Sugar Ray won his first welterweight title against Tommy Bell in 1946, and held it for five years, until 1951. He then moved up the middleweight division, and won it on February 14a t Chicago Stadium in Chicago against Jake LaMotta. In what became known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Ray stopped LaMotta in the thirteenth round.
Ray made eight defenses of his crown before traveling to England to fight Randy Turpin on July 10. Robinson was cut badly on his left eye in the 7th round, and went on to lose a 15 round decision. He quickly avenged the defeat just two months later, in a rematch with Turpin at the Polo Grounds in New York. Sugar Ray suffered another bad cut on his left eye in the 10th round, but this time fought back with a vengeance, knocking Turpin out in the same round.
After two more successful title defenses over Carl ‘Bobo’ Olson and Rocky Graziano, Ray decided to take a shot at Joey Maxim’s light heavyweight crown in the summer of 1952 at Yankee Stadium. Despite being outweighed by over 15 pounds, Ray was easily outboxing the bigger Maxim. The temperature was over 100 degrees that night however, and that is what finished Ray’s night. Overcome by heat prostration, he quit on his stool after the 13th round, but it was still a tremendous effort.
After the loss to Maxim, Sugar Ray announced his retirement from boxing, and went to Europe to perform as a tap dancer in different revues across cities. His personality and skills were enough to draw crowds, and his critics were kind to him. Ray said “I really don’t enjoy boxing anymore, and I need a change,” Boxing’s biggest star had a new stage, and there was no one left in America to fill his huge shoes.
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
LISTEN TO MY PODCAST ON SPOTIFY AT kensoldtimboxingchat
