Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Charley Burley

I see Robinson's speed/movement seeing him getting in and out and beating Burley to the punch. Burley will be forced to switch it up being forced to lead more making it more competitive. Robinson's defense isn't great so Burley can certainly take advantage of that and has the better timing and imo looks to be the smarter boxer. But ultimately Robinson should outspeed and outfight Burley.

Disagree this is a boring match up - is Robinson boring? Is Burley? This would be one for the ages

 

a classic chessmatch i think. Ray might've pulled it out due to his jab and movement. Burley may wait a bit too long to get off. Then it would be too late.

 

McGrain may well be right. Burley at times would do just enough to win. He didn't believe in unnecessarily humiliating another black fighter and I'd bet that his knockout ratio would have been higher had he stepped on the gas more. It also is part of the explanation why his career didn't take off.

That being said, I have to disagree with McGrain here. While Burley often laid off and did enough to win, he did not when he didn't like the fighter. I don't think he'd like Robinson very much. Hell, he even wanted to pound him decades later at an awards ceremony when both were old men -but didn't because he was moved with pity at the condition of Robinson.

Burley didn't like Moore. So he dominated and humiliated him. He didn't like Chase either and wrecked him too. Burley was exceedingly humble in his own way. Vain, but a man who despised what he saw as arrogance. Many fighters hated Ray for precisely that reason.

So, I suspect that Burley would be his best -and most aggressive- against Robinson. And Robinson would need everything he could summon to win this one.

 

I haven't read the fight reports of Robinson-Galivan, I'd expect if either man was negative it would be more likely to be Galivan. I'd assume both fights were quite different? Its a real shame those 2 aren't on film as I always wonder how Robinson would cope with a fast slicker opponent. I heard something of Robinson having to adapt and grind out a win, not having all the speed/skill advantages he typically did but I'm not sure how accurate that is

Both Robinson and Burley (from the little I've seen of him) can be aggressive at times, although Burley certainly doesn't appear overly gun-ho/foolish in his attacks, more cautious in the Mayweather/Jones tradition

Even if it was a chess match, it would be fascinating, personally I'm as happy to watch a chess match as I am a brawl, unless it becomes a little a too 1 sided clinic perhaps

Part of me thinks this may have an element of Leonard-Benitez or Jones-Toney too it, with speed, angles and footwork limiting the counter punchers

 

Robinson UD15, 13-2.

 

Probably both. Passion will often increase aggression. And Burley was a tempermental guy.

 

Very good points, although I favour Robinson, if Lamotta/ABrams/Turpin/Galivan could get wins or goto SDs/Draws against the great man then maybe Burley could do that or more in 1 fight in a series

 

He strikes me as a man of contrasts. He was humble but vain. He would never throw a fight to get ahead but he would -and did- carry guys for his own reasons. He was ambitious, and willing to fight any man, but didn't care to look good for the crowd. And those who know him seem to agree that if he didn't personally like a fighter, he would go at him harder -like Moore, like Chase.

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he did manage to knock out Jersey Joe. I think that his power was something very special.

 

Correct, and that is yet another contrast. He could be embittered, but then he'd acknowledge that when the asked who wanted to be the greatest, he didn't raise his hand before Ray did.

You think that he would defeat Robinson? ...I wouldn't go quite that far.