Did Sugar Ray Robinson cross the Mob when he beat Lamotta for the mw title?

[rightsideup]

I have read that unsavory figures where wanting him to lose against jake , then win in a fixed second fight and have a third fight on the level. After beating jake he then went to europe. What have you people read or heard?

[Miburo]

In the big documentary about him it was implied that unlike for most fighters there were never any consequences from him rejecting mob offers, probably because he was so respected as a fighter that they just let it slide.

[T.Horton]

I remember it being said that Jake was supposed to drop to some bum in order to get a shot at Cerdan. I think that was in Raging Bull.

[Ray Corso]

The people involved in boxing then didn't have great success dealing with either one these men. Jake did things his own way up until the doors were completely closed unless he dumped the Fox fight! Sugar was all about the money but he was considered a genius in the ring and there were fighters that weren't apart of the inner workings as to betting. Jake was a terrible actor and the public wouldn't accept a Sugar defeat because everyone knew no one could beat him!! Sugars loses came later in his career and they were against top ranked, quality men! Once TV then closed circuit was a ficture in the receipts it became harder and harder to "fix" a fight (ala Liston vs Clay) controversy. When the fight was live it was witnessed by a few thousand and then written about but the "replay" wasn't avalible unless it was a "news real" and that was only viewed in a theatre.
The "fix" became a "mismatch" as boxing entered the 60s!!! If a young up and comer couldn't defeat his first 20 or so opponents then he probably had flaws as the competition got a little "stiffer" hahaha!! as in a "stiff"!
Look at the records of the opponents the top fighters fought and you'll see the men who could box a little but had NO punch!! You'll find the same names on every prospect per weight class, their known as "professional opponents"! Their there to loose but not to "flop"!

As to Sugar crossing powers to be................he was still active after the bout, so he didn't cross anyone. Both of these fighters needed one another to be able to get a decent PC of the gate, it is very true that there was a time period when none of the top twenty men would fight them! They beat them all! Thats how Sugar ventures into smaller venues and fights guys who were 20-35-9, he picks up a few bucks, that arena has a big name that night and it helped promote local shows! Sugar didn't get ready for fights like the boxers today do he was ready all the time. Adding in his amatuers he had close to 350 bouts, thats a resume!!! Ray.

[Dynamite76]

I've heard something to the same respect as Miburo.

[D-MiZe]

If the mob wanted him, they would've had him.