But his good life turned sour near the end of the decade, when he was arrested on charges of promoting prostitution and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and he served six months in prison. He finished with a career record of 83-19-4, with 30 knockouts.Īfter his boxing career was over, LaMotta ran a bar in Miami and reportedly dated such Hollywood starlets as Jayne Mansfield and Hedy Lamarr. After a loss to Billy Kilgore in 1954, the Bronx Bull announced he was retiring from the ring for good. LaMotta moved up to light heavyweight and fought a few more times after this tremendous defeat, but he never earned another title shot. The beating was so bad that a referee stepped in to end the fight in the 13th round. Valentine's Day Massacre," Robinson landed powerful punch after punch, but LaMotta refused to go down. In 1951, he faced longtime rival Sugar Ray Robinson in the ring for the sixth and final time. Jake La Motta, in training to meet Marcel Cerdan, the French middleweight champion in Detroit. (Photo: Keystone/Getty Images) (Photo: Keystone/Getty Images) LaMotta then successfully defended his title against Tiberio Mitri and Laurent Dauthuille, the latter win coming via a dramatic last-second knockout. The two were scheduled for a rematch, which had to be called off after Cerdan died in a plane crash. In 1949, LaMotta defeated French champ Marcel Cerdan for the middleweight championship. But his most notorious fight was his loss to Billy Fox in 1947, which prompted widespread speculation that he purposely threw the bout.
Other heavy hitters got a taste of LaMotta's bull-like style, including Fritzie Zivic, Tommy Bell and Tony Janiro. But he was also a deceptively smart fighter, often duping opponents into thinking he was losing steam before launching his attack.Īfter suffering a defeat in his first fight with boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson, LaMotta became the first boxer to defeat Robinson in a 1943 bout. Aggressive and relentless in the ring, he was known for his ability to take a punch. Professional Boxing SuccessĪt the age of 19, the rough, streetwise LaMotta became a professional boxer. Later, LaMotta got in trouble after he tried to rob a jewelry store and spent time in reform school. Encouraged by his father, LaMotta started putting his violent nature to work, starting fights in the street to help earn money for his family. Raised in the New York City borough of the Bronx, he developed an explosive temper at a young age. Professional boxer Giacobbe "Jake" LaMotta was born on July 10, 1922, in New York City. His 1970 autobiography was adapted into Martin Scorsese's acclaimed 1980 biopic Raging Bull, which starred Robert De Niro as LaMotta. A fearsome brawler, the "Bronx Bull" became the world middleweight champion in 1949, and engaged in several memorable bouts with fellow champion Sugar Ray Robinson before retiring in 1954. Boxer Jake LaMotta was born in 1922 in New York City.
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