Sugar Ray Robinson (born Walker Smith Jr., May 3, 1921 - April
12, 1989) was a professional boxer. Frequently cited as the
greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances at the
welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to
create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters
regardless of weight. He was inducted into the International Boxing
Hall of Fame in 1990.
Robinson was 85-0 as an amateur with 69 of those victories
knockouts, 40 in the first round. He turned professional in 1940 at
age 19 and by 1951 had a professional record of 128-1-2 with 84
knockouts. Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to
1951, and won the world middleweight title in the latter year. He
retired in 1952, only to come back and regain the middleweight
title in 1955. He then became the first boxer in history to win a
divisional world championship five times. Robinson was named
"fighter of the year" twice. He engaged in several multi-fight
rivalries with other Hall of Fame fighters. Robinson engaged in 200
pro bouts, and his professional career lasted nearly 26 years.
