Can a case be made that SRR ducked dangerous opponents?

Maybe Mayweather is scared of Cotto.

 

Thanks acb, thats a great Duran shot, think i'll have it, i like the Morales one on there though, and a good Ali one aswell for any Ali fans.

 

Done! Ive only ever had 1 avatar before, feel like i disrespected it for switching it! Maybe it was time for a change though, and i did have a pic of a book as my avatar, not the best.

 

No lack of loyalty, its the same guy. Looks good as an avatar. The young Duran was something, no?

 

He was unique. Would you say Gavilan is your fave ATG then acb? If so you do have class i must say!

 

For sure he is, and thanks teeto.

 

....if my memory is still somewhat operational, I believe Burley & his team were offering the "biggest purse" to other viable candidates as well, & most of them did not take the bait. Why? Who knows, but it certainly seems like Burley was a fighter that others had to weigh in the risk, compared to the reward.

Did SRR duck Burley? I wouldn't argue vehemently with that-he probably did. There just isn't proof unless we hear it from SRR's mouth. I've heard the argument from the other point-hence, I said the "ducking" is debatable. We can even go one step further, & call him out on ducking Basilio.

Burley was also notoriously managed throughout his career, which crippled his efforts to rise to the top, as well as get fights.

And it's nice to look at this in hindsight & say Robinson ducked Burley-but this wasn't a fight that was in demand. When Robinson demanded more money, the negotiations were stalled. Why? B/c it couldn't generate the interest to make that kind of revenue. It's easier to call out SRR now 60+ years later, when Burley is regarded with more respect, & ask....why didn't Ray fight Charley? By fighting Burley, SRR would've had MUCH more to lose. SRR was finally able to capture the title that year after 70+ bouts(!!), at the age of 26.

There were also racial undertones as to why people "ducked" Burley & his contemporaries.

To me, it looks like SRR played the "cards exactly right", at the expense of boxing fans(moreso hypothetically, b/c the fight wasn't in demand), and most of all, to Burley.

 

Of all the men on your list, only the Cocoa Kid was ever in the same weight class as Robinson and he was ranked behind Jackie Wilson, Henry Armstrong, and Fritzie Zivic, all of whom Robinson fought. Charles, Booker, and Marshall were rated lightheavyweights in 1943. Moore and Chase were soon to move up, and Burley and Williams were middleweights. I don't see Robinson as being under any obligation to fight these bigger men. LaMotta was tough but didn't have much of a punch. It was somewhat like matching the 19 year old Patterson with Maxim. He might lose, but he was not likely to take a physical beating.

All I can say is, I'm happy you were not managing Robinson and so would ruin this great young prospect by tossing him in against much bigger men before he was even mature.

As for the original question. Robinson can be reasonably criticized for not fighting a rubber match with Turpin. Everyone wanted that one. It is also interesting that he never tried to avenge his loss to Tiger Jones.

 

Locally....as in Pittsburgh? lol-that would certainly make sense.

I also think you meant Burley fighting Oakland Billy Smith, rather than SRR. As for the "coincidence"...no, I've never considered it like that. Just b/c Burley was able to handle Smith, I doubt it made SRR reconsider the bout by being a d!ck to Team Burley. I highly doubt that an egomaniac such as SRR was avoiding Burley due to fear, or anything along those lines. I honestly think it was a business decision, as well as a decision to get the belt in the "safest" way possible.

SRR was a late champ-he was denied the opportunity due to World War & the politics of the day. I DON'T think it was coincidence he finally won it the year the Burley bout was in negotiations.

All circumstantial, of course.

 

I think it is bizarre to criticize Robinson for not fighting Ezzard Charles. Robinson fought at 135 and change as late as Sept, 1941. Charles was a big middleweight who was a ranked lightheavy by 1942.

Robinson against Burley or Williams could have been made, but Robinson gives up weight to fight very tough men. What if he loses? Does the loss to a middleweight derail him from ever getting a welterweight championship bout? Robinson was under no obligation to step out of his weight class unless it was in his interest to do so. As a black fighter, it was certainly possible that his career could have gone south in the same way that Burley's did if he was not handled correctly and took a loss or two.

 

Cheers for enlightening me on this one.