To begin with, the idea that the original “Sugar” Ray was the sweetest fighter of all time is one of few things most boxing fans agree on. In the ring, he was also a unique and dazzling talent who put on a show.

Changing the landscape of nearly half of the sport’s weight divisions also requires a special fighter. That may speak as much to the gullibility of the fight-watching public as much as anything else, but that’s what Robinson did by winning boxing’s “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” at Chicago Stadium in 1951.

By the late 1940s and early '50s, the great Henry Armstrong’s dominance was still fresh in the minds of boxing folks who saw him hold three championships in three different divisions at once in the 1930s. That is to say, Armstrong confirmed it could be done in terms of ability, but it had still been done only once, and even just two-division champions were still relatively rare.

Robinson was the kind of fighter everyone just assumed would go on to do great things, however. He was the uncrowned welterweight champion for years, partially due to World War II, boxing’s politics and more secret machinations. But then he finally became the actual welterweight champion, and the middleweight title Tony Zale, Rocky Graziano and Marcel Cerdan traded back and forth suddenly looked tasty and attainable.

The war was well over and the sport moved on from a period of understandable stagnation, though the underworld associations it couldn’t shake only intensified. Through a series of boxing managers and a corps of everyday toughs, one of the East Coast’s major crime families gained control over world championships and the fighters who held them through an organization called the International Boxing Club of New York.

Frankie Carbo, a ranking Lucchese crime family member and key IBC figure, became known throughout boxing as “Mr. Gray,” a shadowy and treacherous figure not to be trifled.

Jake LaMotta knew about the mob. He’d seen things around The Bronx when he was younger, and had a rap sheet himself. He just wanted to get a title shot playing it straight, without any outside help.

After years of hard work on Cauliflower Row, LaMotta realized the extent of the mob’s reach in boxing when he couldn’t get a middleweight title shot . In 1947, he caved and participated in what is believed to be one of boxing’s best known fixed fights against Billy Fox, who stopped LaMotta standing. About 18 months later, LaMotta got his title shot and defeated Cerdan.

Robinson has his own history with LaMotta, and the numbers on paper didn’t do it justice. A significantly larger LaMotta handed Robinson his only professional loss in their 1943 rematch, and from ‘42-‘45 they fought five times, with Robinson leading 4-1.

Three of those four wins were hell for Robinson, who tended to run out of steam in the later rounds.

In some of his fights, Robinson struggled more than expected or appeared to carry opponents, leading many to believe he at least briefly worked alongside the mob, if not directly for them. His shrewd team would never allow any outside exclusive agreement or contract, and as welterweight champion, Robinson was one of the few boxing champions without some kind of link to Mr. Gray.

Without an exclusive contract, Robinson again found himself on the outside looking in and unable to add the middleweight crown to his collection. The closest he came was winning middleweight title recognition in Pennsylvania, which at least helped his case. Fortunately LaMotta’s struggles as champion and public pressure helped the sixth and final showdown between the rivals finally get signed.

According to Robinson’s autobiography “Sugar Ray,” he was paid a personal visit by Carbo late one evening at his training headquarters in New Jersey not long after starting camp. He said Carbo instructed him to defeat LaMotta, then take a dive in a rematch to set up an eighth bout.

Robinson replied: “You tell [LaMotta] to keep his hands up and his ass off the floor. You tell him to be sure to do that when the bell rings.”

Robinson then turned his back on Carbo and walked away. If true, Robinson’s rejection of one of the most dangerous mob figures in the U.S. makes what transpired in the ring even more mythical.

When it comes to LaMotta’s style, it’s common for him to be dismissed as a brawler or common street fighter. Actually he was a withering body puncher and a very good inside fighter who could be relentless, he could simply be unreliable at his worst. Something about Robinson brought out his best, though.

LaMotta put combinations together well early on, especially to the body. Robinson’s jab snapped into LaMotta’s face in return, and by round two the champion’s face reddened, with Robinson just barely missing his vaunted left hook. The crowd gasped when Robinson’s hook whistled past LaMotta’s chin.

Robinson’s solution to handling LaMotta this time was a mixture of movement, punching volume and a strong, consistent jab. LaMotta caught up in Round 3 by stepping with Robinson and finding him on the ropes, though his options at range were limited and he tried forcing Robinson into trading with him, which didn’t work.

Occasionally LaMotta connected on a big punch, but even Robinson later noted that he thought the champ lacked power in this fight. It convinced Robinson to take risks to land his own power, and he backed off when realizing LaMotta wasn’t going anywhere. When the rounds reached the double digits, LaMotta became desperate.

Robinson was pushed to the ropes again in the 11th and LaMotta unleashed with a two-fisted assault. The challenger clinched and dodged before backing LaMotta off with his own offense and taking the fight out of him.

Round 12 saw LaMotta absorb a beating. He was exhausted and couldn’t move his head, and against Robinson that’s asking for cremation. Round 13 only convinced Robinson to push harder with the end clearly in sight. Two minutes into the round, with LaMotta dropping over at the waist near the ropes, he was given mercy and the fight was stopped.

The Ring’s editor Nat Fleischer wrote:

“Never had Jake been subjected to such severe punishment and he admitted after the fight that Robbie had not only given him his toughest battle, but had hurt him more than had any other opponent in his long career.

"What Sugar Ray dished out in the final two frames was a reminder of the punishment Max Schmeling received at the hands of Joe Louis in their second fight.”

Whatever success LaMotta had in the fight was quickly forgotten. He was brave, but Robinson beat him from pillar to post in front of about 15,000. What was jokingly referred to as a massacre before the fight became a literal one.

With one victory, Robinson changed the immediate future of three weight divisions. First, he would vacate the welterweight title per an agreement he had with the New York State Athletic Commission, opening the door for several young fighters on the way up.

At middleweight, Robinson would swiftly face ranked contenders and get the division moving while light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim issued him a mild challenge, asking him to move up for a fight.

As a two-division champion, Robinson seemingly confirmed his greatness. In time, his repeated return to the top of a tall middleweight heap proved his reputation as the greatest was no mistake.