Remembering Sugar Ray Robinson

Sugar Ray Robinson's resume speaks for itself. A hundred seventy-three wins out of 200 fistic contests in a pro career that span 23 years.

But what separates Robinson from ordinary fighters is seen not only by way of looking at the long list of his conquests, but also at the way he conquered his opponents. His technique, boxing skills and ring generalship were simply too advanced-even for his time-to be ignored. To his credit must also go true grit and courage by which he tested his limits inside the ring, as well as an infinite supply of passion for the sport.

Robinson had a natural flair for boxing. Almost always being able to find a way to win, his boxing style was a study of how fighters should respond to any given situation presented to them by their opponents. He was quick with both hands and feet. He was impeccable with his jabs. He loads, unloads and reloads at the perfect time. He was fearless in mixing up with brawlers. He can throw bombs and knock people out double his size.

And probably the most eloquent expression of his greatness could be found in the way future boxers who would be legends themselves have made his brand of boxing their own.

Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, for example, had displayed boxing wizardry that reminded the fans of Robinson. Applying excellent footwork to launch their attack, they executed one of the most electrifying fistic flurries ever seen in boxing.

Even the rapid hooks for which Roy Jones Jr felt he owned a patent have in some ways been lifted from the vast inventory of Robinson's arsenal.

Robinson was 19 (in 1940) when he jumpstarted his professional career at 135 pounds. His devastating form manifested early, storming to a 40-0 win-loss record in only 3 years. His first taste of defeat came at the hands of Jake LaMotta who, at 160.5 pounds, outweighed him by 16 pounds at weigh in. They mixed gloves 5 months earlier, with Robinson winning the bout although LaMotta was heavier by almost 13 pounds.

Robinson and LaMotta went on to clash six more times. It was a tough series for Jake, winning once but losing five times (once by TKO).

A breeze of 88 straight wins by Robinson followed that solitary loss to LaMotta. This incredible streak was interspersed only by a couple of draws and a No Contest bout against Gerhard Hecht of Germany on June 24, 1951. The referee, Otto Nispel, had disqualified Robinson for an illegal kidney blow, but the German Boxing Commission would later change the ruling to "no contest."

Like most fighters of his time and those who preceded them, Robinson was a busy fighter. On average, he fought once in each month during the first 12 years of his professional career. In one European "tour," he was inside the ring four times in one month (December 1950) in four different countries.

A tragic incident marred Robinson's career. On June 24, 1947, at the Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, he knocked out and hurt Jimmy Doyle in a welterweight title bout. Doyle died a few hours after the fight.

Robinson figured in a series of benefit matches intended to help (financially) the family Jimmy Doyle left. One might have thought that Robinson would be less generous this time with servings of his lethal fists. I did. But what happened was Robinson knocked out his next 5 opponents, 2 in the first round.

Wear and tear visibly slowed down Robinson at age 36, picking up a string of losses since then. The rising stars of the middleweight division at the time-Carmen Basilio, Paul Pender and Gene Fullmer-were beating him almost in uniform fashion. Although he continued to be active until he was 51 years old (like appearing in exhibition bouts), he retired from professional boxing at age 44.

Excerpts from "Manny Pacquiao - The Greatest Boxer of all time"

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Hermilando "Ingming" Duque Aberia is a social development worker by training and profession. He has worked for close to 23 years for government and non-government agencies in the Philippines. He has a master's degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management.

Writing for him is both a hobby and a drain for emotional overflow. He writes on various subjects and has published some of his works in Philippine newspapers.

He has also dabbled in online advocacy and home-based marketing. He maintains a website at http://pacquiaodgoat.ws

Emails can be sent to: pacquiadgoat@gmail.com