SteemSports Presenter: @brandonk
SteemSports Editor: @theprophet0
Sugar Ray Robinson is arguably the best boxer of all time! His swift punches and footwork inspired a generation of welterweights who preceded him for nearly a century now. The likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the best boxers of this era take a lot of what they know from the original sugar.
The name sugar was made for Ray because he used the sweet science to a T. He was honestly the sweetest technician we have ever seen in the ring based on when he actually fought professionally. There was no evolved gym or coach helping him out, he was simply prodigal.
The footwork of Sugar gave his moniker a right to be attached to him. Sugar showed that it's more than a puncher's game in that ring, it's all about how a fighter can move his hips and control the opponent by making him miss. Sugar didn't look the part, but he sure as hell played it.
The man fought for over thousands of hours, and including the fights that aren't listed on any modern site, he mostly likely fought over hundreds of (sanctioned and unsanctioned) fights. Seeing Sugar on the heavybag is a thing of majesty, he is such an evolved fighter...
...it is almost hard to imagine that he was doing these types of maneuvers nearly a century ago. His fight against Sammy Angott was an absolute masterclass of wit and pugilistic skill. Angott was a skilled contender, but meeting Sugar Ray broke his spirit and will to win.
Dominant victories over legends of his day like Gene Fullmer cemented Ray as an all time era great; he just like Willie Pep are seen as pioneers of being a true pugilist. A boxer is not so much a fighter as he is a dancer and an entertainer.. they must fire on all those cylinders to be a true pugilist.
The specialization of Sugar was just the classic boxing technique. He would break his man down to the body and shoot back up to the head. He could dismantle most anyone because he was so fast, and his physique made him that much more deceptive as he didn't seem so fast.
If we could see Sugar in the modern day, he would compete with modern day welterweights like Floyd and maybe even Errol Spence. It is alway so interesting to think of modern day athletes vs. athletes of an archaic era who were just so much more ahead of their time.
Many say that an athlete of the modern day would win, but who's to say Sugar Ray's footwork wasn't hundreds of years ahead of even our era? At the end of the day it is in the heart and the mind of the fighter himself, and Ray had some of the biggest of both to say the least!
With modern technology, Sugar would have been even more of a marvel than he already was, and his fantastic record would absolutely be filled with the names of modern legends if he was given the chance. His era was a time past, but his skill was everlasting.
It is truly awe inspiring to see the man in action, and against a guy like Angott, he really got to shine. His movement, footwork, and angles were all combined with his unique speed and willingness to deliver a punch as well as take one. I really wish I could see him in the modern era...
...but since I can't, I might as well keep watching tape. Sugar is the one man you can keep learning from even after watching his moves hundreds of times. The pivots, the angles, the speed... there was truly nothing like him. A one of a kind fighter in the hurt game.
Excelente escrito. Mi papá me habló tanto de Ray, que es como si lo hubiese visto en ación! Aprendí a admirarlo a través suyo.
Grande Ray. Su hazaña, aún hoy en día, es difícil para cualquiera.
Comparto con Ud., cuando dice que le gustaría verlo en acción hoy, sobre todo contra Floyd. Segura estoy de su victoria sobre muchos.
Mucha alegría me dio leer este artículo, es un tema del que no se lee mucho ahora.
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