(Authentic Caption) Sugar Ray Robinson smiles broadly as he’s raised to shoulders of his handlers right here, after scoring a 2nd spherical knockout over defending champ Carl “Bobo” Olson. The tip got here at 2:51 of the 2nd spherical. Carrying Robinson are Harry Wiley, (L), and Honey Brewer.
On today (December 9) in 1955, Sugar Ray Robinson turned the primary former middleweight champion to regain the 160-pound title with a second-round knockout of Carl “Bobo” Olson earlier than 12,441 followers at Chicago Stadium in Chicago.
Robinson entered the bout as a 3-to-1 underdog regardless of carrying a tremendous 137-4-2 report into the ring together with his acquainted foe. The 35-year-old veteran had not appeared just like the dynamo that dominated the Forties following a close to three-year retirement (from June 1952-January 1955) and had struggled throughout a few of his six comeback bouts (together with a 10-round determination loss to Ralph “Tiger” Jones and a hard-fought 10-round cut up determination over contender Rocky Castellani, who dropped the two-division champ for a 9-count in Spherical 6).
Olson, who entered the bout with a 71-7 report, had scored decisive victories over Jones and Castellani since profitable the title with a 15-round determination over Randy Turpin (who additionally owned a victory over Robinson) in 1953.
Nevertheless, Robinson regained his rhythm, timing and magic in opposition to Olson, who he had stopped in 12 rounds and outpointed over 15 rounds in earlier bouts, beautiful the rugged Hawaiian early in Spherical 2 and rapidly overwhelming the longer term corridor of famer 9 seconds earlier than the bell.
“I didn’t get the title simple,” Robinson, overcome with emotion, stated later in his dressing room. “I’m not going to offer it away.”
Later within the decade, Robinson would give it away to a pair of future corridor of famers, however he grabbed it again in epic rematches. Examine Robinson’s storied middleweight title bout wars in the course of the Nineteen Fifties within the following article, penned by historian Lee Groves and initially revealed within the July 2021 situation of The Ring, a particular version celebrating Robinson’s life and profession (which is nonetheless on sale on the Ring Store).
A REMARKABLE LEGACY ALREADY FIRMLY IN PLACE, ROBINSON TOOK A BRIEF STAB AT SHOWBIZ, BUT THE ALLURE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP BELT PROVED TOO STRONG
For all world-class athletes, the perfect ending can be to gracefully go away the aggressive area on the absolute zenith, doing so with a wholesome checking account, peace of thoughts and with a probably profitable second profession in thoughts, if not in hand.
By saying his retirement in December 1952, Sugar Ray Robinson, already thought-about the best pound-for-pound boxer in historical past in addition to essentially the most completely constructed pugilistic machine ever assembled, sought to execute the proper exit technique. At 31, Robinson was nearing the tip of his chronological prime, and with a report of 132-3-2 with one no-contest and 87 knockouts, he was forsaking a lifetime’s value of recollections for followers to savor. His post-career blueprint appeared sound; his Harlem-based companies would supply him sufficient revenue to permit him to pursue his dream of being a song-and-dance man. By stepping away from boxing and time-stepping into the highlight of present enterprise, he hoped to embody the quote credited to P.T. Barnum: “All the time go away them wanting extra.”
Cosmetically, Robinson was as much as the duty, as he appeared elegant in his white tie and tails. However after the preliminary rush of curiosity, it turned clear that Ray Robinson the entertainer couldn’t match the matchless bar set by Sugar Ray Robinson the boxer. He was an honest faucet dancer, however he was no Invoice “Bojangles” Robinson. He may inform jokes, however he was no Bob Hope, Jack Benny or Milton Berle. And whereas his singing voice may in the end be in contrast with these of Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes, he wasn’t in the identical universe as those that stood atop Mount Olympus of their varied genres.
(Picture by Gamma-Keystone through Getty Photographs)
After the preliminary rush of curiosity, it turned clear that Ray Robinson the entertainer couldn’t match the matchless bar set by Sugar Ray Robinson the boxer.
Robinson was trustworthy sufficient with himself to comprehend he couldn’t obtain the perfection he needed, and the cruel critiques took their toll on the gate in addition to on his repute. Robinson couldn’t abdomen being mediocre, and rumors of a hoop return have been ignited when supervisor George Gainford was noticed with Robinson in Paris. These rumors have been additional stoked by stories that his companies have been hemorrhaging cash. It turned clear that the revenue from his present gig couldn’t start to repay his money owed. A triumphant boxing comeback, nevertheless, may.
One other persuasive argument was that Carl “Bobo” Olson – whom Robinson had already crushed twice – was now middleweight champion, due to his victory over Randy Turpin in October 1953. Olson had gained 18 straight since dropping his second combat on factors to Robinson in March 1952, together with an Eleventh-round TKO over Pierre Langlois in December 1954 to retain his championship for the third time. Sure, Olson was on the perfect roll of his profession – his different title-fight victims have been the revered Rocky Castellani and welterweight king Child Gavilan – however Robinson believed he may nonetheless take out Olson and regain the crown. All he needed to do was win sufficient fights to justify the match, and if Robinson had his manner, he would safe the showdown as quickly as attainable.
Following a 30-month layoff, Robinson was again in opposition to Joe Rindone.
The comeback started January 5, 1955, at Detroit’s Olympia Stadium in opposition to Joe Rindone, a Marine from Roxbury, Massachusetts, who was as soon as rated seventh on this planet. Robinson had stopped Rindone in six rounds in October 1950, and whereas he repeated that consequence right here, the two-and-a-half years of rust was evident.
“For 10 thrilling seconds, it was the Sugar Ray Robinson of previous – swift, sharp and lethal,” wrote the Related Press of the knockout sequence. “However earlier than that, the modern New Yorker was cautious and unsure, exhibiting apparent indicators of his 30-month layoff.”
Two weeks later, Robinson appeared in his first nationally televised comeback bout in opposition to the rugged Ralph “Tiger” Jones, one of many period’s hottest “TV fighters.” Robinson was an 8-to-1 favourite in opposition to Jones, whose five-fight skid lowered his ledger to 32-12-3 with eight KOs. As soon as the opening bell sounded, nevertheless, the 26-year-old Jones unleashed the “Tiger” inside and mauled the 33-year-old legend for 10 straight rounds. Shaken within the first, reduce over the suitable eyebrow within the second and visibly drained after the fifth, Robinson lacked the power, energy and timing to deal with Jones’ assault. Jones earned an amazing factors victory and, recalling Robinson’s heat-marred 14th-round TKO loss to Joey Maxim that ended the primary section of his profession, the once-peerless Robinson had now misplaced two of his final three fights. Within the very Chicago Stadium ring during which he dished out considered one of historical past’s most vicious beatings in opposition to Jake LaMotta, Jones inflicted what the Related Press referred to as “the worst beating of (Robinson’s) profession.”
The loss scuttled a proposed third combat between Robinson and Gavilan in addition to his hoped-for match with Olson. In the meantime, the win earned Jones his personal date with Olson, albeit a non-title 10-rounder, 30 days later. The truth that Olson fired a near-shutout in opposition to Jones (100-78, 100-86, 99-87) graphically illustrated simply how far Robinson was from his final objective.
“I need to proceed,” Robinson informed the AP. “I believe Jones was too powerful an opponent for a second combat. However being egotistical I needed to take him on regardless that Joe Glaser (Robinson’s enterprise supervisor) was in opposition to it from the beginning. I believe I can do higher with a couple of extra fights, and if I can’t, then I’ll stop.”
Robinson returned two months later in opposition to Johnny Lombardo, whose report (32-12-2) was nearly an identical to Jones’ however was solely a 2-to-1 underdog, a measure of how far Robinson’s regard had slipped. One other gauge was that the one individuals who noticed the bout have been the 5,124 contained in the Cincinnati Gardens as a result of it was not televised. Once more Robinson struggled together with his timing, however he confirmed sufficient flashes of his finest self to win a 10-round cut up determination.
Robinson caught with it, and, 16 days later, the sequence that ended his Milwaukee match in opposition to Ted Olla in Spherical 3 was an encouraging signal that Robinson’s earlier pace and savvy have been reawakening. Eighteen days after that in Detroit, Robinson survived a quick scare in Spherical 1 to comprehensively outpoint Garth Panter (100-77 twice, 99-81).
It was right here that Robinson opted to roll the cube and see if he nonetheless had what it took to beat the highest middleweights. The goal was Castellani, who misplaced on factors to champion Olson 11 months earlier however remained the top-rated challenger, due to subsequent wins over Moses Ward (TKO 8), Holly Mims (UD 12) and Chico Varona (UD 10). Castellani was a 2-to-1 alternative, however Robinson solid an early lead by initiating many of the exchanges, exhibiting ample power within the clinches and focusing his assault on the physique. However early in Spherical 6, Castellani maneuvered Robinson towards the ropes and linked with a crushing hook to the jaw that landed simply as Robinson launched his personal hook. The dazed Robinson fell ahead to the canvas however regained sufficient of his schools to rise at Jack Downey’s depend of 9. Robinson rode out the spherical with a number of well-timed clinches, then rocked Rocky with a whistling proper in Spherical 8 and managed the ninth with a number of pinpoint energy photographs. The choice was cut up; Jack Silver’s 56-54 card for Castellani was heartily booed by the gang inside San Francisco’s Cow Palace, however Silver was overruled by choose Frankie Carter and referee Downey, each of whom noticed Robinson a 56-54 victor.
The Castellani victory capped a outstanding reversal of fortune; in a bit greater than six months, Robinson had risen from the ashes of the Jones loss and have become the main challenger for Olson’s championship.
Regardless of his two earlier defeats to Robinson, Olson was a 3-to-1 favourite as a result of (1) at 27, Olson was at his bodily peak; (2) regardless of the Castellani victory, the skeptics doubted whether or not Robinson had the legs to final 15 rounds; and (3) when preventing close to his personal weight class, Olson was dominant. He barely misplaced a spherical in scoring 10-round choices over “Tiger” Jones, Willie Vaughn and former mild heavyweight champion Joey Maxim, the latter of which prompted Olson to problem 175-pound king Archie Moore. “Historic Archie,” nonetheless close to his finest at 41, dismissed Olson (who scaled a then career-high 170¼) in three rounds, however subsequent factors wins over Jimmy Martinez and Joey Giambra, the place he scaled 165 and 166 respectively, helped regular his ship. In the meantime, Robinson was hit with a pair of distractions shortly earlier than the December 1955 bout at Chicago Stadium: the gangland slaying of former enterprise affiliate Alex Louis Greenberg (he and Joe Louis had the distributing rights for Greenberg’s Canadian Ace Brewing Co.) and an $87,000 federal tax lien on his earnings.
In a bit greater than six months, Robinson had risen from the ashes of the Jones loss and have become the main challenger for Olson’s championship.
The primary spherical noticed Olson urgent the motion, however, not like all of his different comeback bouts, Robinson appeared relaxed, assured and razor-sharp. His legs had spring, his reflexes have been on level and he produced correct counters instantly after avoiding Olson’s choices. Robinson earned 10-9 scores from judges John Bray and Ed Hintz, however referee Frank Sikora scored it even.
Spherical 1’s sample continued till the waning moments of the second. As Olson moved in, Robinson landed a piercing left uppercut that prompted the champion to pause. Seeing Olson was buzzed, Robinson missed with an overhand proper, then landed a sweeping hook, a chopping proper and a last left uppercut that prompted Olson to topple backward. Olson managed to scramble to his ft, however solely after Sikora completed his 10-count. At 2:51 of Spherical 2, Robinson had grow to be the primary man to win the middleweight championship thrice.
“It looks like nearly a miracle,” the joyous Robinson declared. “I’m a Christian. I did the perfect I may and left the remaining to God.”
Robinson’s “retirement” had its enjoyable moments, however it was nothing in comparison with carrying the middleweight crown once more.
5 months later at Los Angeles’ Wrigley Subject, Robinson accomplished his four-fight sweep over Olson by scoring a fourth-round KO. Similar to in combat three, the time of the stoppage was 2:51.
Following a non-title 10-round determination over Bob Provizzi in November 1956, Robinson confronted Gene Fullmer, the barrel-chested son of a copper miner from West Jordan, Utah, who , at 25, was almost a decade youthful. Although named for the fashionable Gene Tunney, Fullmer, a nice, mild man exterior the ring, was a crude, stone-faced brute with an iron chin and limitless stamina inside it. He had most of the components Turpin, “Tiger” Jones and LaMotta used to defeat Robinson, however Robinson appeared so good in destroying Olson in back-to-back title fights that he nonetheless was a 6-to-5 choose.
Robinson’s first look inside Madison Sq. Backyard since his 62-second starching of Flashy Sebastian in August 1947 was grueling, punishing and messy – simply the best way Fullmer appreciated it. Fullmer absorbed Robinson’s thunder with aplomb, he manhandled the champion within the clinches, and it was he who scored the combat’s solely knockdown in Spherical 7. The choice for Fullmer was unanimous, and it wasn’t shut (10-5, 9-6 and 8-5-2 in rounds).
Simply as Olson secured a direct rematch upon dropping his title to Robinson, Robinson bought the moment second probability at Fullmer on Could 1, 1957 – two days earlier than his thirty sixth birthday. A very good omen for Robinson was that the combat was staged at Chicago Stadium, the positioning of his title-winning triumphs in opposition to LaMotta and Olson in addition to his three-round starching of Rocky Graziano. The good cash, nevertheless, was behind Fullmer, the 7-to-2 favourite. Complaints about Fullmer’s rabbit punching and Robinson’s holding prompted the Illinois Athletic Fee to tell each fighters that fouls wouldn’t be tolerated, and thus the primary 4 rounds assumed a wait-and-see sample peppered by occasional however temporary skirmishes. All three judges had Fullmer forward 19-18 underneath the five-point should system.
Then got here Spherical 5 – and the blow that got here to be often called “The Excellent Punch.”
In a scene that appeared very similar to the ultimate moments of the third Olson bout, Fullmer walked towards Robinson together with his proper hand positioned barely decrease than it ought to have been. Seeing this, Robinson uncorked a superbly timed 45-degree hook to the purpose of the chin that prompted Fullmer’s tree-trunk legs to break down. Fullmer’s thoughts desperately needed his physique to rise, however he was counted out as a result of it refused to conform.
Robinson vs. Fullmer
“By no means seen the punch coming,” Fullmer informed writer Thomas Hauser years later. “I don’t know something concerning the punch besides I’ve watched it on films a variety of occasions. The very first thing I knew, I used to be standing up. Robinson was within the different nook. I believed he was in nice situation, doing workout routines between rounds. My supervisor crawled within the ring. I stated, ‘What occurred?’ He stated, ‘They counted 10.’”
The primary man ever to win the middleweight title thrice now was the primary to win it 4 occasions.
Seated at ringside was Robinson’s subsequent opponent, undisputed welterweight champion Carmen Basilio. The onion farmer from Canastota, New York, initially was a Robinson admirer, however that modified when he launched himself to Robinson solely to be dismissed. That act ignited a hatred that not solely fueled Basilio for his or her September 1957 conflict at Yankee Stadium, however for the rest of his life.
The 5-foot-6½-inch Basilio – a shocking 6-to-5 favourite – overcame his pronounced peak, attain and weight disadvantages the one manner he may: by getting inside Robinson’s longer arms and ceaselessly pounding each out there goal. Robinson’s slashing blows reduce Basilio’s left eye within the fourth, however the challenger/champion fought by means of the blood, shrugged off Sugar Ray’s torpedoes and withstood a spirited late-round rally to seize a well-received cut up determination that was later deemed The Ring’s Battle of the 12 months. With the win, Basilio joined Robinson as the one reigning welterweight champions to dethrone a defending middleweight king.
The standard of their first assembly justified a direct rematch in March 1958 at Chicago Stadium, Robinson’s “fortunate” constructing and the positioning at which Basilio had gone 0-3, together with a scandalous factors loss to Johnny Saxton that ended his first welterweight reign. Nearly as good as Battle One was, Battle Two was even higher as they produced a scintillating spectacle whereas additionally preventing by means of large bodily challenges – a excessive fever for Robinson and a hideously swollen left eye for the 2-to-1 choose Basilio, the results of a Robinson uppercut late in Spherical 5.
“I bought silly that night time,” Basilio informed writer Peter Heller. “He saved throwing a proper uppercut at me that night time. He knew that I bobbed and weaved, and he tried to catch me taking place. He’d throw it, I’d go down, I’d catch his proper uppercut with my proper hand, and I’d counter him with a left hook as a result of he was vast open for it. I did it 4 occasions. The fifth time he threw it at me and I noticed it coming. I missed it with my hand, and it hit me proper within the eyebrow and broke the blood vessels.”
Robinson defeats Carmen Basilio for his fifth middleweight title.
Basilio continued to combat savagely regardless of the extreme handicap, however Robinson was greater than equal to the duty as he twice staggered Basilio within the 14th and surprised him within the last spherical with photographs to the injured orb.
“Making an attempt to cease him was like making an attempt to cease a freight practice,” Robinson informed reporters later. “I really feel like 10 guys jumped me.”
As soon as once more, the choice was cut up. However this time Robinson was the victor, the primary fighter ever to win the identical championship on 5 events. And, like Basilio-Robinson I, Robinson-Basilio II was The Ring’s Battle of the 12 months.
Learn “Robinson-Basilio 2: Warfare By no means to be Seen Once more” by Bernard Fernandez
Visions of a 3rd assembly with Basilio, in addition to a fantasy combat in opposition to mild heavyweight monarch Moore, danced inside many heads, however these desires remained desires as a result of monetary phrases couldn’t be reached. Thus, Robinson was out of the ring for almost 21 months and the Nationwide Boxing Affiliation – the forerunner of at present’s WBA – stripped Robinson of its title for inactivity and awarded the belt to Fullmer, due to his 14th-round TKO over Basilio in August 1959. After stopping New England mild heavyweight champion Bob Younger in two rounds on the Boston Backyard, Robinson returned there in January 1960 to face Paul Pender, a Korean Conflict veteran who retired in 1956 as a consequence of power hand accidents. After a stint with the Brookline Hearth Division, Pender returned to the ring after 23 months away and gained 9 straight to earn a No. 10 score and a shot at Robinson. The 5-to-1 underdog’s sharp boxing and superior pace was ok within the eyes of two judges to grow to be the brand new champion within the eyes of Massachusetts, New York and The Ring.
Robinson exercised the rematch clause and, after a first-round KO of Tony Baldini in April, met Pender lower than 5 months later, once more on the Boston Backyard. And, as soon as once more, Pender gained a cut up determination that was significantly better obtained than the primary, due to his taking command within the center rounds with superior infighting.
“I wasn’t rusty,” Robinson stated, his voice barely above a whisper. “I simply didn’t have what it takes to win. I attempted to complete sturdy. However the judges made the choice; I didn’t.”
By now, Robinson was a pale shadow of the grasp who dominated the Forties and early Nineteen Fifties. His set off was slower, his legs have been heavier and his reflexes have been duller, and but he appeared to extract one last miracle when he met Fullmer in December 1960 at Los Angeles’ Sports activities Enviornment. His middle-rounds surge mixed with an enormous Eleventh-round rally prompted many to consider he had achieved sufficient to earn a sixth middleweight title reign. A ballot of 23 ringside reporters noticed Robinson forward 14-6-3, and referee Tommy Hart agreed by submitting an 11-4 card in his favor. However choose Lee Grossman’s 9-5 rating for Fullmer negated Hart whereas choose George Latka’s 8-8 card led to a title-retaining draw for Fullmer.
The furor justified a fourth Fullmer-Robinson match, however whereas the 40-year-old icon carried out nicely, the 30-year-old champ fought higher as he almost stopped Robinson within the third and hustled his option to a decisive, if considerably uncomfortable victory.
(Left to proper) Randy Turpin, Gene Fullmer, Carmen Basilio and Carl “Bobo” Olson maintain Robinson aloft.
Robinson fought on for 4 and a half years, profitable most however dropping usually sufficient to maintain him away from the title image. He had sufficient within the tank to beat future junior middleweight champions Denny Moyer and Ralph Dupas however not sufficient to conquer Terry Downes, Joey Giardello, Stan Harrington (twice), Mick Leahy and Memo Ayon. And but, a 44-year-old Robinson was just one victory away from a last probability at glory, for the winner of his November 1965 contest in opposition to No. 1 contender Joey Archer was promised a combat with middleweight champion Dick Tiger.
Although Robinson boxed nicely within the early rounds, the comparatively light-hitting Archer delivered a tough actuality examine within the fourth after a protracted, chopping proper to the jaw floored Robinson for a nine-count. Archer almost added a second knockdown within the sixth, seventh and tenth en path to a decisive factors victory that dropped Robinson’s report to 174-19-6 with two no-contests and 109 knockouts. Robinson introduced his retirement the next day.
Three weeks later, Robinson was given a grand send-off at Madison Sq. Backyard. He was joined by Fullmer, Basilio, Olson and Turpin, and as they posed for photographers, they have been showered with cheers. It was the storybook finish to what had been a powerful quarter-century of excellence.
Lee Groves is a boxing author and historian based mostly in Pleasant, West Virginia. He’s a full member of the BWAA, from which he has gained 19 writing awards, together with two first-place awards, since 2011. He has been an elector for the Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame since 2001 and can also be a author, researcher and punch-counter for CompuBox, Inc. He’s the writer of Tales from the Vault: A Celebration of 100 Boxing Closet Classics and the co-author of Muhammad Ali: By the Numbers.
