Oscar De La Hoya says Sugar Ray Robinson is the best boxer ever. The Hall of Fame fighter and Olympic gold medalist shared his opinion in a recent chat with ES News.
De La Hoya's career was impressive. He won gold at the 1992 Olympics and stayed unbeaten until 1999. He grabbed belts in six weight classes and was named Fighter of the Year by Ring Magazine. He also made a ton of money in the ring. But even with all that success, he lost six times, including to big names like Felix Trinidad, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao.
But when it comes to the greatest, De La Hoya looks to the past. He told ES News:
"Sugar Ray Robinson is the greatest of all time! That's basically it, look at this here [his shirt] all the weight divisions, hardest puncher, best footwork, he would fight multiple times a month, took on the very best, took on the toughest challenges. Sugar Ray Robinson, he's literally the GOAT."
Robinson's career backs up De La Hoya's claim. He started boxing as an amateur in 1940 and won all 85 of his fights, with 69 knockouts. When he turned pro, he kept winning. He grabbed the welterweight world title in 1946 and the middleweight belt five different times.
Robinson wasn't just about winning titles. He had amazing speed, power, and style in the ring. He fought often, sometimes multiple times in a month. By the time he hung up his gloves in 1965, he had 174 wins and only 19 losses.
One of Robinson's biggest rivals was Jake LaMotta. They fought six times, and LaMotta once joked, "I fought Sugar Ray so many times, I'm surprised I'm not diabetic!"
Robinson's career was so impressive that many experts agree with De La Hoya. They see Robinson as the best pound-for-pound boxer ever, thanks to his skills, his willingness to take on tough opponents, and his dominance across weight classes.
