Why did Sugar Ray Robinson duck Charley Burley

By '46 Robinson would have clearly beat Burley IMO. I like Burley as much as the next "Classic Boxing" fan but let it go... he was no SRR.

 

Likes been said '46 and it likely would generate allot of money. Burley did have losses mainly because his opposition was some of the best of all time, the Marshall/Williams losses were disputed too. Lamotta too lost to Marshall

 

It's a shame it didn't happen and a few close losses shouldn't keep anybody away from big fights. All I was saying is that I really don't think he was ducked by Robinson. I also seriously doubt that Robinson was offered more money than he had ever made for a fight with Burley... how is that possible? Who was offering the money? Burley's people? No way! Robinson's team is the one who had control.

 

probably very true, the lack of film and the recent bio of him seems to have had him turned into SRR version 2.

 

do you think if he had to win the rematch with muderers row man burt lytell he would have got that shot ?

 

I don't see what a win over Lytell would add to what he had already achieved at that point. A big win of course but it wouldn't get him a title shot. To do that he would have had to get a popular top contender in the ring with him.

I do wish that LaMotta had fought him, but it's understandable why he didn't. It was tough enough for him to get a title shot after being at the top of the rankings for 7-8 years, and he surely did not need a Charley Burley to make things even more difficult.

 

That is 100% correct. When Robinson was champion Burley was more of a Middleweight anyway. If anyone ducked Burley it was Zivic.

That is fair. I just tend to think it was a risky fight for an up and coming Robinson to take and when Robinson did ascend to the world throne, Burley was more of a Middleweight.

 

i hear you fella.

but, let me put it another way...did losing to lytell scupper the chances of it happening ?

 

They were both black but one was box office and one wasn’t. Why was SSR the bigger attraction? SSR was from a bigger fight town and more reliable delivering thrilling and swashbuckling performances. Burley was as talented but much more subtle and fought in smaller towns; he just didn’t make the headlines. Burley would need to move to New York, have a more aggressive approach and take on a full time publicist.

 

If Burley's physical appearance had been full blooded Irish, with him speaking in his mother's rich County Cork brogue, and had he boxed in green trunks with a huge shamrock, that wouldn't have helped him one iota. His style and personality simply didn't capture the popular imagination, and the fact he did not serve in uniform during WW II while participating in athletic competition was also going to leave him at a public relations disadvantage, regardless of the validity of his rejection for military duty. (Despite the murky nature of Robby's departure from the US Army, the fact is that photographs of him in uniform saturated the media, and certainly didn't hurt the way he was perceived by fight going servicemen and veterans.)

 

Exactly. we appreciate him now but he was having to compete for attention among a talented era chock full of fighters no better than burley who DID capture the popular imagination more than burley did. Charley did not even have a nick name that caught on.

 

Side note: Burley was offered a series of fights with Robinson but was told he had to throw the first fight. Questions:

1. Was this common in contracts, did it happen?
2. Could they have meant to have Burley lose by throwing the fight and not honoured the rematch?
3. Why didn't Burley accept and do a Butch from Pulp Fiction?

 

In 1946 Robinson fought as high as 152 and Burley fought as low as 157. Robinson became welterweight champion at the end of 46.
In 1947 Robinson fought as high as 155 Burley as low as 158.
In 1948 Robinson fought at as high as 154. Burley as low as 165. He only fought once in 48.
In 1949 Robinson 155, Burley 160.
In 1950 Robinson 159 1/2 Burley 159.

A bout between the two in that time frame is conceveble. It is unlikely it would have been for a championship though.

If the risk/reward issue is the excuse than your giving Robinson a free pass. This not mean that Burley would win, but that it is a fair question.

 

because when your the greatest boxer that ever lived, you can afford to.

 

A fight in 1947-1950 would have been pointless for Robinson as Burley was no longer considered a top fighter. It would have had to happen somewhere between 1941-1946.