Fans today can barely imagine such a rivalry taking place here in the era we live in.Walker Smith Jr. Robinson won the series 5-1, yet no man ever made the greatest to ever do it work so hard so many times. It had taken over ten years to complete the two men warring for almost 65 rounds. Sugar Ray took over and proceeded to dish out a sickening beating, stopping (but not dropping) LaMotta in the 13th round of a truly great fight. The fight held in Chicago was brutal, with Jake, who had struggled to make the weight, fading after around eight rounds.

Valentine’s Day Massacre.” LaMotta, now the world middleweight king, attempted to retain his belt for a third time against his bitter rival. Sugar Ray later said that this was the toughest, hardest fight he ever had with LaMotta.Īnd then came the final fight/war/battle of survival – “The St. Robinson won a 12 round split decision in Chicago, a verdict that was soundly booed by the fans in attendance. The fifth fight was arguably the most controversial of the series at least the scoring of the fight proved the most controversial. These two had more to give each other, however. The final ten-round fight between the two, fought-four saw Robinson remain off the canvas all night, winning by unanimous decision. Fight-four came two years later, with Madison Square Garden once again hosting the hostilities. There just had to be another fight between the two. A close encounter, Robinson’s superior boxing saw him home to a decision that LaMotta felt should have gone to him. Sugar Ray had lost for the very first time and he was now 40-1 (this an entire career in terms of numbers by today’s standards).Īmazingly, the two fought a third fight just 21 days later! This time, fighting again in Detroit, Sugar Ray once again found himself getting knocked down, and once again he got back up. This time, it was Jake who sent Robinson home with a wide points loss on his record. LaMotta basically beat Robinson up over the course of the last two rounds. Robinson barely beat the count and he was then saved by the bell.

LaMotta got his revenge in the February 1943 return, scoring a heavy, out of the ropes knockdown in a torrid (for Sugar Ray) eighth round.