Jake LaMotta

Giacobbe "Jake" LaMotta (July 10, 1922 – September 19, 2017) was an American professional boxer, world middleweight champion, and stand-up comedian. Nicknamed "The Bronx Bull" or "Raging Bull", LaMotta was a rough fighter who was not a particularly big puncher, but he would subject his opponents to vicious beatings in the ring. With use of constant stalking, brawling and inside fighting, he developed the reputation for being a "bully"; he was what is often referred to today as a swarmer and a slugger.

Jake LaMotta
LaMotta in a postcard dated 1952
Statistics
Real name	Giacobbe LaMotta
Nickname(s)	The Bronx Bull The Raging Bull
Weight(s)	Middleweight Light heavyweight
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[1]
Reach	67 in (170 cm)[1]
Nationality	American
Born	July 10, 1922 Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Died	September 19, 2017 (aged 95) Aventura, Florida, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	106
Wins	83
Wins by KO	30
Losses	19
Draws	4
No contests	0

Due to his hard style of fighting, LaMotta often got as much as he was given in an era of great middleweights. With a thick skull and jaw muscles, LaMotta was able to absorb incredible amounts of punishment over the course of his career, and is thought to have one of the greatest chins in boxing history. LaMotta's six-fight rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson was one of the most notable in the sport. Although each fight was close and LaMotta dropped Robinson to the canvas multiple times, LaMotta won only one of the bouts. LaMotta, who lived a turbulent life in and out of the ring, was portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1980 film Raging Bull. He was managed by his brother Joey LaMotta.

Early life

LaMotta was born on the Lower East Side of New York City on July 10, 1922, to Italian parents.[2][3] Many sources had reported his year of birth as 1921,[4] but his daughter Christi said in a Facebook post immediately following his death that it was in fact 1922.[4] His mother was born in the United States to Italian immigrants, while his father was an immigrant from Messina, Sicily, who came with family including his brother Joseph. The family lived briefly in Philadelphia before returning to New York and settling in the Bronx.[2]

Jake's father forced the boy to fight other boys in order to entertain neighborhood adults, who threw pocket change into the ring. LaMotta's father collected the money and used it to help pay the rent.[5] One of LaMotta’s cousins on his father's side was Richard LaMotta, who became an entrepreneur and creator of the Chipwich ice cream treat.[6]

LaMotta learned to box while in a reformatory in upstate New York, where he'd been sent for attempted robbery.[2] Afterward he fought undefeated in amateur bouts, turning professional at age 19 in 1941. During World War II, he was rejected for military service; he had had a mastoid operation as a child on one of his ears and it affected his hearing.[2][7]

Boxing career

As a middleweight in his first fifteen bouts, LaMotta went 14–0–1 (3 KOs) before losing a highly controversial split decision to Jimmy Reeves in Reeves' hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Chaos erupted after the decision was announced. Fights broke out around the ring and the crowd continued to boo for 20 minutes. The arena's organist tried (but failed) to calm down the crowd by playing the "Star Spangled Banner".

One month later, LaMotta and Reeves fought again in the same arena. LaMotta lost a much less controversial decision. A third match between the two took place on March 19, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan. The first five rounds were close, though Reeves was struggling in the fourth. In the sixth round, LaMotta floored Reeves, who was only down for a second. Once the fight resumed, LaMotta landed a left on Reeves' chin, sending him down face-first. Reeves was blinking his eyes and shaking his head as the referee counted him out.

LaMotta vs. Robinson I–V

LaMotta fought Sugar Ray Robinson in Robinson's middleweight debut at Madison Square Garden, New York, October 2, 1942.[8] LaMotta knocked Robinson down in the first round of the fight. Robinson got up and took control over much of the fight, winning via a unanimous 10-round decision.[8]

A 10-round rematch took place February 5, 1943, at Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Michigan.[8] The eighth round was historic. LaMotta landed a right to Robinson's head and a left to his body, sending him through the ropes. Robinson was saved by the bell at the count of nine. LaMotta, who was already leading on the scorecards before knocking Robinson out of the ring, pummeled and outpointed him for the rest of the fight. Robinson had trouble keeping LaMotta at bay.[9] LaMotta won via unanimous decision, giving Robinson the first defeat of his career.

The victory was short-lived, as the two met on February 26, 1943, in what was another 10-round fight, once again at Olympia Stadium in Robinson's former home of Detroit.[8] Robinson was knocked down for a nine-count in Round 7. Robinson later stated, "He really hurt me with a left in the seventh round. I was a little dazed and decided to stay on the deck." Robinson won the close fight by unanimous decision, using a dazzling left jab and jarring uppercuts.[10] LaMotta said the fight was given to Robinson because he would be inducted into the army the next day.[11]

A fourth fight, the duo's final 10 rounder, took place nearly two years after the third, on February 23, 1945, at Madison Square Garden, New York.[12] Robinson won again by a unanimous decision.

LaMotta and Robinson had their fifth bout at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois on September 26, 1945. Robinson won by a very controversial split decision, contested over 12 rounds.[13] The decision was severely booed by the 14,755 people in attendance. LaMotta later said in his autobiography that the decision was widely criticized by several newspapers and boxing publishers. Robinson said afterward, "This was the toughest fight I've ever had with LaMotta."[14]

LaMotta vs. Fox

On November 14, 1947, LaMotta was knocked out in the fourth round by Billy Fox. Suspecting the fight was fixed, the New York State Athletic Commission withheld purses for the fight and suspended LaMotta. The fight with Fox would come back to haunt him later in life, during a case with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In his testimony and in his later book, LaMotta admitted to throwing the fight to gain favor with the Mafia. All involved agreed the fix was obvious and their staging inept.

As LaMotta wrote,

The first round, a couple of belts to his head, and I see a glassy look coming over his eyes. Jesus Christ, a couple of jabs and he's going to fall down? I began to panic a little. I was supposed to be throwing a fight to this guy, and it looked like I was going to end up holding him on his feet... By [the fourth round], if there was anybody in the Garden who didn't know what was happening, he must have been dead drunk.[15]

The thrown fight and a payment of $20,000 to the Mafia got LaMotta his title bout against World Middleweight Champion Marcel Cerdan.[16]

LaMotta vs. Cerdan

LaMotta won the World Middleweight title on June 16, 1949 in Detroit, Michigan, defeating Frenchman Marcel Cerdan.[17] LaMotta won the first round (in which he knocked Cerdan down), Cerdan the second, and the third was even. At that point it became clear something was wrong. Cerdan dislocated his arm in the first round, apparently damaged in the knockdown, and gave up before the start of the 10th round. LaMotta damaged his left hand in the fifth round, but still landed 104 punches in the ninth round, whereas Cerdan hardly threw a punch.[18] The official score had LaMotta as winner by a knockout in 10 rounds because the bell had already rung to begin that round when Cerdan announced he was quitting. A rematch was arranged, but while Cerdan was flying back to the United States to fight the rematch, his Air France Lockheed Constellation crashed in the Azores, killing everyone on board.[19]

World Middleweight Champion

LaMotta made his first title defense against Tiberio Mitri on July 7, 1950, at Madison Square Garden, New York. LaMotta retained his title via unanimous decision. LaMotta's next defense came on September 13, 1950, against Laurent Dauthuille. Dauthuille had previously beaten LaMotta by decision before LaMotta became world champion. By the fifteenth round, Dauthuille was ahead on all scorecards (72–68, 74–66, 71–69) and seemed to be about to repeat a victory against LaMotta. LaMotta hit Dauthuille with a barrage of punches that sent him down against the ropes toward the end of the round. Dauthuille was counted out with 13 seconds left in the fight.[20] This fight was named Fight of the Year for 1950 by The Ring magazine.

Saint Valentine's Day Massacre of boxing

The sixth and final fight between LaMotta and Robinson took place at Chicago Stadium. This fight was scheduled for 15 rounds and was for the middleweight title.[8] Held on February 14, 1951, Saint Valentine's Day, the fight became known as boxing's version of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. In the last few rounds, LaMotta began to take a horrible beating and was soon unable to defend himself from Robinson's powerful blows. But LaMotta refused to go down. Robinson won by a technical knockout in the 13th round, when the fight was stopped.

Light heavyweight

LaMotta moved up to light heavyweight after losing his world middleweight title. He had poor results at first. He lost his debut against Bob Murphy, lost a split decision to Norman Hayes, and drew with Gene Hairston in his first three bouts. In his next three fights, LaMotta had rematches with Hayes, Hairston, and Murphy, and defeated all of them by unanimous decision.

On December 31, 1952, LaMotta had his next fight against Danny Nardico. He knocked LaMotta down for the only time in his career (not counting his thrown 1947 fight) by a right hand in the seventh round. LaMotta got up and was beaten against a corner by Nardico until the bell rang. LaMotta's corner stopped the bout before the eighth round began.[21]

Following that fight, LaMotta took time off; when he returned, in early 1954,[22] he knocked out his first two opponents, Johnny Pretzie (TKO 4) and Al McCoy (KO 1), but a controversial split decision loss to Billy Kilgore on April 14, 1954 convinced him to retire.[23]

Post-boxing

After retiring from the ring, LaMotta owned and managed a bar at 1120 Collins Ave in Miami Beach. He also became a stage actor and stand-up comedian. In 1958 he was arrested and charged with introducing men to an underage girl at a club he owned in Miami. He was convicted and served six months on a chain gang, although he maintained his innocence.[24]

LaMotta appeared in more than 15 films, including The Hustler (1961) with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason, in which he had a role as a bartender.[25] He appeared in several episodes of the NBC police comedy Car 54 Where Are You? (1961–63). A lifelong baseball fan, he organized the Jake LaMotta All-Star Team in the Bronx. The LaMotta team played in Sterling Oval which was located between 165th and 164th Streets between Clay and Teller Avenue.

In 1960 LaMotta was called to testify before a U.S. Senate sub-committee that was looking into underworld influence on boxing. He testified that he had thrown his bout with Billy Fox so that the mob would arrange a title bout for him.[15]

Fighting style

LaMotta is recognized as having had one of the best chins in boxing. He rolled with punches, minimizing their force and damage when they landed, but he was also able to absorb many blows.[5] In the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, his sixth bout with Robinson, LaMotta suffered numerous severe blows to the head. Commentators could be heard saying "No man can take this kind of punishment!" But LaMotta did not go down. The fight was stopped by the referee in the 13th round, declaring it a TKO victory for Robinson.

LaMotta was one of the first boxers to adopt the "bully" style of fighting, in that he always stayed close and in punching range of his opponent, by stalking him around the ring, and sacrificed taking punches himself in order to land his own shots. Due to his aggressive, unrelenting style he was known as "The Bronx Bull."[26] He boasted "No son-of-a-bitch ever knocked me off my feet", but that claim was ended in December 1952 at the hands of Danny Nardico when Nardico caught him with a hard right in the seventh round. LaMotta fell into the ropes and went down. After regaining his footing, he was unable to come out for the next round.[27][28]

Raging Bull: My Story

Raging Bull: My Story is a 1970 memoir by middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta. The autobiography revealed Jake LaMotta's life as a young teenage criminal; reformation in prison; boxing career; struggle with the mafia, which kept the boxing title out of reach; and his jealous obsession with his wife, Vikki. The book details his life, from childhood until the end of his fame.

The first edition is:

• La Motta, Jake with Carter, Joseph and Savage, Peter (1970). Raging Bull: My Story. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall [1970]. ISBN 0-13-752527-3.

Raging Bull

Hollywood executives approached LaMotta with the idea of a movie about his life, based on his 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story. The film, Raging Bull, released in 1980, was initially only a minor box office success, but eventually received overwhelming critical acclaim for both director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro, who gained about 60 pounds during the shooting of the film to play the older LaMotta in later scenes.

To accurately portray the younger LaMotta, De Niro trained with LaMotta until LaMotta felt he was ready to box professionally. De Niro lived in Paris for three months, eating at the finest restaurants in order to gain sufficient weight to portray LaMotta after retirement.[15] De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.

Later life and death

LaMotta had a troubled personal life, including a spell in a reformatory, and was married seven times. He admitted beating his wives and coming close to beating a man to death during a robbery.[29]

In February 1998, LaMotta's elder son, Jake LaMotta Jr., died of liver cancer.[5] In September 1998, his younger son, Joseph LaMotta, died in the crash of Swissair Flight 111.[5][30]

His nephew, John LaMotta, fought in the heavyweight-novice class of the 2001 Golden Gloves championship tournament.[31] John later became an actor, and one of his roles was as "Duke", who ran the bar of that name featured in the television comedy series Frasier. Another nephew, William Lustig, is a well-known director and producer of horror films and the president of Blue Underground, Inc.[32]

LaMotta had four daughters, including Christi by his second wife Vikki LaMotta and Stephanie by his fourth wife Dimitria. He married his seventh wife, his longtime fiancée Denise Baker, on January 4, 2013.[33][34]

LaMotta remained active on the speaking and autograph circuit, and published several books about his career, his life, and his fights with Robinson. He was a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame[5] and was ranked 52nd on Ring Magazine's List of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.[35] The magazine ranked him as one of the 10 greatest middleweights of all time.[36]

LaMotta appeared in a 50-minute New York stage production, Lady and the Champ, in July 2012. The production focused on LaMotta's boxing career, and was criticized by The New York Times as poorly executed and a "bizarre debacle".[37]

LaMotta is the subject of a documentary directed and produced by Greg Olliver. The film features an appearance by Mike Tyson among other notable athletes, actors and Jake's family and friends. Also in production was a sequel to Raging Bull, although MGM filed suit to halt the project, saying that LaMotta did not have the right to make a sequel.[38] The lawsuit was settled on July 31, 2012, when LaMotta agreed to change the title of the film to The Bronx Bull.[39]

LaMotta: The Bronx Bull stars actor William Forsythe as LaMotta, while Paul Sorvino plays his father. It also features Joe Mantegna, Tom Sizemore, Penelope Ann Miller, Natasha Henstridge, Joey Diaz and Ray Wise.[40]

LaMotta died on September 19, 2017, from complications of pneumonia in a nursing home in Florida, at the age of 95.[41][2][4]

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary

106 fights	83 wins	19 losses
By knockout	30	4
By decision	53	15
Draws	4

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
106	Loss	83–19–4	Billy Kilgore	SD	10	April 14, 1954	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
105	Win	83–18–4	Al McCoy	KO	1 (10), 1:10	April 3, 1954	Armory, Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
104	Win	82–18–4	Johnny Pretzie	TKO	4 (10), 1:42	March 11, 1954	Legion Arena, West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
103	Loss	81–18–4	Danny Nardico	RTD	7 (10)	December 31, 1952	Coliseum, Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.
102	Win	81–17–4	Bob Murphy	UD	10	June 11, 1952	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
101	Win	80–17–4	Gene Hairston	UD	10	May 21, 1952	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
100	Win	79–17–4	Norman Hayes	UD	10	April 9, 1952	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
99	Draw	78–17–4	Gene Hairston	PTS	10	March 5, 1952	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
98	Loss	78–17–3	Norman Hayes	SD	10	January 28, 1952	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
97	Loss	78–16–3	Bob Murphy	RTD	7 (10)	June 27, 1951	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, New York, U.S.
96	Loss	78–15–3	Sugar Ray Robinson	TKO	13 (15), 2:04	February 14, 1951	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Lost The Ring middleweight title
95	Win	78–14–3	Laurent Dauthuille	KO	15 (15), 2:47	September 13, 1950	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	Retained The Ring middleweight title
94	Win	77–14–3	Tiberio Mitri	UD	15	July 12, 1950	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.	Retained The Ring middleweight title; Won vacant NYSAC world middleweight title
93	Win	76–14–3	Joe Taylor	UD	10	May 4, 1950	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse, New York, U.S.
92	Win	75–14–3	Chuck Hunter	TKO	6 (10), 0:59	March 28, 1950	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
91	Win	74–14–3	Dick Wagner	TKO	9 (10), 2:40	February 3, 1950	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
90	Loss	73–14–3	Robert Villemain	UD	10	December 9, 1949	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
89	Win	73–13–3	Marcel Cerdan	RTD	9 (15)	June 16, 1949	Briggs Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	Won NBA and The Ring middleweight titles
88	Win	72–13–3	Joey DeJohn	TKO	8 (10), 2:41	May 18, 1949	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse, New York, U.S.
87	Win	71–13–3	O'Neill Bell	TKO	4 (10), 1:40	April 18, 1949	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
86	Win	70–13–3	Robert Villemain	SD	12	March 25, 1949	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
85	Loss	69–13–3	Laurent Dauthuille	UD	10	February 21, 1949	Canada Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
84	Win	69–12–3	Tommy Yarosz	UD	10	December 3, 1948	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
83	Win	68–12–3	Vern Lester	SD	10	October 18, 1948	Eastern Parkway Arena, Brooklyn, New York, New York, U.S.
82	Win	67–12–3	Johnny Colan	TKO	10 (10), 1:32	October 1, 1948	St. Nicholas Rink, New York, New York, U.S.
81	Win	66–12–3	Burl Charity	TKO	5 (10)	September 7, 1948	Park Arena, Bronx, New York, New York, U.S.
80	Win	65–12–3	Ken Stribling	TKO	5 (10), 2:46	June 1, 1948	Griffith Stadium, District of Columbia, U.S.
79	Loss	64–12–3	Billy Fox	TKO	4 (10)	November 14, 1947	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
78	Loss	64–11–3	Cecil Hudson	SD	10	September 3, 1947	Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
77	Win	64–10–3	Tony Janiro	UD	10	June 6, 1947	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
76	Win	63–10–3	Tommy Bell	UD	10	March 14, 1947	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
75	Win	62–10–3	Anton Raadik	UD	10	December 6, 1946	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
74	Win	61–10–3	O'Neill Bell	KO	2 (10), 2:32	October 25, 1946	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	Not to be confused with O'Neil Bell
73	Win	60–10–3	Bob Satterfield	KO	7 (10), 1:50	September 12, 1946	Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
72	Win	59–10–3	Holman Williams	UD	10	August 7, 1946	University of Detroit Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
71	Draw	58–10–3	Jimmy Edgar	PTS	10	June 13, 1946	University of Detroit Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
70	Win	58–10–2	Joe Reddick	UD	10	May 24, 1946	Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
69	Win	57–10–2	Marcus Lockman	UD	10	March 29, 1946	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
68	Win	56–10–2	Tommy Bell	UD	10	January 11, 1946	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
67	Win	55–10–2	Charley Parham	TKO	6 (10), 0:59	December 7, 1945	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
66	Win	54–10–2	Walter Woods	KO	8 (10), 1:33	November 23, 1945	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
65	Win	53–10–2	Coolidge Miller	KO	3 (10), 2:51	November 13, 1945	Park Arena, Bronx, New York, New York, U.S.
64	Loss	52–10–2	Sugar Ray Robinson	SD	12	September 26, 1945	Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
63	Win	52–9–2	George Kochan	TKO	9 (10), 0:54	September 7, 1945	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
62	Win	51–9–2	Jose Basora	TKO	9 (10)	August 10, 1945	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
61	Win	50–9–2	Tommy Bell	UD	10	July 6, 1945	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
60	Win	49–9–2	Bert Lytell	SD	10	April 27, 1945	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
59	Win	48–9–2	Vic Dellicurti	UD	10	April 20, 1945	St. Nicholas Rink, New York, New York, U.S.
58	Win	47–9–2	George Costner	KO	6 (10)	March 26, 1945	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
57	Win	46–9–2	Lou Schwartz	KO	1 (10), 2:30	March 19, 1945	U.S.O. Auditorium, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
56	Loss	45–9–2	Sugar Ray Robinson	UD	10	February 23, 1945	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
55	Win	45–8–2	George Kochan	TKO	9 (10)	November 3, 1944	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
54	Win	44–8–2	George Kochan	UD	10	September 29, 1944	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
53	Loss	43–8–2	Lloyd Marshall	UD	10	April 21, 1944	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
52	Win	43–7–2	Lou Woods	SD	10	March 31, 1944	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
51	Win	42–7–2	Coley Welch	UD	10	March 17, 1944	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
50	Win	41–7–2	Ossie Harris	SD	10	February 25, 1944	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
49	Win	40–7–2	Ossie Harris	SD	10	January 28, 1944	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
48	Win	39–7–2	Fritzie Zivic	UD	10	January 14, 1944	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
47	Win	38–7–2	Fritzie Zivic	SD	10	November 12, 1943	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
46	Win	37–7–2	Johnny Walker	TKO	2 (10), 0:53	October 11, 1943	Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
45	Win	36–7–2	Jose Basora	UD	10	September 17, 1943	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
44	Loss	35–7–2	Fritzie Zivic	SD	15	July 12, 1943	Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
43	Win	35–6–2	Fritzie Zivic	SD	10	June 10, 1943	Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
42	Win	34–6–2	Tony Ferrara	KO	6 (10)	May 12, 1943	Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
41	Win	33–6–2	Ossie Harris	UD	10	March 30, 1943	Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
40	Win	32–6–2	Jimmy Reeves	KO	6 (10)	March 19, 1943	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
39	Loss	31–6–2	Sugar Ray Robinson	UD	10	February 26, 1943	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
38	Win	31–5–2	Sugar Ray Robinson	UD	10	February 5, 1943	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
37	Win	30–5–2	Charley Hayes	TKO	6 (10)	January 22, 1943	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
36	Win	29–5–2	California Jackie Wilson	PTS	10	January 15, 1943	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
35	Win	28–5–2	Jimmy Edgar	SD	10	January 1, 1943	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
34	Win	27–5–2	Henryk Chmielewski	UD	10	November 6, 1942	Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
33	Win	26–5–2	Bill McDowell	TKO	5 (8), 0:44	October 20, 1942	Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
32	Loss	25–5–2	Sugar Ray Robinson	UD	10	October 2, 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
31	Win	25–4–2	Vic Dellicurti	PTS	10	September 8, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
30	Win	24–4–2	Jimmy Edgar	PTS	10	August 28, 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
29	Win	23–4–2	Lorenzo Strickland	PTS	8	July 28, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
28	Loss	22–4–2	Jose Basora	PTS	10	June 16, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
27	Win	22–3–2	Vic Dellicurti	PTS	10	June 2, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
26	Draw	21–3–2	Jose Basora	PTS	10	May 12, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
25	Win	21–3-1	Buddy O'Dell	PTS	10	April 21, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
24	Win	20–3–1	Lou Schwartz	KO	9 (10)	April 7, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
23	Win	19–3–1	Lorenzo Strickland	PTS	10	March 18, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
22	Win	18–3–1	Frankie Jamison	PTS	8	March 3, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
21	Win	17–3–1	Frankie Jamison	PTS	8	January 27, 1942	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
20	Loss	16–3–1	Nate Bolden	MD	10	December 22, 1941	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
19	Win	16–2–1	Jimmy Casa	PTS	6	November 14, 1941	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, U.S.
18	Loss	15–2–1	Jimmy Reeves	UD	10	October 20, 1941	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
17	Win	15–1–1	Lorenzo Strickland	PTS	8	October 7, 1941	Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
16	Loss	14–1–1	Jimmy Reeves	SD	10	September 24, 1941	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
15	Win	14–0–1	Cliff Koerkle	PTS	6	August 11, 1941	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
14	Draw	13–0–1	Joe Shikula	PTS	6	August 5, 1941	Queensboro Arena, Long Island City, Queens, New York, U.S.
13	Win	13–0	Joe Baynes	PTS	6	July 15, 1941	Queensboro Arena, Long Island City, Queens, New York, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Johnny Morris	KO	3 (6)	June 23, 1941	Starlight Park, Bronx, New York, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Lorenzo Strickland	PTS	6	June 16, 1941	Starlight Park, Bronx, New York, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Lorenzo Strickland	PTS	4	June 9, 1941	Queensboro Arena, Woodhaven, Queens, New York, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Johnny Morris	PTS	4	May 27, 1941	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Johnny Cihlar	PTS	4	May 20, 1941	Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Monroe Crewe	PTS	4	April 26, 1941	Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Lorne McCarthy	PTS	4	April 22, 1941	Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Stanley Goicz	PTS	4	April 15, 1941	Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Joe Fredericks	TKO	1 (4), 1:36	April 8, 1941	Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Johnny Morris	TKO	4 (4)	April 1, 1941	Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Tony Gillo	PTS	6	March 14, 1941	Pyramid Mosque, Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Charley Mackley	PTS	4	March 3, 1941	St. Nicholas Rink, New York, New York, U.S.

[42]

See also

• List of middleweight boxing champions

References

1. "Jake LaMotta". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
2. Goldstein, Richard (September 20, 2017). "Jake LaMotta, 'Raging Bull in and Out of the Ring, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
3. "Biography : Official Jake Lamotta Website". Officialjakelamotta.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
4. "Raging Bull boxing legend Jake LaMotta dies". September 21, 2017.
5. "International Boxing Hall of Fame profile". Ibhof.com. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
6. Hevesi, Dennis (May 15, 2010). "Richard LaMotta, Creator of Chipwich Ice Cream Sandwich, Dies at 67". The New York Times.
7. Raging Bull: My Story (p. 112)
8. Sweet Thunder
9. "Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta (2nd meeting)". Boxrec.com (May 10, 2006). Retrieved on April 7, 2012.
10. "Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta (3rd meeting)". Boxrec.com (May 10, 2006). Retrieved on April 7, 2012.
11. Gibson, Paul (February 8, 2016). "How Sugar Ray Robinson made Jake La Motta his bloody Valentine in 1951". The Guardian.
12. Box-Rec & Sweet Thunder
13. Sweet Thunder & Box-Rec
14. "Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta (5th meeting)". Boxrec.com (May 10, 2006). Retrieved on April 7, 2012.
15. Merron, Jeff (January 7, 2008). "Reel Life: 'Raging Bull'". ESPN.com.
16. Edmonds, Edmund P.; Manz, William H., eds. (2005). Congress and Boxing: A Legislative History 1960–2003. 1. Buffalo, New York: William S. Hein & Co., Inc.
17. "The Lineal Middleweight Champions". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
18. "Marcel Cerdan vs. Jake LaMotta", Boxrec.com, May 30, 2007; retrieved September 8, 2015.
19. Lockheed L-749-79-46 Constellation F-BAZN's accident description and causes (Flight Safety Foundation). Aviation-safety.net (October 28, 1949). Retrieved on September 20, 2017.
20. Peretz, Howard G. It Ain't Over 'Till The Fat Lady Sings: The 100 Greatest Sports Finishes of All Time. Barnes and Nobles Books.
21. "Jake LaMotta vs. Danny Nardico", Boxrec.com; accessed September 8, 2015.
22. "Giacobe LaMotta," in: Dana R. Barnes (Ed.), Notable Sports Figures. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2004. Retrieved via Biography in Context database, September 22, 2017. "He had no matches in 1953 and fought his final three in 1954."
23. Brady, James (September 21, 2017). "Jake LaMotta's best fights should be remembered more than 'Raging Bull'". SBNation. sbnation.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
24. "Jake LaMotta: A fall from grace". Sports.jrank.org. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
25. Crowther, Bosley (September 27, 1961). "The Hustler (review)". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
26. "Jake La Motta", Encyclopædia Britannica; accessed September 8, 2015.
27. "James Looks To Title Bid As Jake Loses", Deseret News, January 1, 1953.
28. "Jake LaMotta vs Danny Nardico" on YouTube.
29. Rawling, John (September 21, 2017). "Jack LaMotta obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
30. "Americas Boxing champ sues over plane crash son". BBC News. September 10, 1998. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
31. NY Times – 2001 Golden Gloves
32. Nephew Jason Lustig
33. "7th wedding bout for 'Bull' Jake LaMotta". New York Post. December 21, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
34. "The raging bull who refuses to give up fight with life". Timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
35. "Ring Magazine's 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years". Boxing.about.com. March 1, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
36. "Ranking THE RING's 31 middleweight champions". The Ring. September 8, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
37. Jaworowski, Ken (July 24, 2012). "Theater Review: "Lady and the Champ", With Jake LaMotta". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
38. "Jake LaMotta works on stage show and doc amidst legal battle over "Raging Bull 2"". New York Post. July 5, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
39. "MGM Settling 'Raging Bull 2' Lawsuit; Jake LaMotta Movie Changing Title to 'The Bronx Bull'". The Hollywood Reporter. August 1, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
40. "The Bronx Bull". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
41. Robbins, Josh (September 20, 2017). "Jake LaMotta dead: Family members report passing of 'Raging Bull' boxing legend aged 96". International Business Times UK. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
42. "Fight Record : Official Jake Lamotta Website". www.officialjakelamotta.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Boxing record for Jake LaMotta from BoxRec
• Whitney Martin (AP), "Lamotta Near End Of Trail", Lewiston Daily Sun, January 3, 1953
• Jake LaMotta at IMDb
• Raging Bull at IMDb