Forget the ‘Pound for Pound’ Tag, Robinson Was Simply the Best
The king is dead. The boxing world had never seen the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson before and may never see it again.
He fought gallantly until age 45, retiring in 1965 after winning 175 of 200 fights--with most of his defeats occurring after he was past his prime, and even those came on close decisions.
He was a welterweight and later middleweight champion--only heat exhaustion on a hot muggy New York night prevented him from becoming light heavyweight champion as well.
Yet some tend to qualify his greatness with such qualifiers as the best “pound for pound,” “one of the greatest . . . “ or “considered by many” as the greatest.
The score should have been settled a decade ago when the pundits of boxing descended Mount Olympus with their long-awaited decision. Joe Louis got the nod as the greatest heavyweight, and Sugar Ray Robinson was declared the greatest fighter of all times.
That’s the way it was, and is.
SHELBY SANKORE
Phillips Ranch
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