Two questions I get asked on a weekly basis.
‘Who’s your favourite fighter?’
‘Who’s the greatest of all time?’
The first is obviously one of preference, and people have favourites for many different reasons, style, excitement, punch power, the era they grew up, for me, like so many, it was the greatest, Muhammad Ali, who captivated my childhood and inspired me to achieve my dream.
I’m also happy to hear other peoples choices, like my memory of my Grandad’s love of Joe Louis or my sons awe at Floyd Mayweather, its a fabulous discussion all fight fans enjoy.
The best ever? Pound for Pound? That I’m afraid is not a matter of preference, but fact, it needs to be proved beyond doubt.
I must say for me it has been without doubt ever since I watched in complete wonder at a Documentary called exactly that ‘Pound for Pound, Sugar Ray Robinson.’
I was asked the question again this weekend at a small hall show in Nottingham by a young man that knew his facts, his recent boxing knowledge was excellent and he was convinced there was no one ever like Money Mayweather.
I said Ray Robinson but he was none the wiser. I’m sorry, Floyd Mayweather for all his outstanding achievement and amazing skill and undefeated record, still can’t really match the amazing record of young Walker Smith Jnr, or as he would be come Sugar Ray Robinson.
Thanks to a gift of many classic fights from Steve Lott, my friend from my days on Team Tyson and the owner of an incredible collection of boxing footage, I could once more recap on an incredible career of the true boxing legend.
Robinson had a perfect undefeated amateur career of 85 wins, 69 by Knockout, 40 in the first round and turned professional at 19 years of age. Over the next 11 years he would beat the lightweight World Champ, win the world Welterweight and Middleweight title’s and lose only once in his next 131 fights, and that to raging bull Jake LaMotta who was 16lbs heavier, which he would avenge 3 weeks later.
He became the only boxer to win a world title five times, and finished his truly remarkable career after 25 years with 19 losses in a 200 fight record in 1965. His achievements are made even more remarkable by the boxing legends littered across his record, like a veritable who’s who, names like Jake LaMotta who he defeated in 5 of their 6 battles, stopping him in the last of their bloody encounters, to World champions Sammy Angott, Marty Servo and Fritzie Zivic, which were in just his first year.
3 weight world champion Henry Armstrong defeated in 1943 then Tommy Bell and Cuban great Kid Gavilan all defeated in his unbeatable time at welterweight.
Up at middleweight 2 fights with our own great Randy Turpin saw him lose, then regain the middleweight belt with a savage beating of the Leamington spa hero at the New York Polo grounds stadium in 1951. The following year he defeated champions Bobo Olson and Rocky Graziano, then moved up to light heavy to out box the World champion Joey Maxim only for the 100 degrees heat force his retirement at the end of 13 torrid rounds.
A brief retirement followed where he toured as a dancer in Paris and Broadway before putting the gloves back on to regain the Middleweight title on two more occasions to more boxing greats in Gene Fulmer and Carmen Basilio.
Even after losing his Middleweight crown to Paul Pender he would go on to box for 5 more years and another 48 fights finally hanging them up after a points loss to World number 1 Joey Archer in 1965 aged 45 years old.
That’s the facts and figures but this story is much more than statistics. This is about his fabulous style, character, fierce determination and mind numbing power, his superb boxing skills and perfect footwork and balance, the great chin, dazzling combinations, one punch power and unbelievable bravery.
Sugar Ray Robinson had it all.
His legacy is not about skills and defence, it is about excitement and knockouts, 109 big knockouts in fact, in a time when challengers came teak tough.
‘Pound for Pound’ is a facinating must see documentary for all boxing fans about a bygone era and truly remarkable fighter that we will never see the like of again which has a list of all time Heavyweight legends like Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano, Floyd Patterson and Muhammad Ali all in agreement about one thing The Best Ever will always be one man,
Sugar Ray Robinson,
Pound for Pound.