Editing Sugar Ray Robinson (section)

===Middleweight champion===
{{Main|Jake LaMotta vs. Sugar Ray Robinson VI}}
It is stated in his autobiography that one of the main considerations for his move up to middleweight was the increasing difficulty he was having in making the {{convert|147|lb|abbr=on}} welterweight weight limit.<ref>Robinson and Anderson, p. 165.</ref> However, the move up would also prove beneficial financially, as the division then contained some of the biggest names in boxing. Vying for the [[Pennsylvania]] state middleweight title in 1950, Robinson defeated [[Robert Villemain]]. Later that year, in defense of that crown, he defeated Jose Basora, with whom he had previously drawn. Robinson's 50-second, first-round knockout of Basora set a record that would stand for 38 years. In October 1950, Robinson knocked out [[Bobo Olson]] a future middleweight title holder.

On February 14, 1951, Robinson and LaMotta met for the sixth time. The fight would become known as ''The St. Valentine's Day Massacre''. Robinson won the undisputed World Middleweight title with a 13th round [[knockout|technical knockout]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/middle.htm| title=The Lineal Middleweight Champions| website=The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia}}</ref> Robinson outboxed LaMotta for the first 10 rounds, then unleashed a series of savage combinations on LaMotta for three rounds,<ref name="businessman"/> finally stopping the champion for the first time in their legendary six-bout series—and dealing LaMotta his first legitimate knockout loss in 95 professional bouts.<ref>[http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=009030 "Jake LaMotta"]. ''BoxRec''. Retrieved June 6, 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425225736/http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=009030 |date=April 25, 2006}}</ref> LaMotta had lost by knockout to Billy Fox earlier in his career. However, that fight was later ruled to have been [[match fixing|fixed]] and LaMotta was sanctioned for letting Fox win. That bout, and some of the other bouts in the six-fight Robinson-LaMotta rivalry, was depicted in the [[Martin Scorsese]] film ''[[Raging Bull]]''. "I fought Sugar Ray so often, I almost got diabetes", LaMotta later said.<ref name="Sportscentury"/> Robinson won five of his six bouts with LaMotta.

After winning his second world title, he embarked on a European tour which took him all over the Continent. Robinson traveled with his flamingo-pink [[Cadillac]], which caused quite a stir in [[Paris]],<ref>Robinson and Anderson, pp. 187–88.</ref> and an entourage of 13 people, some included "just for laughs".<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1951/07/15/archives/dethroned-in-london.html Dethroned in London], ''The New York Times'', July 15, 1951. Retrieved June 6, 2007.</ref> He was a hero in France due to his recent defeat of LaMotta—the French hated LaMotta for defeating [[Marcel Cerdan]] in 1949 and taking his championship belt (Cerdan died in a plane crash en route to a rematch with LaMotta).<ref name="businessman"/> Robinson met President of France [[Vincent Auriol]] at a ceremony attended by France's social upper crust.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1951/05/17/archives/sugar-ray-gives-mme-auriol-kiss-boxer-as-cancer-fund-envoy-busses.html Sugar Ray Gives Mme. Auriol Kiss; Boxer as Cancer Fund 'Envoy,' Busses French Chief's Wife Twice on Each Cheek], ''The New York Times'', May 17, 1951. Retrieved June 6, 2007.</ref> During his fight in Berlin against [[Gerhard Hecht]], Robinson was disqualified when he knocked his opponent out with a punch to the kidney: a punch legal in the US, but not Europe.<ref name="Answers"/> The fight was later declared a no-contest. In London, Robinson lost the world middleweight title to British boxer [[Randolph Turpin]] in a sensational bout.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012184017/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,890187,00.html "Sugar's Lumps"]. ''Time''. July 23, 1951. Retrieved June 6, 2007.</ref> Three months later in a rematch in front of 60,000 fans at the [[Polo Grounds]],<ref name="Answers"/> he knocked Turpin out in ten rounds to recover the title. In that bout Robinson was leading on the cards but was cut by Turpin. With the fight in jeopardy, Robinson let loose on Turpin, knocking him down, then getting him to the ropes and unleashing a series of punches that caused the referee to stop the bout.<ref name="Turpin2">[[Arthur Daley (sportswriter)|Daley, Arthur]] (September 12, 1951). [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0A1FFA3B55177B93C0A81782D85F458585F9 "Sports of The Times; For the Championship"]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved June 6, 2007.</ref> Following Robinson's victory, residents of Harlem danced in the streets.<ref>{{cite news |title='Can't Beat That Man' British Scribes Agree |url=https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031113/1951-09-13/ed-1/seq-11/ |access-date=August 21, 2022 |work=Nassau Daily Review-Star |date=September 13, 1951 |at=p. 11 col 2 |quote=Pedestrian and traffic lanes leading to 125th Street, the heart of Harlem, were jammed with shouting people ... the crowd in front of the hotel swayed, sang and danced to the rhythm of a band. |via=New York State Historic Newspapers}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Harlem Hails Robinson; More Than 10,000 Cheer Verdict, Sing and Dance in Street |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/09/13/84865830.html?pageNumber=40 |access-date=August 29, 2022 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url-access=registration |date=September 13, 1951}}</ref> In 1951, Robinson was named ''Ring Magazine's'' "Fighter of the Year" for the second time.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=a0YLAAAAIBAJ&pg=4102,5005037&dq=sugar-ray-robinson+fighter-of-the-year&hl=en| title=Sugar Ray Robinson Named Fighter Of Year| newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersburg Times]]| last=Rose| first=Murray| agency=Associated Press| date=December 27, 1951| access-date=January 18, 2021}}{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1952 he fought a rematch with Olson, winning by a decision. He next defeated former champion [[Rocky Graziano]] by a third-round knockout, then challenged World Light heavyweight champion [[Joey Maxim]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/lheavy.htm|title=The Lineal Light Heavyweight Champions| website=The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia}}</ref> In the [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] bout with Maxim, Robinson built a lead on all three judges' scorecards, but the {{convert|103|°F|adj=on}} temperature in the ring took its toll.<ref name="Sportscentury"/> The referee, [[Ruby Goldstein]], was the first victim of the heat, and had to be replaced by referee Ray Miller. The fast-moving Robinson was the heat's next victim – at the end of round 13, he collapsed and failed to answer the bell for the next round,<ref name="Sportscentury"/> suffering the only knockout of his career.

On June 25, 1952, after the Maxim bout, Robinson gave up his title and retired with a record of 131–3–1–1. He began a career in show business, singing and tap dancing. After about three years, the decline of his businesses and the lack of success in his performing career made him decide to return to boxing. He resumed training in 1954.