Sugar Ray Robinson was an American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson’s performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create “pound for pound” rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
Robinson was 85–0 as an amateur with 69 of those victories coming by way of knockout; 40 in the first round. He turned professional in 1940 at the age of 19 and by 1951, had a professional record of 128–1–2 with 84 knockouts.
From 1943 to 1951, Robinson went on a 91 fight unbeaten streak, the third longest in professional boxing history. Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and won the world middleweight title in the latter year. He retired in 1952, only to come back two and a half years later and regain the middleweight title in 1955. He then became the first boxer in history to win a divisional world championship five times, a feat he accomplished by defeating Carmen Basilio in 1958 to regain the middleweight championship. Robinson was named “Fighter of the Year” twice: first for his performances in 1942, then nine years and over 90 fights later, for his efforts in 1951.
World Liberty TV was on hand to interview Sugar Ray Robinson’s son Ray Robinson II at the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame, where his father was inducted posthumously.
