1921-1989
Boxing Champion

The Greatest Ever.

Sugar Ray Robinson is said to be pound for pound the greatest boxer who ever lived. In the world of professional boxing, although hardly anyone can agree on anything, there is general agreement among those who know the sport that Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest ever. His boxing record is not spotless. He lost nineteen times and had six draws. He was briefly suspended from boxing in 1947 when he failed to report a bribery attempt. He also had trouble holding onto his money outside the ring, blowing most of his fortune several times.

A Hero.

Yet Robinson dominated boxing for over twenty years, an eternity in a sport that rewards a young man's legs and reflexes. He started his professional career in 1940 and ended it in 1965. During this quarter century Robinson rose in the black community to the...