The Bull Rests | Life and Legacy of Jake Lamotta

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SteemSports Presenter:@brandonk

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SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets

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"I fought Sugar Ray so often, I almost got diabetes."

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Lamotta wasn't your average man, nor was he your average fighter. He had an immense disregard for pleasure, and he forced the fight of life upon himself. To understand the man, you have to understand the source of his origin. He was born to an Italian immigrant father with an older brother Joe; they moved to New York in the late 30s and Jake became a pro boxer in 1941. Joe was eventually mixed up with cocaine and drug trafficking, and Jake had become a raging alcoholic by the time he was 28 years old. The harshness of 40's pugilism provided a platform to be seen, but not much else. To become rich and famous you had to become a champion, and even then the notoriety was not a fraction of what it is today.

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Lamotta had the best chin of all time, and he holds a solid 83 wins from 106 bouts. He fought the slickest boxer of all time in Sugar Ray Robinson 6 times, and he beat the man in their first encounter! This was the best Sugar Ray there ever was, and it is a shame no footage exists of the 40s Ray or Lamotta bout as this fight is unparalleled in regards to place in history...and in regards to both men's fortitude at the time. Jake had incredible attrition and his willingness to get hit made him such an anomaly for the time. You will even notice that in the 5 fights Lamotta lost to Ray, he still knocked Sugar through the ropes in their second affair, and he is the only man to drop Ray numerous times even staggering him early on in nearly all of the encounters.

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There is not a more suitable moniker in this universe than Raging Bull, he truly was the Bronx Bomber whom showed no fear in the ring! His lack of power and size for the middleweight division always put him at a slight disadvantage against bigger men, but for that his heart and inspiration to the masses grew! We don't judge him for the life he lived outside the ring, as he had many self realizations in the auto biographies and documentaries on his life. Jake seemed to reconcile his demons in the ring, and I love the man for it. Rest in peace you magnificent bastard, give em hell!

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