Orlando Sentinel

Jake LaMotta,

- By Tim Dahlberg

an iron-fisted battler who brawled his way to a middleweig­ht title and was later memorializ­ed in the film “Raging Bull,” dies at 95.

Jake LaMotta, an ironfisted battler who brawled his way to a middleweig­ht title and was later immortaliz­ed by Robert De Niro in the film “Raging Bull,” died Tuesday at a Miamiarea hospital. He was 95.

The former middleweig­ht champion died from complicati­ons of pneumonia, said his longtime fiancee, Denise Baker.

LaMotta handed Sugar Ray Robinson his first defeat and reigned for nearly two years as middleweig­ht champion during a time boxing was one of America's biggest sports. He was a fan favorite who fought with fury, though he admitted to once intentiona­lly losing a fight to get in line for a title bout.

LaMotta gained fame with a new generation because of the 1980 film based loosely on his autobiogra­phy from a decade earlier. De Niro won an Academy Award playing the troubled boxer — violent both inside and outside the ring — in a Martin Scorsese film that several critics have ranked as among the top 100 movies ever made.

“Rest in Peace, Champ,” De Niro said in a statement.

The Bronx Bull, as he was known in his fighting days, compiled an 83-19-4 record with 30 knockouts, in a career that began in 1941 and ended in 1954. But it was the movie that unflinchin­gly portrayed him as a violent and abusive husband — he was married six times — that is remembered even more.

“I'm no angel,” he said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press.

LaMotta fought Robinson six times, handing Robinson the first defeat of his career in 1943 and losing the middleweig­ht title to him in a storied match Feb. 14, 1951, Stadium.

Robinson stopped a bloodied LaMotta in the 13th round of their scheduled 15-round bout in a fight that became known as the second St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. It was a reference to the infamous 1929 mob killings of the same name.

LaMotta finished 1-5 in six fights against Robinson, who many in boxing think was the greatest fighter ever.

“I fought Sugar Ray Robinson so many times it’s a wonder I don't have diabetes,” LaMotta was fond of saying.

In the fight before he lost the title, LaMotta saved the championsh­ip in moviescrip­t fashion against Laurent Dauthuille. Trailing on all three scorecards, LaMotta knocked out the challenger with 13 seconds left in the fight.

LaMotta threw a fight against Billy Fox, which he admitted in testimony before the Kefauver Committee, a U.S. Senate committee investigat­ing organized crime in 1960.

“I purposely lost a fight to Billy Fox because they promised me that I would at Chicago get a shot to fight for the title if I did,” LaMotta said in 1970 interview printed in Peter Heller’s 1973 book “In This Corner: 40 World Champions Tell Their Stories.”

LaMotta was “stopped” by Fox in the fourth round on Nov. 14, 1947, in Madison Square Garden. He didn't get a title shot until 10 fights later.

On June 16, 1949, in Detroit, he became middleweig­ht champion when the Frenchman Marcel Cerdan couldn’t continue after the 10th round.

Renowned for his strong chin and the punishment he could take and dish out, LaMotta was knocked down once — in a 1952 loss to light-heavyweigh­t Danny Nardico — in his 106 fights.

LaMotta was born July 10, 1922, on New York City’s Lower East Side but was raised in the Bronx. After retiring from boxing in 1954, he owned a nightclub in Miami.

The 1980 film “Raging Bull” was nominated for eight Academy Awards. De Niro, who gained 50 pounds to portray the older, heavier LaMotta, won the best actor award.

 ?? JULIE JACOBSON/AP 2005 ?? Actor Robert De Niro portrayed boxer Jake LaMotta in 1980. “Rest in Peace, Champ,” De Niro said Tuesday.
JULIE JACOBSON/AP 2005 Actor Robert De Niro portrayed boxer Jake LaMotta in 1980. “Rest in Peace, Champ,” De Niro said Tuesday.

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