[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 72 (Thursday, May 3, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E944-E945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE BIRTHDAY AND LIFE OF SUGAR RAY ROBINSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 3, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate 
the birth of Walker Smith Jr., a boxing phenomenon, whose boxing style 
was so smooth and sweet that he earned the nickname ``Sugar Ray.''
  Sugar Ray Robinson was born Walker Smith Junior on May 3, 1921 in 
Ailey, Georgia. His family relocated to Harlem, New York to escape the 
racial injustice of the South when he was just 12 years old.
  After a few years of living in Harlem, he was introduced to the sport 
of boxing. Since he was too young to register, he borrowed a 
registration card from his friend, Ray Robinson. He used his name to 
begin boxing under the Amateur Athletic Union. His boxing style was 
unique and drew crowds. A boxing coach, George Gainford, thought his 
style was sweet as sugar and others agreed. Thus, he was called Sugar 
Ray Robinson.
  It was his unique style that made him a boxing legend. It all began 
in 1940, when he won the New York Golden Gloves championship. He was 
just 19 years old. Immediately after that victory, he became a 
professional boxer. By 1946, he became the world welterweight champion, 
a title he held for 5 years winning 91 straight matches. His success 
continued when he entered the middleweight division. He held the 
middleweight title five times from 1951 to 1960. He retired from boxing 
in November of 1965 after his last fight. His outstanding boxing record 
includes a total of 202 professional fights of which he won 175, and 
during his career he came to define boxing as ``the sweet sacrifice.''
  Due to health conditions, he passed away on April 12, 1989, at the 
age of 67. He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 
1967 and created a foundation for youth in California. A postage stamp 
was created in his honor in 2006. I urge my colleagues to support House 
Resolution 359, recognizing the athletic achievements and commitment to 
young people of this great American boxer.

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