February 12, 2022

Their Bloody Valentine

2 hours 1 minute

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It’s 5th February 1943 at the Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan. Sugar Ray Robinson enters the ring to face his latest opponent. Robinson has fought 40 professional bouts now, not losing one, and has been dazzling audiences since his amateur days. Tonight is a rematch.

The man standing across from the ring is Jake La Motta. The last time they met it he was described as a “human truck”. Robinson had won the match with what looked like relative ease on the scorecards and the audience had shown their approval. Giving away 10lbs, he had used his superior footwork and exemplified the art of boxing in the eyes of many. However, there were still others who betrayed they primal lust for the gladiatorial roots of pugilism. They saw no entertainment value in a fighter dancing outside of harm’s way. The real fight for them occurred in the pocket; the true test of warriors where the battle glory is earned. They asked what would happen if the truck caught up with the dancer.

Tonight they would find out. For this would be like no rematch Sugar Ray Robinson had fought in his career. When it was over, the previously smitten audiences would fall in love with the clash of styles and would clamour for more. Jake La Motta would later remark that he met Robinson so many times that they almost got married. It therefore seems apt that four of these meetings occur in February. Eight years and nine days to this fateful first rematch, the Robinson/LaMotta feud would culminate in dramatic fashion. The fight inspired books, films, articles and boxing lore: Their Bloody Valentine!

Shownotes/links:

Clubb Chimera Website

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Jamie Clubb Books

Finding the Truth - Ben Myers

Music

Title:

Music for the Outro:

"Titans" by Cold Cinema
Link: https://bit.ly/3HjGhpV

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