Robinson, Sugar Ray, 1920-1989

Sugar Ray Robinson born Walker Smith Jr.; May 3, 1921, Ailey, Georgia – April 12, 1989, Los Angeles, CA; professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965; moved with his mother to the New York City neighborhood of Harlem at the age of twelve; Robinson made his professional debut on October 4, 1940, winning via second-round stoppage over Joe Echevarria; On February 27, 1943, Robinson was inducted into the United States Army, where he was again referred to as Walker Smith; Robinson served with Joe Louis, and the pair went on tours where they performed exhibition bouts in front of US troops; From 1943 to 1951 Robinson went on a 91 fight unbeaten streak, the third longest in professional boxing history; Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and won the world middleweight title in the latter year. He retired in 1952, only to come back two and a half years later and regain the middleweight title in 1955. He then became the first boxer in history to win a divisional world championship five times; On November 11, 1965, Robinson announced his retirement from boxing; Robinson married Marjorie Joseph in 1938; the marriage was annulled the same year. Their son, Ronnie Smith, was born in 1939. Robinson met his second wife Edna Mae Holly, a noted dancer who performed at the Cotton Club They had one son, Ray Robinson Jr. (born 1949) and divorced in 1960; In 1965, Robinson married Millie Wiggins Bruce and the couple settled in Los Angeles