Although it’s nearly unimaginable to overstate Sugar Ray Robinson’s greatness, a lot has been written with reference to that inarguable standing that little may be stated with out sounding redundant. The actual fact stays that solely Harry Greb and Sam Langford can mount a severe problem to Robinson’s supremacy within the pantheon of boxing legends. Many take into account “The Sugar Man” to be the right fighter, a mixture of dazzling boxing expertise, blazing velocity of hand and foot, and devastating punching energy. Robinson’s accomplishments throughout his 25 12 months, 198-bout profession are among the many most spectacular in all sports activities.
Robinson received each the welterweight and middleweight crowns, nearly received the light-heavyweight title, and really conceivably might have received the light-weight championship had he gotten an opportunity to struggle for it. In in the present day’s world of “junior” and “tremendous” weight lessons and a number of titles per division, Robinson would little doubt have sufficient belts to cowl his complete anatomy from head to toe had been he competing in the present day.
At the same time as a teenager his expertise astounded essentially the most cynical of grizzled veteran fight-watchers. After a mere twenty matches he bested light-weight champion Sammy Angott in a ten spherical non-title affair. Sammy was an 80 bout veteran and had an unlimited benefit in expertise, so this was no small feat. However Ray shortly outgrew the 135 pound division, which in all probability drew an enormous collective sigh of reduction from Angott, Beau Jack, Bob Montgomery and the various different future greats contesting within the division on the time.
Sugar Ray said for the file that he cherished preventing in Pittsburgh and he particularly favored the way in which he was handled by promoters Artwork Rooney and Barney McGinley every time they did enterprise. The 2 founders of the Pittsburgh Steelers soccer franchise had gotten into boxing in recent times and had acknowledged Robinson’s huge potential and signed him on early to struggle beneath their promotional banner.
Robinson arrived for his first struggle in Pittsburgh in January of 1946 and was instantly put up in a pleasant home within the Hill District. Matchmaker Jake Mintz, who would later pilot the profession of Ezzard Charles, launched him to Gus Greenlee’s Crawford Grill, the central hub of African-American life and tradition in “Metal Metropolis.” Greenlee, who based the Pittsburgh Crawford Negro League Baseball crew, was a strong and influential determine within the Hill District on the time. Whereas beneath his auspices and coaching for his upcoming struggle, Ray was capable of calm down and benefit from the meals and vibrant jazz scene that Gus’s night time spot would quickly turn out to be well-known for.
Much more to Robinson’s liking was the Rooney-McGinley Boxing Membership giving him a assure of $3,500 plus a share of the gate, a pleasant determine in these days. After shortly dispatching opponent Dave Clark, the receipts had been tallied and Ray was delighted to find that his share was doubled because of the brisk fan turnout. Robinson was so happy that he promised to struggle once more in Pittsburgh and Ray was nearly as good as his phrase. He returned to compete 4 extra occasions, together with battles with native heroes Sammy Angott, Wilf Greaves and Ossie “Bulldog” Harris.
One extremely anticipated struggle that by no means did happen was a proposed Sugar Ray Robinson vs Charley Burley bout, which might have matched the 2 most gifted boxers within the welterweight and middleweight divisions. Robinson toyed with the thought and entertained a possible $25,000 incentive that was on the desk, however ultimately, deciding that Burley was far too harmful an opponent to battle for something lower than prime greenback, Ray doubled his asking value.
However he would return many occasions to the Metal Metropolis throughout and after his preventing days to benefit from the night time life and rub shoulders with Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Billy Eckstine, Satchel Paige and the quite a few different music and sports activities celebrities that had been at all times on the Wylie Avenue scene within the Hill District. And it was in Pittsburgh on November 10, 1965 that Robinson fought his closing struggle, dropping a ten spherical resolution to Joey Archer on the Civic Enviornment. It was a tragic ending to an in any other case sensible profession.
— Douglas Cavanaugh
