Bitter Enemies – World Boxing Association

Few rivalries in boxing history have burned as fiercely—or as personally—as the six-fight war between “Sugar” Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta. The sport has always thrived on antagonism. From the moment prizefighting went professional, grudges have fueled rematches, trilogies, and legacies. Joe Jeannette and Sam Langford clashed 15 times in the early 1900s. Jeannette and Jack Johnson met eight times. Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler waged their featherweight battles in the late 1940s. Joe Louis and Max Schmeling fought twice under the shadow of world politics. Leonard–Durán. Ali–Frazier. Ali–Norton. Pryor–Argüello. Durán–De Jesús. Leonard–Hearns.

Yet none of them—none—matched the raw animosity between Robinson and LaMotta.

They fought six times between 1942 and 1951. And in those six fights, they produced one of the most savage, compelling rivalries the sport has ever known.

Before revisiting those wars, it bears repeating what so many historians, trainers, fighters and eyewitnesses have long maintained: Sugar Ray Robinson—born Walker Smith Jr.—was the most complete fighter ever to lace up gloves. To many, he remains the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of the 20th century, perhaps of all time, with Muhammad Ali the only legitimate challenger to that throne. Ali himself, along with Joe Louis and Ray Leonard, echoed that sentiment over the years.

Robinson’s ring name was born out of necessity. At 16, he wanted to compete in an amateur tournament but was underage. He borrowed the identification card of an 18-year-old gym mate named Ray Robinson. The alias stuck. The nickname “Sugar” came from his longtime trainer, George Gainford, who famously said, “He’s sweet. He fights like sugar.”

The Six Memorable Clashes

The timing of this reflection is fitting. On February 5, 1943—73 years ago this month—Robinson suffered his first defeat after an astonishing run of 125 consecutive victories dating back to his amateur days. He had gone 85-0 as an amateur, with 69 knockouts, and opened his professional career 40-0, including 28 stoppages. That’s 97 knockouts in 125 fights—better than a 77 percent knockout ratio. Unmatched dominance.

Born March 5, 1921, in Ailey, Georgia, Robinson retired with a record of 174-19-6 (109 KOs) between 1940 and 1965. He stepped away from boxing between 1952 and 1955 to pursue show business as a singer and dancer—ventures that never rivaled his brilliance in the ring.

Jake LaMotta, the “Bronx Bull,” born Giacobbe LaMotta on June 10, 1922, compiled a 83-19-4 record (30 KOs) from 1941 to 1955. He died in 2017 at age 95.

Their first meeting came October 2, 1942, at Madison Square Garden in a 10-round welterweight bout. Robinson, 21 years old and 35-0, dazzled with blinding speed, sharp combinations—his signature one-two to head and body—and took a unanimous decision over the rugged New Yorker.

The rematch, February 5, 1943, changed history. Robinson appeared in control through six rounds, employing his classic stick-and-move brilliance. Then LaMotta detonated a crushing left hook to the chin in the seventh. The bell saved Robinson seconds later, but the damage was done. LaMotta won on points, ending Robinson’s mythical unbeaten streak.

Robinson avenged the loss just 21 days later in Detroit. In their fourth meeting, back at MSG in 1945, Robinson survived a dramatic knockdown in the third and again prevailed on points. He defeated LaMotta once more later that year at Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

The sixth and final encounter came February 14, 1951, for LaMotta’s middleweight title. It went down in history as the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Over 13 brutal rounds at Chicago Stadium, Robinson systematically dismantled LaMotta, forcing a stoppage in one of the most punishing championship fights ever witnessed.

In five victories over LaMotta, Robinson—standing 5-foot-11, several inches taller—relied on the same formula: lightning-fast combinations, lateral movement, and precision punching against a relentless, forward-charging bull who never stopped pressing.

Robinson lost by knockout only once in his long career. It came June 25, 1952, against light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim at Yankee Stadium. Fighting in nearly 104-degree heat, a severely dehydrated Robinson collapsed in his corner in the 13th round despite leading comfortably on the scorecards. Even referee Ruby Goldstein succumbed to the heat and had to be replaced mid-fight—an almost unheard-of occurrence.

Robinson first captured the welterweight championship in 1946, navigating a boxing landscape heavily influenced by organized crime figures such as Frankie Carbo. He later became the first fighter in history to win a world title five times in the same division, claiming the middleweight crown on five separate occasions. His middleweight rivalries—with Gene Fullmer, Carmen Basilio, Bobo Olson, and others—further cemented his legend.

He fought his final bout at age 44, losing a decision to Joey Archer in 1965.

And LaMotta, reflecting years later on those six savage encounters, delivered perhaps the most famous line of all: “I fought Sugar so many times, I’m surprised I don’t have diabetes.”