MUHAMMAD "THE GREATEST" ALI ON SUGAR RAY ROBINSON

'Before we left for ItaIy I tried again to meet Sugar Ray. I waIked aII the way up Fifth Avenue to 125th Street. I wanted to get his autograph and teII him that l was on my way to the OIympics to win a goId medaI. I wanted to teII him that I admired him, and that I was going to be the heayyweight champion of the worId by the time I was twenty-one. When I arrived at the cIub I waited outside aII day for Sugar Ray to get there. I didn't mind waiting; I wouId have stood outside aII week if I had to.

It was about ten o'cIock when he finaIIy drove up. I was so excited that for the first time in my Iife, I was speechIess. When I puIIed myself together, I waIked up to Mr. Robinson and toId him how far I had come just to see him and how Iong I had been waiting to get his autograph. I toId him that I was going to be the heavyweight champion of the whoIe worId, and that he was my hero.

When I think back, I reaIize he never reaIIy Iooked at me. He gave me a quick pat on the shouIder and toId me, 'Later, boy, I'm busy right now.' I was crushed. I couIdn't beIieve he brushed me aside Iike that, especiaIIy after l had waited aII day for him to show up. I feIt as if my feet were made of cement. I couIdn't move. I just stood there as I watched Sugar Ray Robinson turn his back to me and waIk away. Aithough I feIt hurt and Iet down, I decided that I wouIdn't Iet my disappointment get the best of me.

I was going to be diferent when I became a great boxer. I wouId be the kind of champion that fans couId waIk up to and taIk to. I wouId shake their hands and sign every autograph, even sign some autographs in advance so that when I was in a hurry, I couId stiII hand them out to peopIe, assuring everyone went home happy. I was going to go out of my way to show my fans how important they were, and how much l appreciated them. At that moment, I vowed never to turn a fan away.

I didn't want anyone to feeI the disappointment and hurt that I feIt that night. I was aIways going to make time for the peopIe who Iooked up to me; especiaIIy chiIdren. I knew that when I became a champion - and I knew that I wouId - I was going to remember what it was Iike before I made it big. I wasn't going to forget where I came from. I was going to be my own kind of champion, a champ to aII peopIe everywhere in the worId. And no matter how high I cIimbed up the Iadder of success, I was going to view the worId without Iooking down on anyone. And wasn't going to forget the boy that I once was...

...Sugar Ray Robinson was there to support me in 1964 when I won the heavyweight titIe against Sonny Liston. As I stood before aII of the cameras and the critics shouting 'l am the greatest, I shook up the worId!' Sugar Ray was on my Ieft and Bundini Brown was on my right. They were both hugging me and Iaughing whiIe trying to cover my mouth at the same time. It's funny how things turn out in Iife. Sugar Ray Iater toId me that he often wondered what might have been if he had been my manager, but I knew that everything happened exactIy the way it was supposed to. The Iast time I saw Sugar Ray Robinson was in his Los AngeIes home. He wasn't weII then. I toId him again how much he meant to me and that he was the greatest fighter who ever Iived. Then I toId him that I was stiII waiting for that autograph.'

- Muhammad AIi

SUGAR RAY'S PERFECT BOXING 🥊 EXPLAINED

 

OSCAR DE LA HOYA AND BERNARD HOPKINS BOTH NAME THE SAME FIGHTER AS THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins are two of the best fighters in recent memory, but both agree one man in the history books tops all others.

The legendary duo locked horns in a monumental showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas back in September of 2004, a fight that saw Hopkins become the first undisputed middleweight champion of the ‘four belt era’ when he stopped De La Hoya in the ninth round to add the WBO title to his unified WBC, WBA and IBF belts.

They have since partnered up for Golden Boy Promotions and continue to develop today’s talent with a view to creating the next big star – but who do they feel is the best of all time?

Speaking to ESNEWS, De La Hoya didn’t hesitate to name the late great Sugar Ray Robinson as the greatest fighter in history.

“Sugar Ray Robinson is the greatest of all time! That’s basically it, look at this here [his shirt] all the weight divisions, hardest puncher, best footwork, he would fight multiple times a month, took on the very best, took on the toughest challenges. Sugar Ray Robinson, he’s literally the GOAT.”

Hopkins shares the same views of his former rival turned business partner, once telling the media that he also believes Robinson is the very best fighter to have ever graced the sport.

“The best fighter ever is Sugar Ray Robinson. To me the best fighter after that is Muhammad Ali, and then the debate starts from on and on from there.”

Robinson fought on just over 200 occasions as a professional throughout the course of his storied 25-year tenure, which spanned between 1940 and 1965.

He became six-time world champion along the way, reigning as the world welterweight champion between 1946 and 1951 before he eventually made the move up to middleweight, capturing the world title five times within a 9-year period before his retirement.

- Kailem Lowe

SUGAR RAY ROBINSON | BOXING 🥊 LEGEND

At one point in his career, Sugar Ray Robinson held an incredible record of 129 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws. 

His near-perfect run spanned multiple weight classes and featured wins over numerous Hall of Famers. 

His lone defeat during that stretch came against "The Raging Bull" Jake LaMotta in 1943, dropping his record to 40-1. Robinson over the next 8 years would go 91 fights unbeaten until finally losing to Randolph Turpin in 1951.

TOP 10 LIST OF ALL-TIME BOXERS

 

MUHAMMAD ALI HAD NO DOUBT WHO WAS THE GREATEST FIGHTER OF ALL TIME: "I HAVE YO ADMIT IT"

 “I say I’m the greatest heavyweight of all time, but pound-for-pound he was the greatest of all time.” Muhammad Ali

An enigma outside and inside the ring, Muhammad Ali captivated fans worldwide with his slick talk and skills to back it up.

The man from Louisville, Kentucky – at that point named Cassius Clay – won gold at the 1960 Olympic Games before turning over to the paid ranks. He won his first 19 bouts before getting a shot at feared Sonny Liston’s heavyweight title and upsetting the odds – despite Liston saying previously he might get locked up for murder if they fought – to win by stoppage in six.

He would go one better in the rematch and finish it in under two minutes, although Liston was plagued with allegations of taking a dive. Ali then defended his championship status a further eight times before being denied a boxing license throughout the country due to his refusal to be drafting during the Vietnam War.

Upon his comeback he would star in such bouts as the Thrilla in Manilla and The Rumble in the Jungle, eventually hanging up the gloves in 1981 with 56 wins from 61 fights and a legacy to be unmatched.

Ali died in June of 2016 and will forever be known as simply ‘The Greatest’, but in a resurfaced interview he was candid about one man in the lower weights earning that tag.

“Pound-for-pound, when they say Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest fighter pound-for-pound, meaning that if I imagine he was a heavyweight fighting the same style he’d be the greatest. I would have to admit. I would have to say yes. I had his fight films. That man was beautiful. Timing, speed, reflexes, rythym, his body – everything was beautiful.

I say I’m the greatest heavyweight of all time, but pound-for-pound I still say Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest of all time.”

Over a 25 year campaign, Sugar Ray Robinson managed an incredible 91-fight unbeaten streak. The flamboyant pound-for-pound star fought from lightweight up to light-heavyweight, winning world titles at both welterweight and middleweight.

Back in the days when boxers could fight three times in three months, Robinson featured in 201 contests during his career, winning 174 and earning the respect of not just Ali, but Joe Louis, Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard as well as countless modern-day fighters as the best to ever do it.

- Kerr Furgoson 

MUHAMMAD ALI ON SUGAR RAY ROBINSON

 

'Before we left for Italy I tried again to meet Sugar Ray. I walked all the way up Fifth Avenue to 125th Street. I wanted to get his autograph and tell him that l was on my way to the Olympics to win a gold medal. I wanted to tell him that I admired him, and that I was going to be the heayyweight champion of the world by the time I was twenty-one. When I arrived at the club I waited outside all day for Sugar Ray to get there. I didn't mind waiting; I would have stood outside all week if I had to.

SUGAR RAY ROBINSON STATS | BOXING LEGEND