Sugar Ray Robinson Bio And Facts

Sugar Ray Robinson

Sugar Ray Robinson is an American boxer who fought during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. During his bright, 25 year long career, Robinson was known as one of the best boxers of all time, a title that persists to this day.

Sugar Ray Robinson was born in 1921. There is confusion about his birth place; while he claims to have been born in Detroit, Michigan, his birth certificate states that Robinson was in fact born in Georgia. His original name was Walker Smith Jr; which may seem odd given that it has nothing to do with the name he is known by. To be able to box in his first amateur bout, he borrowed the ID from another boxer whose name was Ray Robinson. From that point on, he became Ray Robinon in the boxing world. The "Sugar" was added in 1939, when he was described as being "sweet as sugar."

• Birthday: May 3, 1921 (03-05-1921)
• Died: April 12, 1989 (12-04-1989)
• Occupation: Professional Boxer
• Height: 5’11” (1.80 m)
• Weight: 161 lbs (73 kg)
• Years Active: 25 (1940-1965)
• Career Wins: 175
• Career Losses: 19
• Career Draws: 6
• Nicknames: "Sugar"

Boxing Career

Sugar Ray Robinson's history in boxing began when he was 15 years old. Young Walker Smith Jr. had dropped out of high school, and turned his attention to boxing. To take part in boxing matches, boxers had to have a license; Walker was 3 years too young to get one. He then borrowed another boxer's license, and made his debut.

While Sugar Ray only became a pro in 1940, he was already a very successful athlete by that time. He went undefeated in amateur fights, winning all 89 of his bouts. In 1939, he won the featherweight Golden Gloves, and the same honor as a lightweight the following year.

Robinson kept his success going in the pros. He won his first 40 professional boxing matches. However, he would only be able to fight for a title in 1946, when he became welterweight title winner. He kept his belt for six years, when in 1951 he won the belt for the middleweight category. He'd be middleweight champion 5 times in the next nine years, which included a brief retirement in 1952, followed by a comeback two years later.

He retired at 45 years of age in 1965, with an overall record of 175 wins, 6 draws, and 19 losses.

Titles and Awards

Sugar Ray Robinson had collected wins and awards even before turning pro. His first award in boxing came in 1939, when he was awarded the Golden Gloves for the featherweight category. He'd win it again before turning pro, but for the lightweight category.

It took Sugar Ray 6 years to win his first title as a professional boxer, which earned him the nickname of "uncrowned champion," for being one of the best boxers, but not having a title yet. He had his first shot at a title in 1946, against Tommy Bell, whom he beat in an unanimous decision. Sugar Ray became lightweight champion, and only let go of that title to become middleweight champion for the first time in 1951. He'd win it four more times, and retire with a total of 6 professional boxing championships. 

In 1990, he got inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. In addition, Sugar Ray is often at the top of "Best Boxer in History" rankings, either at the number one spot or not much behind.

Personal Life

Just like he began his boxing career early, Sugar Ray Robinson also got married very early. He was still a teenager when he got engaged to his first wife, and was less than 20 years old by the time he got divorced. He'd be married twice more, and have two sons.

Robinson was as well-known outside of the boxing ring as he was inside it. Besides being a boxer, he was also a celebrity in New York City. He was known to have an entourage that included trainers, models, secretaries, a barber, and even a masseur.

After his boxing career, Sugar Ray got involved with show business, doing some acting and singing. He died in 1989, while facing Alzheimer's and diabetes.

Fun Facts

• Sugar Ray Robinson was the idol of another boxing great. Muhammad Ali called him "the king," and really idolized Sugar Ray.
• Robinson had a flashy, pink convertible Cadillac for which he was well-known in New York. He also owned a club in Harlem. All that added up to his reputation as a "flamboyant" guy.  
• Sugar Ray's career long rival was boxer Jake LaMotta. They fought each other a total of 6 times, with Robinson only being defeated once.
• Robinson served in the US Army during World War II.
• One of Sugar Ray's last public appearances was in 1986, at the wedding of his long time boxing rival Jake LaMotta. Robinson was the best man at the wedding.
• Robinson was born in Detroit, grew up in New York City and lived there during his career. After retirement he moved to Southern California with his wife, where he passed away.

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