Sugar Ray Robinson
The fighter 'pound for pound' was invented for.
- Born
- May 3, 1921, Ailey, Georgia, US
- Died
- April 12, 1989 (aged 67)
- Nationality
United States- Height
- 180 cm (5′11″)
- Reach
- 184 cm (6′0″)
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Style
- Boxer-puncher
- Weight
- Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Light heavyweight
- Active
- 1940–1965
The record
Professional; Wikipedia infobox figure. IBHOF lists 175-19-6, 2 NC (106 KO) in 202 bouts; 1940s–60s records vary by source
The story
orn Walker Smith Jr. in Ailey, Georgia, Robinson won New York Golden Gloves titles in 1939 and 1940, turned pro and won his first 40 fights. His first loss came against Jake LaMotta, whom he beat in five of their six meetings, and from 1943 to 1951 he went 91 fights without a defeat. He held the world welterweight title from 1946, then stopped LaMotta in 1951 to become middleweight champion, a crown he won five times, the first fighter to do that in any division. Chasing a third title, he led Joey Maxim on all three cards before heat estimated at 100 degrees kept him on his stool after 13 rounds. Sportswriters coined the phrase 'pound for pound' to rank him.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- World welterweight champion (1946–1951)
- World middleweight champion (5 reigns, 1951–1960)
- First boxer to win a divisional world title five times
- International Boxing Hall of Fame (1990)
- The Ring Fighter of the Year (1942, 1951)
- Edward J. Neil Trophy (1950)
Defining fights
- 1946WINvs Tommy Bell (UD 15, won world welterweight title)
- 1951WINvs Jake LaMotta (TKO 13, St. Valentine's Day Massacre)
- 1951WINvs Randolph Turpin (TKO 10, regained middleweight title)
- 1952LOSSvs Joey Maxim (RTD 13, light heavyweight title bid)
- 1958WINvs Carmen Basilio (SD 15, fifth middleweight title)
Learn to punch on the retreat: Robinson could land a knockout blow going backward. Drill pivots and counter hooks against a partner who follows you in, so moving back never means stopping your offence.
