Very few men have directly inspired the creation of a new term to describe their own greatness in boxing, putting Sugar Ray Robinson among an exclusive and impressive club.
The legendary fighter famously embarked on a 91-fight winning streak, becoming one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport.
Sugar Ray Robinson is regarded as one of the all-time greats, regardless of the weight class in which they are fighting.
His greatness was such that a new ranking system was invented, popularizing an old term and bringing it to new audiences to accurately rate Sugar Ray.
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The idea of ‘pound for pound’ rankings was popularized for Sugar Ray Robinson
The idea of Pound-for-Pound rankings is fairly contemporary in the grand scheme of things, being popularized by journalists raving about Robinson.
While the idea itself goes back to 1906, with Battling Nelson described as being able to beat anyone “if the weight was equal”, the term became popularized in the mid-20th century in recognition of Robinson.
He was described as the “pound-for-pound best” by multiple outlets, as the term became popularized to describe how good he was not just in his own weight class, but in boxing as a whole.
Now, of course, Robinson would stand no chance against the top Heavyweights, as their power would be too much for the man who won belts at Welterweight and Middleweight.
However, ranking fighters “Pound for Pound” takes away that weight difference and ranks them based on their skills, techniques, and accomplishments to see who would be the best if weight were not a factor.
Given how incredible Robinson was in the ring, he is widely regarded by many as the all-time great Pound-for-Pound king, with many still seeing him as the greatest decades after his death.
Muhammad Ali called Sugar Ray Robinson ‘pound-for-pound’ greatest of all time.
When Muhammad Ali says somebody other than himself is the pound-for-pound greatest, you know that man must be good.
In an interview during his boxing career, Ali made it clear that Robinson, not himself, was the greatest boxer of all time.
While “The Greatest” did admit that he is the best Heavyweight of them all, he happily admitted that Robinson was the pound-for-pound king in the ring.
Ali said: “I would have to admit, I would have to say yes [Robinson is the greatest of all time]. I have his fight films, I watched them then, you have them.
“That man was beautiful. Timing, speed, reflexes, rhythm, his body. Everything was beautiful.
“And to me, still, I would say pound-for-pound. I would say I’m the greatest heavyweight of all time, but pound-for-pound I still say Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest of all time.”