinson was also ranked as the number 1 welterweight and the number 1 pound-for-pound boxer of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization. He was inducted into the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame at its inception in 1992.

Robinson was one of the first African Americans to establish himself as a star outside sports. He was an integral part of the New York social scene in the 1940s and 1950s. His glamorous restaurant, Sugar Ray's, hosted stars including Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, Nat King Cole, Joe Louis, and Lena Horne. Robinson was known as a flamboyant personality outside the ring. He combined striking good looks with charisma and a flair for the dramatic. He drove a flamingo-pink Cadillac and was an accomplished singer and dancer, who once pursued a career in the entertainment industry. According to ESPN.com's Ron Flatter: "He was the pioneer of boxing's bigger-than-life entourages, including a secretary, barber, masseur, voice coach, a coterie of trainers, beautiful women, a dwarf mascot and lifelong manager George Gainford." When Robinson first traveled to Paris, a steward referred to his companions as his "entourage". Although Robinson said he did not like the word's literal definition of "attendants", since he felt they were his friends, he liked the word itself and began to use it in regular conversation when referring to them. In 1962, in an effort to persuade Robinson to return to Paris—where he was still a national hero—the French promised to bring over his masseur, his hairdresser, a man who would whistle while he trained, and his trademark Cadillac. This larger-than-life persona made him the idol of millions of African American youths in the 1950s. Robinson inspired several other fighters who took the nickname "Sugar" in homage to him: Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Shane Mosley, and MMA fighter "Suga" Rashad Evans.

See also

• List of welterweight boxing champions
• List of middleweight boxing champions
• The Ring pound for pound

Sources

• Boyd, Herb, and Robinson, Ray II. Pound for Pound: A Biography of Sugar Ray Robinson, New York: HarperCollins, 2005 ISBN 0-06-018876-6
• Chenault, Julie. Edna Mae Robinson Still Looking Good in Her Mink. Jet, Johnson Publishing Company November 5, 1981 issue ISSN 0021-5996 (available online)
• Donelson, Thomas, and Lotierzo, Frank. Viewing Boxing from Ringside, Lincoln: iUniverse, 2002 ISBN 0-595-23748-7
• Fitzgerald, Mike H., and Hudson, Dabid L. Boxing's Most Wanted: The Top Ten Book of Champs, Chumps and Punch-drunk Palookas, Virginia: Brassey's, 2004 ISBN 1-57488-714-9
• Hauser, Thomas. The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing, Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2000 ISBN 1-55728-597-7
• Nagler, Barney. "Boxing's Bad Boy: Sugar Ray Robinson". SPORT Magazine. October 1947.
• Robinson, Sugar Ray, and Anderson, Dave. Sugar Ray, London: Da Capo Press, 1994 ISBN 0-306-80574-X
• Sammons, Jeffrey Thomas. Beyond the Ring: The Role of Boxing in American Society, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998 ISBN 0-252-06145-4
• Wiley, Ralph. Serenity: A Boxing Memoir, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000 ISBN 0-8032-9816-1

External links

• Official website
• Boxing record for Sugar Ray Robinson from BoxRec (registration required)
• Sugar Ray Robinson Biography – Fightfanatics.com
• Image of Sugar Ray Robinson after bout with Carl (Bobo) Olson, Los Angeles, 1956. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Image of Sugar Ray Robinson receives physical exam before fight, Los Angeles, 1956. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.