Ray+Robinson

“To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when no one else will”-Ray Robinson (Brainy quotes). Ray Robinson was known as one of the greatest fighters who have ever lived, he was an outstanding amateur and professional athlete. He would rise through the amateur rankings as one of the best ever and would soon become a prizefighter with 200 pro bouts (Eggert). Robinson is an outstanding person in and out of the ring, he was in the army and fought in World War II. He was in many battles against very well known hall of fame fighters. He inspired many people to strive for greatness and some people followed in his footsteps to be the best (Early).
 * Introduction**



Walker Smith Jr. was born in Detroit 1921 (Anderson). He grew up without a father and was taken care of by his mother, his mother worked very hard to provide for her children. He was around during the great depression and there was little money, so he and his family moved to New York so his mother could get a better job and grew up in Harlem. Growing up he would fight in the streets and would always win. He never thought he would become a prizefighter until the day he saw young future hall of famer Joe Louis (Eggert). One day Smith was walking in the streets and that’s when he saw young Joe Louis training in the gym, in that moment a fighter was born. He started boxing in the Salem Crescent Athletic Club. He quickly went up the amateur rankings. He was fast, strong and swift the perfect fighting machine. Smith didn’t have an athletic union card to fight so he had to borrow another fighter’s card with the name Ray Robinson. From that day on Walker Smith Jr. was known as Ray Robinson (Hamill). He was an amazing fighter to watch and he dominated the armatures with his skill. He joined the national golden gloves in 1939 and in 1940. He won and defended the golden glove titles and destroyed his whole division. He is now known as one of the greatest amateur fighters in the sport of boxing. He then turned professional and was on his way to greatness. In the start of his pro career he went undefeated for 40 fights (Hamill). After his first loss as a pro he came back and had another win aiming for a title belt. His first 40 fights were in 28 months. His fight with LaMotta went down in the history books as one of the greatest rivalries ever. Robinson fought in World War 1 and he was accompanied by his good friend Joe Louis. Robinson came back from war and won a title (Eggert). Ray Robinson died in California, 1989 (Anderson).
 * Personal Background**

Ray Robinson was a humble individual with many good characteristics, but he also had a low side that wasn’t shown much in public. Robinson grew up in the streets and made lots of friends. His street fights made him very popular as well. He was great around others and there was something about him that made him very likeable (Flatter). Robinson was very good at attracting women, he gave on look and they were at his feet. He got married to Marjorie Joseph in 1938 had a child and named him Ronnie Smith. Ronnie would always hear his father arguing with his wife. Robinson’s marrage was annulled the same year he was married. He had a low temper and would get mad easy, most of the time he would take it out on his wife. He would get very physical with his wife and always be in a bad mood with her (Flatter). Robinson was married a third time and his wife would manipulate him. Ronnie saw the woman drug his father and control him. Even when Robinson’s mother died he could not attend because his wife had him on a leash “drugged him” (Eggert). Around fight time he was very focused and aggressive. Once the fight was over he was just a regular guy who didn’t see himself being cocky or putting others down (Eggert). Ray Robinson was a good guy overall, he was good around people, talkative, charming and most importantly he was humbled to be seen as the best.
 * Personality Traits**

Although Ray Robinson became one of the greatest boxers who ever lived it didn’t come easy. He faced many challenges coming up in his youth. In the amateurs he had an outstanding record of 85 wins no losses. He also won the Golden Glove national championships and was one of the best amateur fighters ever. His record was one of the best at the time (Hamill). Coming up as a pro boxer he was one of the fiercest fighters in the ring. He worked hard to be the best, and had 40 fights in 28 months going undefeated. One of the most challenging fights was against his rival LaMotta. That was his first loss of his career; this was the defeat that pushed him to work harder. He then got the rematch with LaMotta and beat him, their fights were legendary and it could be one of the greatest rivalries ever (Eggert). Robinson had a long layoff due to the Second World War These were hard times, but he made it out alive with his good friend Joe Louis another world champion (Flatter). His career was shaky after the war; he had lost his title four times but won it back on his rematches. He had trouble with his family, because his wife would manipulate him and made him stop fighting at times. His boxing wasn’t as impressive as it was in his younger days, close to retirement he lost a lot of fights (Eggert). Robinson was on a bumpy road, but through the rough times and all the obstacles he showed the greatness from within him and became a champion (Early). Ray Robinson was one of the greatest boxers who had ever stepped foot in the ring. He was flashy, quick, intelligent, and a strong minded fighter. His career in the armatures was without a doubt one of the best ever. He came up through the amateur rankings defeating all who challenged him. He became well known right after he won the Golden Gloves (Hamill). As soon as he turned pro he shot up to stardom and went 40 and 0. His he was in many vicious battles in the ring. One of those battles was with LaMotta which was his first loss in his profetional career. It was known as one of the greatest rivalries in the sport of boxing, they soon met up again and Robinson defeated LaMotta. He was very active in his career fighting many times in one year against any opponent (Eggert). The thing that made him unique was his ability to move around the ring, and at one point he tried to become a dancer (Early). He fought over 200 bouts in the most competitive divisions in boxing. He fought for many rounds and endured a lot of punishment as a pro. He was one of the fighters who served in WWII; this shows his courage risking his life on the front lines (Eggert). Robinson mastered his craft being the best in all of his divisions. He held the titles four times and was able to defend them all four times (Eggert). He had a great impact on boxing becoming the best in the sport at the time. His life in and out of the ring was amazing making his mark but always stood humbled. He was liked by all of his fans and was never too cocky. During his fights he kept his composure and always made sure he performed in impressive fashion (Early). Many people attended his fights because they were so exiting. Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest boxers who had ever lived. Robinson had ups and downs in his career but in the end he came out on top and was seen as the best by the people. He made history in the sport of boxing, and he set an example for younger people to follow in his footsteps. He motivated young fighters to strive for greatness and to never settle for less. Ray Robinson’s legacy will never be forgotten and will always be remembered as the best ever (Eggert).
 * Obstacles**
 * Historical Significance**

Anderson, Dave. "The Original Sugar Ray Never Lost." //The New York Times.// 13 April. 1989. //nytimes.com//. Web. 5 Feb. 2015. []

Eggert, Mike. "Robinson, Sugar Ray 1921–1989." //Contemporary Black Biography//." 1998. //Encyclopedia.com//. Web. 10 Oct. 2014 <[|http://www.encyclopedia.com]>.

Flatter, Ron. "The Sugar in the Sweet Science." //ESPN.// //espn.go.com.// Web. 17 Oct. 2014. []

Gerald, Early. "Swift as a Snake, Stylish as Esquire, Sweet as Sugar Ray." //The Washington Post.// 18 Oct. 2009. //washingtonpost.com//. Web. 9 Sep. 2014. []

Hamill, Pete. "Sugar Ray Robinson, Ultimate Fighter." //New York Times// 16 Dec. 2009. //nytimes.com//. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. []

// Paul, Beston. "Pound for Pound: A Biography of Sugar Ray Robinson by Herb Boyd with Ray Robinson." 5 April, 2005. //pop matters. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. []

//Robinson, Ray. brainyquote.com//. Web. 5 Feb. 2015. []