Ray Robinson and The Mob

This is an interesting topic. Let me try to give you what I know on the subject. Sugar Ray Robinson didn't get a shot at the welterweight title for YEARS. He had already beaten the champion, Marty Servo and couldn't get a shot at the title. Was that mob related? Maybe, I honestly don't know. Was Servo a mob fighter? I have never read that if he was. So, it isn't like Robinson had an easy time.

Robinson did carry fighters sometimes for the mob's profit, but never threw any fights. Robinson famously carried Charley Fusiari, allegedly for the mob. So, he wasn't all around free from the mob. But he also carried Henry Armstrong, but that was because he admired the man and knew he was no longer at his best and didn't want to knock him out. But, you know, Rocky Marciano was of the era of the fifties and he wasn't throwing any fights. In Jake LaMotta's case, he grew up in a neighborhood where the mob had a tight grasp on things that went on.

I personally think that even the mob guys appreciated the talent of Ray and accepted his answer when he said no to throwing fights. That is my take on it.

 

No 3"6 spaghetti lovers with silly voices are muscling Robinson, he'd beat the **** out of anyone that tried to do that. He'd make a daisy chain out of fat greasy heads up asses

 

No i dont buy that respect bull****, this is the mafia we're talking about. Robinson was simply a superstar, when you reach a certain height in fame and you're making so many businessmen money because of it, you cant really be ****ed with to an extent, i think anyway

 

Yeah, I agree. A fighter even close to Robinson comes along once in a lifetime. In my opinion, Sugar Ray Robinson was the best p4p fighter of all time. I said once in a lifetime, but I should've said once in SEVERAL life times. The first loss to LaMotta was legit, in my opinion. Robinson was knocked out of the ring in the fight.

 

Well maybe yeah but i completely and utterly doubt it was because the mafia respected a human being, let alone a black one, back in those days.

 

Some people really need to do their homework. LaMotta was the one who disregarded the mob until the Fox fight, which he famously and obviously threw in order to get shot at the title. The Robinson fight was 4 years before. So, there is no stink about that fight unless it was caused by Robinson, which is highly doubful.

 

the reasons i always assumed was...


1st- the robinson documentary said that no one would believe that robinson would be beaten easily, expecially if it was a dive (which the mob preffered). lamotta just bulldozed him. lamotta is considered one of the most exceptional pressure fighters even to this day so i dont think it was a fight that was in the tank. but nobody would think he would lose by taking a dive. far too good that even in his early years

3rd- why fighters "signed up" with the mob was becuase of the lack of promotion back then, if no one knew your name you where not getting near a title, simple as. robinson had the charisma, the flash and the backing/support of harlem fight fans. he was a star whatever proffesion he chose i guess.

2nd it was also very hard to get a good bet on ray winning or losing. reason being is that he looked too good to beat and so very few punters would bet agaisnt him. which made the bookies not make good numbers on it. bookie numbers are supposed to pan out losses and wins. if lamotta (for example) was fighting it was hard to tell if he could win or not. so the odds where fairly even, for or agaisnt him a win-win situation.

he had cleared out most of 147 by the time he was MAJOR star. so it wasnt like he needed to get a fight with anyone.

 

One thing I found odd, Basilio was another fighter of the era that famously never fell in with the mob. Yet in Robinosn autobiography he seems to think Basilio was workign with the IBC and a freind of them. Basilio equally hated Robinson but to my knowledge never claimed he was in witht he mob.

 

Basicaly the mob was about money.

Fighters like Louis and Robinson were sheilded from the mob, because they made them enough money via legitimate fights.

If you didn't have that kind of media weight, then you were dogmeat.

 

They respected Robinson in a way and knew he could make great fights esp. with Jake so good thing they decided not to whack him.

Check out this documentary if y'all haven't seen it. Listen to 1:57-3:36 for more details about the mob & Robinson.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZXHKBalR8E[/ame]

 

Great video :good