Jake LaMotta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jake LaMotta | |
 |
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Giacobbe LaMotta |
| Nickname | Bronx Bull, Raging Bull |
| Weight | Middleweight,light heavyweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth date | 10th July, 1921 |
| Birth place | |
| Style | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 106 |
| Wins | 83 |
| Wins by KO | 30 |
| Losses | 19 |
| Draws | 4 |
| No contests | 0 |
Giacobbe La Motta (born July 10, 1921), better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed "The Bronx Bull" and "The Raging Bull", is a former boxer who was world middleweight champion and whose life has been as controversial outside the ring as it was inside it. He was portrayed as the main character of Raging Bull by Robert De Niro.
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[edit] Boxing records
LaMotta, who compiled a record of 83 wins, 19 losses and 4 draws with 30 wins by way of knockout, was the first man to beat Sugar Ray Robinson, when he dropped Robinson in the first round and outpointed him over the course of ten rounds during the second fight of their legendary six bout rivalry. LaMotta won only one of the fights. In 1947, he was knocked out in four rounds by Billy Fox. The fight with Fox would come back to haunt him later in life because he had thrown the fight to get a chance at the middleweight title.
[edit] Early life
LaMotta, born in the New York City borough of the Bronx, began boxing at an early age when his father made him fight other neighborhood kids for the entertainment of adults. A crowdpleaser even back then, the money that spectators would throw into the ring after Jake fought -- usually pennies, nickles and dimes -- helped pay the rent at home. After spending time in reform school, LaMotta turned to pro boxing in 1941 at the age of 19.
[edit] Boxing Career
LaMotta won the world title in 1949 in Detroit against Frenchman Marcel Cerdan, who was the world champion. Cerdan, called by many boxing critics the greatest champion ever from France, dislocated his arm in the first round and gave up before the start of the tenth, the official scoring being LaMotta winner by a knockout in ten because the bell had already rung to begin that round when Cerdan announced he was quitting. A rematch was arranged, but while Cerdan was flying back to the United States to fight the rematch, his Air France Lockheed Constellation crashed at the Azores, killing everyone on board. LaMotta met two challengers (Tiberio Mitri and Laurent Dauthuille) and beat them, and then he was challenged by Robinson on their rivalry's sixth fight. Held on February 14, 1951, the fight became known as boxing's version of The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Robinson won by a technical knockout in the thirteenth round, when the fight was stopped with LaMotta lying on the ropes. In 1960, LaMotta shocked the sports world when he was called to testify before a U.S. Senate sub-committee that was looking at underworld influence on the boxing game. LaMotta said that he had thrown his 1947 fight with Billy Fox in exchange for a later title shot against Cerdan. While this admission affected his reputation, LaMotta still believed that it was worthwhile.
[edit] Post Boxing
After retirement, LaMotta bought a few bars and became a stage actor and stand up comedian. He also appeared in over 15 motion pictures, including The Hustler, with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. LaMotta played the bartender.
[edit] Fighting Style
Jake LaMotta was recognized as having the best chin in boxing. But there was much more to LaMotta than a granite chin. LaMotta was a clever boxer who executed the nuances of the game with fine precision. While he was able to absorb punches with little problem, he was also adept at rolling with punches to minimize the damage. He liked to play possum in the ring, lulling opponents into a false sense of confidence before unleashing his own attack. And, perhaps above all, he had a tremendous will to win. His aggressive, unrelenting style, earned him the nickname, "The Bronx Bull."
[edit] Raging Bull
Nearing 1980, Hollywood executives approached LaMotta with the idea of a movie about his life, based on LaMotta's 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story. The film, Raging Bull, was initially only a minor box office success, but eventually became a huge critical success both for director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro, who gained about 60 pounds (27 kg) during the shooting of the film, to play the older, corpulent, broken-down LaMotta in the scenes of LaMotta's later life. De Niro received an Oscar for his portrayal.
The movie depicted a violent and problematic LaMotta who once even went as far as beating his own brother, manager Joey LaMotta, accusing him and his wife (Vicky LaMotta) of having an affair.
In a 2000 interview, LaMotta recalled that after attending the premiere of Raging Bull with his by then ex-wife (the two had divorced in bitterness in the 1950s), he told her he could not believe he was that bad and apologized. Vicky replied: "No...you were worse!"
[edit] Later life
In 1998, his son Joseph LaMotta died in the Swissair flight that crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.
His nephew John Lamotta was a member of the Golden Gloves championship tournament.
LaMotta has been active on the speaking and autograph circuit and has published several books about his career and his wife and his fights with Robinson.
He is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.
| Preceded by Marcel Cerdan |
World Middleweight Champion 16 Jun 1949– 14 Feb 1951 |
Succeeded by Sugar Ray Robinson |
