When was sugar ray robinson born

He lost it to Gene Fullmer in , but defeated him in a rematch. Later that year Carmen Basilio also beat Robinson for the title, but Robinson defeated him in to get the championship back.

Robinson continued to fight until the s. He died of diabetes and Alzheimer's disease at the age of 67 in Culver City, California in Quick facts for kids. Robinson being held aloft by Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basilio in All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles including the article images and facts can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise.

Sugar Ray Robinson won two Golden Gloves awards, in and That was even before he officially turned pro, which might be confusing. The Golden Gloves is an award given to the best amateur boxers in a city that started in the s. Previous Next. Table of Contents. Boxing Career Sugar Ray Robinson's history in boxing began when he was 15 years old. Titles and Awards Sugar Ray Robinson had collected wins and awards even before turning pro.

Personal Life Just like he began his boxing career early, Sugar Ray Robinson also got married very early. Fun Facts Sugar Ray Robinson was the idol of another boxing great. Muhammad Ali called him "the king," and really idolized Sugar Ray. Robinson had a flashy, pink convertible Cadillac for which he was well-known in New York. He also owned a club in Harlem. All that added up to his reputation as a "flamboyant" guy. Sugar Ray's career long rival was boxer Jake LaMotta. They fought each other a total of 6 times, with Robinson only being defeated once.

One of Sugar Ray's last public appearances was in , at the wedding of his long time boxing rival Jake LaMotta. Robinson was the best man at the wedding. Robinson was born in Detroit, grew up in New York City and lived there during his career. Robinson was a shrewd businessman and hard bargainer. Ron Flatter noted that he was "as much a part of the New York scene in the forties and fifties as the Copa and Sinatra. But everybody liked him.

Valentine's Day Massacre. Boxing had its shady side, and Robinson refused to give in to the Mob. He failed to obey the directives of what writer Ron Borges described as "a group of characters to whom legitimate business was only a figure of speech," and "carry" LaMotta through more rounds in that fight. As a result, Robinson was forced to leave the United States for a while because Jim Norris, a Mob-connected character who ran boxing in those days, froze him out of U.

He headed to Europe, where his streak of 91 fights without a defeat ended when British boxer Randy Turpin took the welterweight title by winning a round decision in London. Two months later, however, Robinson regained the title by beating Turpin in a round technical knock out TKO.

In , Robinson went up for the light-heavyweight championship against Joey Maxim in Yankee Stadium. It was a hot night and the temperature in the ring was over degrees. The heat, more than his opponent, wore Robinson down. By the 14th round, he couldn't get up to fight when the bell rang. Six months later, he announced that he was retiring from the sport. For a short time, Robinson entertained audiences by tap dancing in a nightclub act and undertook various business ventures.

But two years later, he was back in the ring, regaining the middleweight championship by beating Carl "Bobo" Olsen three times. He lost the title in in a bout against Gene Fullmer, but won it back four months later in a rematch. Robinson knocked Fullmer out in the fifth round with a left hook; it was the first time Fullmer had ever been knocked out.

Later that year, Robinson lost the title again, and won it back in a bloody battle against Carmen Basilio. Robinson gained an early advantage in the first fight, cutting open Basilio's eye and nose. His natural talent in the ring began to draw attention, and soon crowds gathered to watch Sugar Ray perform. After winning the New York Golden Gloves championship in , year-old Sugar Ray turned pro and never looked back.

By , Sugar Ray was the world welterweight champion.