Raging Bull Jake LaMotta versus Sugar Ray Robinson Rivalry, When Boxing Was Great
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
“The three toughest fighters I ever fought were Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Sugar Ray Robinson. I fought Sugar Ray Robinson so many times, I’m surprised I’m not diabetic.” The flamboyant personality of the affable and good-natured LaMotta, whose personal life was nonetheless stormy and turbulent with women, could not have described it better for the press.
The Raging Bull, Jake LaMotta, has died at age 95 of pneumonia. LaMotta fought Sugar Ray Robinson six times, and was married seven times. For LaMotta, both worlds were equally as turbulent. Between 1941 and 1954, LaMotta, fighting between 155 and 172 pounds, won 83 bouts, lost 19, and drew four, with 30 knockouts. He claimed to have thrown a November 1947 match with Billy Fox in order to get a shot at middleweight title.
Fox, who is 91, got knocked down four times in a light heavyweight title bout with Gus Lesnevich in in his next bout, seemingly validating LaMotta’s unsubstantiated claim. Controversy marked Jake’s life, as seen in the Movie ‘Raging Bull’ with Robert DeNiro.
The most interesting part of LaMotta’s Hall of Fame career was his six classic bouts with Sugar Ray Robinson. Today we think of a rivalry as usually three fights between two combatants, such as Arturo Gatti versus Mickey Ward. It could also be a classic rivalry of title bouts between two individuals. To fight the same opponent six times requires public demand, and solid motivation. Probably Jake LaMotta was still fighting Sugar Ray Robinson in his dreams, when he was not still doing his daily shadowboxing. LaMotta was knocked down only once, in 1952 by Danny Nardico, in 106 professional bouts.
The six matches went like this for Jake LaMotta with Sugar Ray Robinson: October 1942 (lost in 10), February 1943 (lost in 10, won in 10), February 1945 (lost in 10), September 1945 (lost split decision 12), February 1951 (lost TKO by 13, for World Middleweight title, in a bout termed ‘The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre’). In their second bout, LaMotta decked Robinson through the ropes for a count of nine. In their third bout, Robinson won a decision LaMotta claimed was a gift, because Robinson was getting inducted in the army the next day. In their fifth bout, Robinson won a controversial split decision booed by the crowd at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
Literally a YouTube saga without end, between the six bouts with Robinson, 1980 Academy Award winner Raging Bull (eight nominations and two wins-best actor for Robert DeNiro and best film editing), and the 2012 sequel ‘The Bronx Bull’ keep LaMotta’s flame alive. It can be argued LaMotta and Robinson still seem to be fighting each other forever, perhaps somewhere up there in the sky.
LaMotta’s style was simple but brutal. With a granite chin which could not be dented, LaMotta came inside and bullied his opponents as a swarmer and slugger, slugging it out and giving more than he took. With an unshakable warrior’s mentality, many opponents, given this vicious style of boxing, could not survive either the judges or the litmus test.
Long associated with the Mafia, LaMotta owned and managed bars and nightclubs after retirement, and was a stand-up comedian and stage actor who appeared in 15 films. He played a bartender in the 1961 movie ‘The Hustler’ with Paul Newman. He served six months in a chain gang after getting convicted of introducing men to an underage girl in his club in Miami. In 1960, he testified before a Senate subcommittee investigating underworld influence in boxing. In later years, LaMotta had his own all-star baseball team.
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