Allow us to journey again, boxing followers, to a time when the most effective fought the most effective and did so not as soon as each couple of years, however each time the event arose, anxious as these champions had been to show themselves, their fistic careers now glistening marble monuments rising above the mists of time, testomony to their glory and unassailable standing as true ring legends. Alas, my mates, we had been born too late.
In 1955 a 34-year-old Sugar Ray Robinson turned the primary pugilist in boxing historical past to regain the middleweight championship of the world when he emerged from retirement to knock out Bobo Olson in two rounds. Over the following few years he would regain it twice extra after dropping it in thrilling and violent wars with fellow middleweight greats Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basilio.
Robinson vs Fullmer turned a heated rivalry as the 2 males merely didn’t like one another, their antipathy translating into vicious clashes within the ring. Their first set-to in January of 1957 noticed the aggressive Fullmer prevail by unanimous resolution, “The Utah Cyclone” scoring a knockdown in spherical seven and customarily having issues his approach in a bruising battle. Within the rematch 4 months later, the legendary Sugar Ray scored one of the crucial memorable wins of his unbelievable profession when he smoked the iron-tough Fullmer with a wonderfully timed left hook in spherical 5 and put him down for the rely, Gene’s solely knockout loss.
Robinson then cut up two grueling wars with Basilio earlier than taking a protracted layoff, however legendary champions can try this after they’ve given boxing followers a few of the biggest performances in ring historical past and amassed a file of virtually 150 professional bouts. (Robinson would ultimately retire with 200 fights to his credit score.) In the meantime, warriors Fullmer and Basilio had slugged it out for the vacant title, stripped because it was from Ray as a result of inactivity. Fullmer stopped Basilio in spherical fourteen and stopped him once more within the return. Thus, the stage was set for a rubber match with the growing old Sugar Man.
The third Robinson vs Fullmer fracas happened in Los Angeles and was essentially the most intently contested of the collection. There have been no knockdowns in a bloody and violent fifteen spherical battle that seemed to be going the older man’s approach till he ran out of gasoline within the remaining few rounds. Together with his late rally the champion simply barely saved his title by a disputed draw, regardless of the very fact the bout was contested in an eighteen foot ring, the smaller dimensions clearly a bonus for the tough, powerful, brawling type of Gene Fullmer.
Simply three months later they met but once more, this time in Las Vegas, however Robinson had insisted beforehand on a twenty foot ring and threatened to stroll if he didn’t get what he wished. He additionally demanded six ounce gloves and the privilege of coming into the ring final. Fullmer was not impressed.
“If Robinson is responsible of any sin, it’s the sin of selfishness,” mentioned the champion. “He seems to have little or no time for anyone however himself. With him, it’s at all times me, me, me. His disregard for the opposite fellow is infamous in boxing. When a fighter is coaching to satisfy Robinson, he sits on a scorching coal ready for the primary postponement.”
The day earlier than the battle, because the story goes, Robinson and his folks burst into the workplace of Fullmer’s supervisor, Marv Jenson, and instructed him he had a really major problem to take care of, one which put the following evening’s fundamental occasion in jeopardy.
“You higher get your self a model new ring. And quick,” shouted a livid Sugar Ray. “As a result of we simply went and took a glance and that ring down there ain’t however eighteen ft!”
Jenson, sitting at his desk, sighed, reached right into a drawer, and tossed Robinson a tape measure. “I don’t have time for this nonsense. That’s a twenty foot ring, ordered to your specs. Go measure it and see for your self.”
A short time later Robinson returned with each the tape measure and a puzzled expression on his face. “I coulda swore that ring ain’t twenty ft,” the legendary champion muttered, shaking his head.
“You higher prepare for the battle,” growled Jenson. “Except you bought every other complaints.”
The fourth and remaining Sugar Ray vs Fullmer match, whereas action-packed, proved essentially the most anti-climactic of the collection. After being staggered by a proper hand in spherical three after which pasted with quite a few strong blows, Robinson light, whereas Fullmer went on to batter and bully his legendary opponent and win a unanimous resolution. In a hoop which, in reality, was exactly eighteen ft by eighteen ft.
Many years later, after Marv Jenson died, his household discovered inside his metal protected a size of coiled metallic measuring tape. It was precisely two ft lengthy. — Michael Carbert
