BEFORE the world became familiar with the alias ‘Sugar Ray Robinson’, Walker Smith Jr embarked on a glorious run across amateur boxing. Smith was so good. He finished the amateur ranks undefeated, with a record of 85-0 (69 KOs), scoring an astonishing 40 first-round KOs.
The name ‘Ray Robinson’, now synonymous with the number one GOAT spot worldwide, came about when Smith borrowed the amateur card of a friend ‘Ray Robinson’. Sugar was added when manager George Gainford watched the future great in action; impressed with what he saw, he stated that Robinson was ‘sweet as sugar’. Thus, the most iconic nickname in boxing was born.
Whilst his amateur expedition was brilliant, with a win over fellow legend Willie Pep sprinkled along Golden Gloves Championships – it was Robinson’s run as a professional that truly blew everyone away.
Stylistically, Robinson is boxing’s complete fighter. The fact no footage is available of his peak days is a tragedy, but the many videos available of his middleweight battles are evidence of expert boxing prowess. He remains one of history’s most devastating KO punchers, with 109 KOs as diverse as any other puncher ever seen.
His one-punch power was concussive, as perfectly demonstrated against formidable brawler Gene Fullmer. Robinson unleashed a crisp left hook with no fat on it whilst on the retreat, instantly crippling ‘The Cyclone’. Sizzling combination punches flowed from his fists as effortlessly as any other, their efficiency no more apparent than when Rocky Graziano’s mouthpiece was blasted into the crowd.
Perfect punch technique was not the sole tool that conquered two decades. Robinson was also a beautiful mover and a master boxer with relentless stamina. For a figure as graceful as Sugar, he had mettle that very few could match. In total, Robinson fought world champions ranging from lightweight great Sammy Angott to light-heavyweight king Joey Maxim.
Despite usually being outsized and brawling with formidable foes in an era of killers, Robinson never took a 10 count and was only stopped once in his entire career. That stoppage was due to heat exhaustion, at light-heavyweight, in a fight Robinson was winning, in a venue so hot even the referee was replaced mid-fight.
The toughness, skills, savvy, and power culminated in the perfect fighter and for 11 years, perfection was all Robinson knew.
In a run of form, Hall of Fame worthy on its own, Robinson toppled champions and Hall of Famers ranging from 135–147lbs in Marty Servo, Sammy Angott twice, Jake LaMotta, Izzy Jannazzo twice and Fritzie Zivic twice, all by the age of 21, compiling a brilliant 40-0 record.
Legendary slugger LaMotta outworked and outsized him in their second fight, handing Ray his first defeat. Robinson would make him pay in return in the most devastating prime year span that boxing has ever seen.
For seven years, he remained unbeaten in 91 successive fights. So many iconic names within the boxing world fell to Robinson at his ferocious best. Cuban great Kid Gavilán lost twice, LaMotta four times, and Angott and Jannazzo were beaten again, while fellow GOAT Armstrong tasted defeat, albeit past his best.
As Robinson ruled the world welterweight championship, all challengers fell. So much so that he ventured up to middleweight in search of new competition, cleaning up and snatching the crown at 160.
Shortly after knocking out Hall of Famer Bobo Olson in his 115th career victory, Robinson set his sights on a European tour. Contenders were obliterated across Paris, Brussels, Geneva, Frankfurt, Zurich, and Antwerp, amongst many other famous locations. ‘Sugar’ Ray’s charisma, grace, and personality transferred beyond the ring, and he was a true global superstar.
A brief blip occurred in London, Earls Court, courtesy of British great Randolph Turpin. In one of history’s greatest upsets and British boxing’s most iconic victories, Turpin out-hustled, outworked, and outfought Robinson to snatch the middleweight titles, ending his colossal unbeaten streak, which had almost set records as the longest ever.
Heading into the first Turpin fight, Robinson’s record was a jaw-dropping 129-1-2 (84 KOs). He had dominated champions from 135lbs to 160lbs, the equivalent of five divisions in a modern context. Although Turpin had temporarily brought him back down to earth, he displayed a stubborn defiance that would further cement his legacy over the years to come. He wasted no time reclaiming the titles with an emphatic 10th-round TKO just two months later, having once more sought revenge on the man who beat him.
The 1940s decade of dominance highlighted unmatched superiority, but the 50s provided the adversity which exposed Robinson’s remarkable toughness and resilience. Vicious knockouts over Rocky Graziano and Bobo Olson followed the reclaiming of the belt before a further leap up to light-heavyweight would follow in a bid to become a three-division champion.
Once more, three divisions may not seem like a standout achievement in the modern day, but it is important to understand the context of the era. At the time, there were no junior or super divisions, so from defeating Angott to fighting Maxim, Robinson was jumping a staggering 40lbs in opposition, the equivalent of seven divisions today.
In the boiling heat of the Yankee Stadium, ‘Sugar Ray’ built a lead on the cards. Before Robinson eventually succumbed to exhaustion in round 13, collapsing on the canvas, referee Ruby Goldstein could go on no longer and was replaced by Ray Miller, a shocking reflection of the conditions.
The stoppage was the only one Robinson suffered across 201 fights. After losing at light-heavyweight, he set his sights on holding the middleweight title firmly in his grasp once more, and two successful KOs against Olson cemented it.
The aura of invincibility began to diminish against the rugged, bigger middleweights. Ralph Jones outpointed him before the swarming Gene Fullmer claimed the crown over a hard-fought 15 rounds. With his back against the wall, Robinson responded in the only way he knew, taking the fight to the man who bested him.
He rematched Fullmer immediately, landing what many call, ‘the greatest left hook ever thrown’ to score the famous KO, once again avenging his defeat in the rematch to become a four-time middleweight champion. This reign would be his shortest, as battle-hardened Carmen Basilio looked to emulate Robinson’s multi-division success.
Similarly, a former welterweight champion, ‘The Upstate Onion Farmer’, had emerged victorious in two successive Ring Magazine Fight of the Years, absorbing absurd punishment against Tony De Marco before prevailing in a gruesome showing of grit in a classic comeback.
He then competed in the following Fight of the Year against Johnny Saxton, with the pair battling each other three times within 11 months. After a ferocious run of form in his welterweight run, Basilio never looked to let up anytime soon and brought a hellacious onslaught to Robinson.
The pair dished up a brutal 15-round slugfest, with both men absorbing tons of punishment. Basilio pulled off a terrific victory. Inevitably, Robinson prevailed in the rematch, reclaiming the belts for the fifth and final time.
The two Robinson–Basilio fights were as violent as any in middleweight history and were each winners of the Fight of the Year award in 1957 and 1958. Whilst Robinson had fought through two award winners successively, Basilio had been in a staggering four Fight of the Year winners in a row, winning three.
No one would envy the wars Basilio endured between 1955-1958, incredibly he and Gene Fullmer would unleash carnage in the 1959 Fight of the Year. A consecutive five Fight of the Years is a record that will stand the test of time.
Following his fifth middleweight title win, Robinson had bounced back from setbacks in a manner very few have mimicked. His record stood at 141-6-2 (91 KOs). Across the first decade, he had been unbeatable and in the following decade had engaged in history’s most iconic fights, scored the greatest knockouts we have on film and, most importantly, gained revenge on every fighter to ever take his title. 20 years at the top, he was voted as the only fighter in history to win the Fighter of the Decade award twice, for both the 1940s and 1950s.
Robinson’s career continued for another five years, but he was never the same fighter. Paul Pender snatched the belt for the final time from Robinson, who was now 38 years old. Gene Fullmer handed him a draw and defeat, whilst Denny Moyer and Brit Terry Downes scored further victories, with him now in his 40s. There were still good wins against Greaves, Moyer and Ralph Dupas, but his run at the top was over. 13 of Robinson’s 19 career KOs came after his 38th birthday.
Robinson retired from the sport in 1965 at the age of 44. His farewell fight was a defeat to Joey Archer over 10 rounds. His record was 174-19-6 (109 KOs). Robinson scored 21 victories against Hall of Famers across 29 fights – he defeated the following Hall of Famers:
Bobo Olson (4-0 3 KOs), Fritzie Zivic (2-0 1 KO), Sammy Angott (3-0), Rocky Graziano (1-0 1 KO), Kid Gavilán (2-0), Henry Armstrong (1-0), Jake Lamotta (5-1 1 KO), Randolph Turpin (1-1 1 KO), Carmen Basilio (1-1), Gene Fullmer (1-2-1 1 KO).
