Of course, I wasn't old enough to have been able to see Jake LaMotta's fights in the early 1950s, and he fought pro even in the 1940s or late 1940s. I'm not a historian, but remembering things I read and learned about him was that he was real tough guy. I mean a REALLY tough guy, and he had also beaten some good light heavy weights for example he had flattened Bob Satterfield as well as to have beaten other good light-heavyweight contenders, he was a middleweight that at times did fight in the light-heavy weight division and he had beaten some Light-heavy weight contenders.
As best I remember LaMotta towards the end of his professional boxing career it was a real strain for him to keep his weight down to remain a middleweight he could gain weight easy I mean like 10-15 pounds or more in a week but mostly in the gut his waist and in the end he came to be really a more natural Light-heavyweight than really a middleweight it came to be real hard for him to keep his weight down to remain a Middleweight. I mean REALLY hard for him. It came to be that he would really have to starve himself to remain a Middleweight and that came to be a real strain on him. He had entered some fights a little weak on some occasions for reasons of it too.
By the way, Sugar Ray Robinson had come to fight in the Light-heavyweight division too. Only, he wasn't as good there as in the Middleweight and Welterweight divisions. Of course, he held the world title both as first being a Welterweight and then later as a Middleweight and later had a title fight in seeking the Light-heavyweight title but lost he couldn't win there. I think as best I remember any way that LaMotta had more success fighting over all in the Light-heavy weight division than Sugar Ray did.
LaMotta wasn't all that big a man really he was short only about five foot eight, had the kind of physique that could carry more weight more easily than Sugar Ray could.
In his book in telling his story which I read I remember LaMotta saying that Sugar Ray only really beat him twice or something like that he apparently thought that he got a bad decision in the four fight he lost to Sugar Ray, but of course, LaMotta did at least win one of the five fights he had with Sugar Ray.
Really I don't ever like to hear all the cry baby stuff like that from some good or even great fighters or champions when they do lose a fight all the excuses that some will give ... "Oh, I wasn't in shape, or "I got a bad decision," to me that's all just a bunch of cry baby stuff and excuses for having lost a fight.
Hey, every body loses fights sooner or later if they stay too long even the greatest of fighters cannot go on winning all their fights forever.
Even Rocky Marciano ... who is my favorite ... only reason he never lost a fight and retired undefeated he got out and didn't stay too long.
Really I have to here good or even great fighters to gave excuses for the fights they lose to me that just pride and a bunch of cry baby stuff.
Though I never fought pro ... but fought in the amatuer ranks for many years .. only for reasons I started boxing at such a very young age, and only lost a couple of kids fights is all, won all the rest, and then when I got older out of all those fights I had. I only lost one fight so I know the pain of losing especially if you near always won your fights. But I never made excuses for losing no matter if losing on a close split decision. If you lose you lose! That's it! Nobody can always forever win all their fights no matter who they are ... there are no superman just men.
I liked the book in having read Jake LaMotta tell his life story, but that part in his book in which he starts up with all this stuff about him thinking he only lose two of those five fights instead of four with Sugar Ray. I didn't like hearing him to say that! For as tough as LaMotta was for him to say that surprised me really, that's cry baby stuff.
Of course, all good fighters and champions have got their pride you know, but still I always hate it some I hear them to give all these excuses when they do lose. Not all will do that but some do.
