That June 25, 71 years in the past, the thermometer learn 40 levels Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), the most well liked night time in New York that summer season and presumably to today.
Across the ring positioned within the middle of the now extinct Yankee Stadium within the Bronx — “The home that Ruth constructed,” as baseball followers referred to as it — some 48,000 boxing followers crowded into the venue, waited expectantly and would later witness one of the vital memorable, epic and unprecedented fights within the historical past of the game: Walker Smith Jr, generally known as Ray “Sugar” Robinson, the best fighter in historical past within the virtually unanimous opinion of boxers, chroniclers, analysts, reporters and easy lovers of the self-discipline, would attempt to take his third crown in one other of the numerous divisions held by Joey Maxim, a troublesome and resilient proprietor of the 175-pound Gentle Heavyweight belt.
Robinson, 31 years previous, had established his hegemony in welterweight and middleweight in a profession that started twelve years earlier, during which he had 132 wins, simply 2 losses and two attracts (whereas the champion, regardless of having a mortifying jab and being powerful as metal, lacked the technical skill of the challenger), had an enviable beginner report of 85 fights, 69 by KO and 40 within the first spherical. Maxim, a 12 months older, didn’t present as good a report, and though he amassed a decent 78 wins, 18 losses and 4 attracts. Due to his report and construct individuals thought that his pure weight would possibly assist him in his efforts to cease the invader.
Such presumption started to dissipate when Robinson arrived, hit, left in lateral actions, a form of ghost, with out ceasing to hit a Maxim who regarded bewildered, impotent, in entrance of an enemy who was by no means in the identical place, who loved dominating along with his lengthy straight punches, jabs, uppers and who went distant from the makes an attempt of the shocked opponent. In the meantime, the temperature was regularly taking its toll on the three males within the ring, particularly on the legendary referee Ruby Goldstein, who was sweating profusely, along with his shirt soaked as if he had been beneath a bathe.
A lot in order that whereas Ray Robinson continued to widen his lead on the judges’ scorecards, Goldstein might take no extra: he went to the canvas as if hit by a sledgehammer and had to get replaced by an emergency referee, Ray Miller, in spherical 10. Such a factor had by no means occurred in boxing earlier than and, so far as is thought, has by no means been repeated.
Nonetheless, the temperature, as scorching because the desert, didn’t solely have an effect on Goldstein. Robinson, who had not stopped shifting in entrance of a passive and completely overwhelmed and defenseless Maxim, couldn’t resist any longer both. Staggering, dry, melted, he heard the bell ring at spherical 12, stumbled to the nook and sat half-dead on the stool. He didn’t have the energy to answer the sound of the bell that referred to as the opponents to the penultimate spherical. Maxim thus retained the belt of a combat he had by no means received within the ring within the 36 minutes that had elapsed. Symbolically, figuratively talking, the raised hand was that of the thermometer on that singular night time that bears no resemblance to some other combat in historical past.
The frustration of that distant June 25 quickly put Robinson out of boxing. He returned some 3 years later for an additional 62 fights of which he received 44 with 13 losses and 5 attracts. He left definitively with a report of 175 wins, 109 by knockout, 19 losses, just one by KO, between the debut on 11-9-49 and 10-11-65, with the aforementioned break after the setback in opposition to Maxim.
Born in Alley, Georgia, on 3-5-21, he died on 12-3-89 in Curley Metropolis, California. Within the ring he earned greater than $4 million, tons of today. He was distinguished as the most effective boxer in historical past by the AP information company and by ESPN and The Ring and is taken into account the most effective pound-for-pound (with him such denomination was born) of all time.
Maxim (Giuseppe Antonio Berardinelli, his actual identify), scored 83 (22)-29 (1)-4. 8 no contests. Born on 28-3-1922, he died on 2-6-2001.
A remaining phrase for Robinson: Muhammad Ali mentioned of him that “he was my idol, my grasp. He’s the king. The best of all” and Ray “Sugar” Leonard flatly refused to be in comparison with him: “Robinson has been the most effective of us all. No one like him,” he replied, emphatically.
