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this is an article i found on a word document that i saved from whatever site i found it on at the time...it's written by andrew fruman.
we haven't got a film of this fight to look at, but this article i think gives a great mental image of it.
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Sugar Ray Robinson pulled himself up onto one knee as referee Eddie Joseph barked out the count. Dazed, but coherent, Robinson could see Joseph's fingers - Five… Six… Seven… Madison Square Garden had been thrown into delirium. The best fighter in the world, about to finally take his place as champion, was on the verge of a shocking defeat. It was a stunning moment.
In a neutral corner, Tommy Bell, the lanky heavy handed slugger from Youngstown, Ohio stood anxiously waiting for his chance to finish. Bell, given little chance by the experts and a sizable 5 to 1 underdog with the bookies, had called this moment. "Just watch - I'll knock Robinson out," he'd said to reporters the previous day.
As surprising as it was for the crowd to see Robinson in such desperate trouble, the same thing had happened six weeks earlier in his previous fight against Artie Levine.
In front of a sell-out crowd in Cleveland, Levine, a big punching young middleweight, had flattened Robinson with a left hook. By all accounts, Robinson was badly hurt when he struggled up at the count of eight, and had to summon all his ring guile to survive Levine's follow-up onslaught. Robinson eventually recovered, but had to endure some more anxious moments, before taking control and knocking Levine out in the tenth round. It was the first time the sturdily built Levine had been stopped in sixty pro fights.
It was a close call, but even if Robinson had lost, except for a slight dent to his invincible reputation, it wouldn't have mattered much. It was just a stay busy money fight. The second such contest Robinson had taken that week, as only five days earlier, he had beaten Cecil Hudson in Detroit.
This night was different though. After years of frustration, this was supposed to be Robinson's long awaited coronation as welterweight king.
Back in 1941, he thought he'd secured a shot at champion Freddie Cochrane, but negotiations never panned out. Then World War II put a moratorium on all titles held by servicemen, and with Cochrane in the navy, the title was put on the shelf.
After the War, it was expected that Cochrane's first defense would have to be against Robinson, but instead the chance went to Marty Servo. Servo's manager, Al Weill, had been quick to put up $50,000 for the title shot, and the New York State Athletic Association approved the bout.
Mike Jacobs, the promoter for Madison Square Garden, defended the decision arguing that a Cochrane/Robinson fight would be a flop at the box office because nobody felt Cochrane had a chance.
The National Boxing Association were trying to enforce a system where merit - not money - determined title chances and objected to the decision as Servo had already lost twice to Robinson.
Robinson and the N.B.A. were settled down by a stipulation in the Cochrane/Servo contract that the winner would have to defend the title against Robinson within 6 months. But after Servo claimed the title by knocking Cochrane out in four one sided rounds, he promptly injured his nose in a non-title fight against middleweight, Rocky Graziano.
Twice, championship fights between Servo and Robinson were signed, only for Servo to pull out due to suffering re-occurrences of the nose injury during training. Finally, after it became apparent to Servo that his injury wouldn't heal sufficiently, he announced his retirement. This time the N.B.A. and N.Y.S.A.C. were in agreement - the title would have to go through Robinson. He'd waited long enough.
Ranked as the #5 welterweight in the world, Tommy Bell wasn't originally approved as an opponent for Robinson. Eddie Eagan of the NYSAC possibly felt that Bell wasn't marketable enough to sell the fight.
Bell had a few things going against him. For starters, he had lost to Robinson two years earlier in Cleveland, and while Bell had made a solid showing, nothing about the bout indicated he had much chance to win a rematch.
Bell had pressed the action that night, constantly moving forward, sticking his jab out and following it up with hooks and straight rights. Robinson had been too quick though, using lateral moment and his own fast sharp jab to prevent Bell from setting his feet and getting leverage on his power punches.
Only in the second half of that fight, did Robinson open up, and gradually ease his offense into high gear. This in turn provided Bell with some of his best moments of the fight, but Robinson still carried most of these later exchanges. In the 10th and final round, with the fight firmly in his control, Robinson put the finishing touches on his victory by sending Bell to the canvas. Bell got up at the count of 8, but was in rough shape, and only narrowly made it the final bell, having to survive a punishing onslaught that left him dazed and bloody.
Being based in Ohio certainly didn't help Bell's profile, nor did the fact he wasn't on a flashy winning streak, and while black fighters were getting more opportunities, they still weren't on equal footing when it came to getting title chances.
For Eagan, nothing jumped out about Bell that said this is the guy the public will want to see Robinson in with. But with the help of a few prominent New York sportswriters, Bell's tough talking manager Ernie Braca convinced Eagan otherwise.
Bell had only fought a few times in New York, but two of those bouts had been crowd pleasing battles with top middleweight contender Jake LaMotta. Giving away almost a dozen pounds each time, Bell had stood his ground and gone toe to toe with the Bronx Bull. He had lost both decisions, but his efforts had won him the admiration of the local press and stamped him as someone the fans could count on to get their money worth.
The bout was approved, and on Friday October 4, 1946, Madison Square Garden's promoter Mike Jacobs announced the fight had been signed. Having secured the opportunity of a lifetime, Bell didn't sign on for any stay busy fights, and a few weeks later headed to Summit, New Jersey for his training camp.
Robinson would also eventually head off to his training camp in Greenwood Lake, New York, but not before hitting the road for fights with Ossie Harris, Cecil Hudson, and of course, Artie Levine. Staying busy, despite having a title fight coming up was a fairly common practice at the time. Few fighters turned down good paydays when they could get them, and Robinson likely needed the money as he was in the expensive process of opening up a restaurant in Harlem called Sugar Rays.
Much to the chagrin of his manager George Gainford, Robinson kept leaving Greenwood Lake and heading back to the city to check on how renovations to the restaurant site were going. Plans were to have the grand opening coincide with the night of the championship fight, but despite work being done around the clock, there was still too much to do to make that plan a reality.
On the morning of the fight, both fighters weighed in slightly under the welterweight limit. Neither was reported to have had any trouble making the weight, as Robinson tipped the scales at a comfortable 146 ½ pounds, while Bell came in a half pound less at 146. This was a little heavier than the weights for their first meeting, when both came in at 145 ½ pounds.
On fight night, Madison Square Garden was the place to be in the boxing world, although rain and snow kept the bout from being a sell-out. A total of 15,670 fans were in attendance, paying anywhere from $1.50 for general admission tickets to $12 for ringside seats. Included among the spectators were such fistic luminaries as Joe Louis, Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey and a host of other former and current fighters.
Not in attendance were three members of Tommy Bell's traveling Youngstown contingent, his brothers Shelton and Isaac, and his former trainer, navy veteran Major Hall. The three had been involved in a car accident in Reading, Pennsylvania on the way to the fight. Tragically, Hall would pass away a couple days later due to his injuries. The Bell brothers' injuries weren't nearly as serious, but still required hospital care, as Shelton suffered a broken arm and Isaac injured his leg.
If Bell was aware of the seriousness of the accident, it no doubt must have weighed heavily on his mind, but he could not afford to let his focus waver. His strategy was clear - apply pressure and land something meaningful early. He didn't have the skills to outbox Robinson and knew he had to hurt his man, to have any chance of winning.
Robinson could punch too, but his exceptional hand and foot speed meant that he could win rounds without risky exchanges. He had followed this plan to perfection in the early rounds of their first fight, before turning up the heat late.
we haven't got a film of this fight to look at, but this article i think gives a great mental image of it.
..............................................
Sugar Ray Robinson pulled himself up onto one knee as referee Eddie Joseph barked out the count. Dazed, but coherent, Robinson could see Joseph's fingers - Five… Six… Seven… Madison Square Garden had been thrown into delirium. The best fighter in the world, about to finally take his place as champion, was on the verge of a shocking defeat. It was a stunning moment.
In a neutral corner, Tommy Bell, the lanky heavy handed slugger from Youngstown, Ohio stood anxiously waiting for his chance to finish. Bell, given little chance by the experts and a sizable 5 to 1 underdog with the bookies, had called this moment. "Just watch - I'll knock Robinson out," he'd said to reporters the previous day.
As surprising as it was for the crowd to see Robinson in such desperate trouble, the same thing had happened six weeks earlier in his previous fight against Artie Levine.
In front of a sell-out crowd in Cleveland, Levine, a big punching young middleweight, had flattened Robinson with a left hook. By all accounts, Robinson was badly hurt when he struggled up at the count of eight, and had to summon all his ring guile to survive Levine's follow-up onslaught. Robinson eventually recovered, but had to endure some more anxious moments, before taking control and knocking Levine out in the tenth round. It was the first time the sturdily built Levine had been stopped in sixty pro fights.
It was a close call, but even if Robinson had lost, except for a slight dent to his invincible reputation, it wouldn't have mattered much. It was just a stay busy money fight. The second such contest Robinson had taken that week, as only five days earlier, he had beaten Cecil Hudson in Detroit.
This night was different though. After years of frustration, this was supposed to be Robinson's long awaited coronation as welterweight king.
Back in 1941, he thought he'd secured a shot at champion Freddie Cochrane, but negotiations never panned out. Then World War II put a moratorium on all titles held by servicemen, and with Cochrane in the navy, the title was put on the shelf.
After the War, it was expected that Cochrane's first defense would have to be against Robinson, but instead the chance went to Marty Servo. Servo's manager, Al Weill, had been quick to put up $50,000 for the title shot, and the New York State Athletic Association approved the bout.
Mike Jacobs, the promoter for Madison Square Garden, defended the decision arguing that a Cochrane/Robinson fight would be a flop at the box office because nobody felt Cochrane had a chance.
The National Boxing Association were trying to enforce a system where merit - not money - determined title chances and objected to the decision as Servo had already lost twice to Robinson.
Robinson and the N.B.A. were settled down by a stipulation in the Cochrane/Servo contract that the winner would have to defend the title against Robinson within 6 months. But after Servo claimed the title by knocking Cochrane out in four one sided rounds, he promptly injured his nose in a non-title fight against middleweight, Rocky Graziano.
Twice, championship fights between Servo and Robinson were signed, only for Servo to pull out due to suffering re-occurrences of the nose injury during training. Finally, after it became apparent to Servo that his injury wouldn't heal sufficiently, he announced his retirement. This time the N.B.A. and N.Y.S.A.C. were in agreement - the title would have to go through Robinson. He'd waited long enough.
Ranked as the #5 welterweight in the world, Tommy Bell wasn't originally approved as an opponent for Robinson. Eddie Eagan of the NYSAC possibly felt that Bell wasn't marketable enough to sell the fight.
Bell had a few things going against him. For starters, he had lost to Robinson two years earlier in Cleveland, and while Bell had made a solid showing, nothing about the bout indicated he had much chance to win a rematch.
Bell had pressed the action that night, constantly moving forward, sticking his jab out and following it up with hooks and straight rights. Robinson had been too quick though, using lateral moment and his own fast sharp jab to prevent Bell from setting his feet and getting leverage on his power punches.
Only in the second half of that fight, did Robinson open up, and gradually ease his offense into high gear. This in turn provided Bell with some of his best moments of the fight, but Robinson still carried most of these later exchanges. In the 10th and final round, with the fight firmly in his control, Robinson put the finishing touches on his victory by sending Bell to the canvas. Bell got up at the count of 8, but was in rough shape, and only narrowly made it the final bell, having to survive a punishing onslaught that left him dazed and bloody.
Being based in Ohio certainly didn't help Bell's profile, nor did the fact he wasn't on a flashy winning streak, and while black fighters were getting more opportunities, they still weren't on equal footing when it came to getting title chances.
For Eagan, nothing jumped out about Bell that said this is the guy the public will want to see Robinson in with. But with the help of a few prominent New York sportswriters, Bell's tough talking manager Ernie Braca convinced Eagan otherwise.
Bell had only fought a few times in New York, but two of those bouts had been crowd pleasing battles with top middleweight contender Jake LaMotta. Giving away almost a dozen pounds each time, Bell had stood his ground and gone toe to toe with the Bronx Bull. He had lost both decisions, but his efforts had won him the admiration of the local press and stamped him as someone the fans could count on to get their money worth.
The bout was approved, and on Friday October 4, 1946, Madison Square Garden's promoter Mike Jacobs announced the fight had been signed. Having secured the opportunity of a lifetime, Bell didn't sign on for any stay busy fights, and a few weeks later headed to Summit, New Jersey for his training camp.
Robinson would also eventually head off to his training camp in Greenwood Lake, New York, but not before hitting the road for fights with Ossie Harris, Cecil Hudson, and of course, Artie Levine. Staying busy, despite having a title fight coming up was a fairly common practice at the time. Few fighters turned down good paydays when they could get them, and Robinson likely needed the money as he was in the expensive process of opening up a restaurant in Harlem called Sugar Rays.
Much to the chagrin of his manager George Gainford, Robinson kept leaving Greenwood Lake and heading back to the city to check on how renovations to the restaurant site were going. Plans were to have the grand opening coincide with the night of the championship fight, but despite work being done around the clock, there was still too much to do to make that plan a reality.
On the morning of the fight, both fighters weighed in slightly under the welterweight limit. Neither was reported to have had any trouble making the weight, as Robinson tipped the scales at a comfortable 146 ½ pounds, while Bell came in a half pound less at 146. This was a little heavier than the weights for their first meeting, when both came in at 145 ½ pounds.
On fight night, Madison Square Garden was the place to be in the boxing world, although rain and snow kept the bout from being a sell-out. A total of 15,670 fans were in attendance, paying anywhere from $1.50 for general admission tickets to $12 for ringside seats. Included among the spectators were such fistic luminaries as Joe Louis, Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey and a host of other former and current fighters.
Not in attendance were three members of Tommy Bell's traveling Youngstown contingent, his brothers Shelton and Isaac, and his former trainer, navy veteran Major Hall. The three had been involved in a car accident in Reading, Pennsylvania on the way to the fight. Tragically, Hall would pass away a couple days later due to his injuries. The Bell brothers' injuries weren't nearly as serious, but still required hospital care, as Shelton suffered a broken arm and Isaac injured his leg.
If Bell was aware of the seriousness of the accident, it no doubt must have weighed heavily on his mind, but he could not afford to let his focus waver. His strategy was clear - apply pressure and land something meaningful early. He didn't have the skills to outbox Robinson and knew he had to hurt his man, to have any chance of winning.
Robinson could punch too, but his exceptional hand and foot speed meant that he could win rounds without risky exchanges. He had followed this plan to perfection in the early rounds of their first fight, before turning up the heat late.
