Black History: “SUGAR” RAY ROBINSON (1921-1989)

Sugar Ray Robinson is widely regarded as the best boxer in the history of the sport. After winning a Golden Gloves amateur title in his teens, he went on to enjoy a storied professional career during which he won, in succession, the world lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight championships. At his peak, he had an astounding record of 98 wins and three losses.Robinson was born Walker Smith, Jr., in Detroit, Michigan, on or about May 3, 1920. His father, Walker “Pop” Smith, Sr., was a construction laborer, and his mother, Leila Hurst, worked as a chambermaid and seamstress. After his parents divorced, Robinson moved with his mother and his two older sisters through a succession of homes in Detroit, Georgia, and then New York, barely managing to earn enough to survive. In New York City, Robinson attended public schools and held odd jobs to help support the family. During this period, his mother scraped up enough money for tap lessons, and Robinson could sometimes be found with his friends dancing for change outside Broadway theaters.

After his family settled in Harlem, Robinson earned a reputation as someone good with his fists, both on the streets and in the school yard. In high school, he began hanging out with a friend at a local gym. The gym featured a boxing program, and as soon as Robinson stepped into the ring, the grace and balance that would characterize his style were apparent. A coach at the gym, George Gainford, first showed Robinson the ropes, then began entering him in amateur boxing tournaments. To avoid red tape, Gainford entered him under the name of another boy who had boxed at the gym. The boy’s name was Ray Robinson. Legend has it that “Sugar” was added when someone (thought to be a coach, reporter, or fan) observed that Robinson’s boxing style was “sweet as sugar.”

Robinson rose quickly in amateur boxing, winning the featherweight championship in 1939. He turned professional the following year, knocking out a boxer named Joe Escheverria in the second round of his first fight. Over the next 25 years, he went on to become world champion in three different weight classes. His first defeat came at the hands of Jake LaMotta in 1943, in his 41st fight. He didn’t lose again for eight years.