Boxing
Robinson’s early recordings support Atlas GOAT’s view
To find a state-of-the-art comparison, you would have to imagine today’s competitor competing every three weeks for ten years without a single slip-up.
“[He] might be the greatest fighter of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson. 174 wins, 19 losses, most of them in aged age, six draws, 108 knockouts. That’s a lot of knockouts. That’s a lot of fighting,” the Atlas analyst said on his channel.
By the time Robinson traveled to London to face Randy Turpin in July 1951, he had already had an illustrious career, with a record of 128 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws.
That stretch included a 40-0 start and a 91-fight unbeaten streak that spanned nearly a decade. It was not compiled against supple opposition or during a protected surge. Robinson fought constantly, often several times a month, and continued to win.
His lone defeat, a decision by Jake LaMotta in 1943, which Robinson corrected by defeating the “Bull from the Bronx” five times over their legendary rivalry.
In 1950 alone, Robinson fought 19 times. For context, many state-of-the-art champions fight 19 times throughout their careers.
“He had a 91-fight unbeaten streak – that’s pretty good. Like I said, most of them were when he was aged, well beyond his best,” Atlas said
Atlas rightly points out that Robinson’s 19 losses are duplicitous. When Robinson finally retired in 1965 at the age of 44, he was a shell of the man who had ruled the 1940s. More than half of his career losses came in the last five years of his 25-year in-ring career.
If Robinson had retired after his victory over LaMotta in the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” in 1951, his winning percentage would have been about 98 percent. Instead, he stayed there long enough to become a five-time middleweight champion, which enhanced his legend but increased his loss column.
The fight with Joey Maxim is often cited as the biggest “almost” of Robinson’s career. Leading on all scorecards before 104-degree heat forced him to step down, Robinson nearly overcame the huge weight gap to capture the third division title.
However, his size at welterweight requires no such justification. Weighing 147 pounds, Robinson was the perfect combination of technical excellence and shock power. When you look at 74–1–1 in this weight class, you don’t just see a great record; you are looking at the most perfect version of a warrior to ever wear lace-up gloves.
Robinson did not break this record for journeymen. During this series, he defeated Hall of Famers and top competitors such as Jake LaMotta, Tommy Bell, Kid Gavilan and Fritzie Zivic.
Sugar Ray cleaned up an era of boxing that was much more populated and competitive than the state-of-the-art landscape.
What makes 74–1–1 truly amazing is the frequency. In the 1940s, Robinson often fought twice in one month. Maintaining this winning percentage when the body is subjected to constant 15 rounds of stress is something that state-of-the-art sports science can barely explain. It didn’t have training camps in the sense that we think of them today; he was simply in a constant state of struggle.
While his middleweight years gave us legendary battles and five titles, the 147-pound Robinson was the closest to a flawless fighting machine the world had ever seen.
This is the gold standard. Every welterweight fighter, from Leonard and Hearns to Mayweather and Crawford, is inevitably compared to this particular 74–1–1 spirit.
Warren pointed to Dubois’ performance in the war with Wardley on May 9 as evidence that he has matured under pressure and is now better prepared for another meeting with the undefeated Ukrainian.
“I would love to see Daniel with him again. He’s grown mentally. Physically he’s there, but mentally he’s grown there and I’d like to see that fight again, I really would,” Warren said to Heavenly sports.
“You know it’s going to be a fight while it lasts.”
Warren believes the punishment and adversity Dubois faced against Wardley could facilitate him more than ever with easier victories.
“It was a tough fight, but I truly believe this fight will benefit him even more.
Warren said.“He grew mentally during this fight. He put in the work. He focused on it, and his determination worked for him.”
Team Dubois also believes that the difference in previous fights with Usyk was down to experience and composure rather than physical ability. Mohammed Ali, head of boxing performance analysis at Dubois, said Usyk’s serene approach was a decisive factor in their previous meetings.
“Usyk, as you know, has a very scientific approach, and his approach was very serene, very composed, he didn’t talk too much, even though there was a lot going on in the background.
“The experience that Usyk has over Daniel is everything. The experience that he has and that’s exactly what was portrayed that night is the difference in how Usyk handled it.
“However, if it came to a third fight, I can guarantee you the approach would be the same as Fabio or even better,” Warren said.
Usyk has already stopped Dubois twice, so many fans will need some convincing before they treat the trilogy fight as a competition. Still, Warren clearly believes that the Battle of Wardley changed Dubois in a way that could carry over into the third fight.
Shakhram Giyasov believes Rolando “Rolly” Romero has avoided fighting him for the past seven months after the WBA ordered a welterweight title fight in October.
Instead of continuing to wait for Romero, Giyasov will fight Jack Catterall for the WBA “regular” welterweight belt this Saturday, May 23 in Egypt. Romero hasn’t fought since defeating Ryan Garcia to win the WBA welterweight title last year, and he has never progressed in putting together a structured defense against Giyasov.
“Who is this? I don’t know him,” Giyasov told The Ring when asked about Rolly.
“If you win on Saturday, do you think he still won’t want to fight you?” – Giyasov said in an interview.
“I don’t know. “I think he’s afraid of me” Giyasov said.
The undefeated Uzbek contender has been steadily climbing the rankings over the years, but has struggled to secure fights at 147 pounds. The fight with Catterall gives him a chance to finally leave the mandatory position and win a secondary version of the WBA title.
Catterall moved up to welterweight earlier this year after competing at 140 pounds for most of his career. The fight will be part of Saturday’s gala in Cairo, the main event of which will be the fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven.
The Giyasova-Catterall winner could be closer to a future clash with Romero if the WBA ultimately pushes for title consolidation.
“I think he’s afraid of me!” 👀
Shakhram Giyasov, who will fight for the WBA “regular” belt this Saturday, believes that WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero is avoiding him ❗️
Glory in Giza | May 23 | LIVE on DAZN 🥊 pic.twitter.com/fMwHZNpomd
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 21, 2026
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Last update: 21/05/2026 at 12:12
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