Remembering Jake LaMotta, the ‘Bronx Bull’

Jake LaMotta, “the Bronx Bull,” has passed away at the age of 95, but he will always be remembered as a boxing legend.

All-time boxing great Jake LaMotta has died at the age of 95. His daughter, Christi LaMotta, announced his death on Facebook late on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Jake LaMotta’s wife also confirmed his death to ABC News, stating that he died from “complications of pneumonia.”

LaMotta leaves behind a legacy that’s hard to explain. His life embodied the success and tribulations that make a boxer’s life so interesting to people outside of the sport. He lived through glory and infamy and came out the other end as a myth.

Most people knew who Jake LaMotta was because of Martin Scorsese’s 1980 biopic on LaMotta’s life titled Raging Bull. The film was based on LaMotta’s autobiography Raging Bull: My Story. Robert De Niro portrayed LaMotta and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his efforts. His performance offered audiences a window into LaMotta’s greatness and his pain.

Raging Bull will forever immortalize LaMotta’s folklore, but he should also be remembered for the spirit that he brought into the boxing ring.

Jake LaMotta was born on July 22, 1922, in the Bronx, New York. The Italian-American grew up in a culture that required him to fight for respect. He was a street fighter who found his way into the boxing ring.

As a boxer, LaMotta wasn’t the biggest, fastest or the strongest. He fought most of his career as a middleweight, but only stood at 5-foot-8 and had a reach of 67 inches. LaMotta lacked size even by middleweight standards, but he made up for it with grit and aggression.

LaMotta made his professional boxing debut in 1941 and would continue boxing until 1954. He compiled a professional record of 83-19-4, with 30 knockouts. His numbers were good enough to get him into the Boxing Hall of Fame, but they are also a bit surprising.

LaMotta is regarded as one of the toughest fighters in history, but he had a very low knockout rating for someone so respected. He had a 28 percent knockout rating.

LaMotta didn’t attract fans because of his ability to knock opponents out. He won over the crowd with his ferocious, brawling boxing style. Although LaMotta didn’t possess much power, he fought with the abandonment of a power-puncher.

He didn’t seem to fear any man in the ring and he played the role of aggressor. LaMotta was a pressure fighter who didn’t concern himself with defense. He had an uncanny ability to take a punch and won many of his bouts because he was able to endure more punishment than his opponent.

His fights were usually a battle of attrition, and most of the time, his fortitude was able to overpower his opponent’s skill and ability.

LaMotta is most famous for his six battles with Sugar Ray Robinson, who was arguably the best boxer to live. Robinson was bigger, stronger, more athletic and more skilled than LaMotta. Robinson won five of their six battles, but the two men fought so many times because they brought out the best in each other. Robinson mostly got the better of LaMotta, but he took a beating in the process. Several of their fights were close and their was public demand to see the two clash.

The only bout between the two that LaMotta won was their second meeting where LaMotta nearly finished it by knockout in the seventh, but Robinson was barely able to beat the count and continued fighting.

LaMotta’s last fight with Robinson was dubbed as the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre. It took place on Feb. 14, 1951 and became famous because of the brutal beating LaMotta endured. LaMotta’s pride kept him on his feet and the referee had to stop the fight in round 13 in order to protect LaMotta from himself. This fight would become a symbol of LaMotta’s stubborn pride.

Round 11 was the turning point in the fight. Robinson landed multiple head punches early in the round that hurt LaMotta, and he was never able to recover. Robinson knew he hurt LaMotta and delivered an unmerciful attack for the remainder of the fight.

LaMotta won the middleweight title in 1949 by defeating Marcel Cerdan, but the respect he won in his battles with Robinson far outweighed that of any championship belt.

While LaMotta was remarkable in the ring, he was seriously flawed outside of it. He was a great boxer, but not always a great person. There are a lot of shots that I could take at LaMotta’s character and past digressions, but he he’s gone now and deserves to rest in peace.

Let’s remember Jake LaMotta for his perseverance, determination, courage and ability to defy the odds inside of the ring. He wasn’t the best boxer, but he might of been the toughest. Farewell to the Bronx Bull.