At this point Robinson, chasing the welterweight title, was revered as much for his punching power as he was his exceptional boxing ability.Ħ. As an amateur and pro he had scored at least, depending on which source you believe, 56 wins in the opening round. BUT former Detroit newsboy Robinson – who headed east to find fistic fame – was favourite for good reason. As well as being heavier, the underdog had won five since the loss to Robinson – including wins over California Jackie Wilson and Jimmy Edgar – that made some believe he could upset the odds in the return.ĥ. LAMOTTA was naturally the bigger man and came in 16 pounds heavier than his rival at 160 1/2lbs. Ring Magazine had his run as high as 169 bouts (including 129 amateur bouts), although newspapers of the time recorded Robinson’s amateur record as 89-0 – making this bout his 130th.Ĥ. ROBINSON, based in New York, had never tasted defeat going into this contest, although the length of his win streak differs depending on the source. The show was a sell-out with 18,930 fans attending to set a new record for the venue and Detroit’s biggest fight night since world heavyweight champion Joe Louis defeated Abe Simon two years before.ģ. THE rematch was hosted by promoter Nick Londes at Detroit’s Olympia Stadium. ![]() The pair had fought in October the previous year, with welterweight Robinson using his substantial skill to deservedly outscore the bullish LaMotta over 10 rounds.Ģ. ![]() ![]() SUGAR RAY ROBINSON – or Ray “Sugar” Robinson as the International News Service called him at time – was a 3-1 favourite to repeat his victory over Jake LaMotta inside Detroit’s Olympia Stadium on February 5, 1943.
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