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'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 in the film ''Raging Bull'' as the main character by Robert De Niro.
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 LaMotta later in life; during a hearing with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he shocked the sports world by admitting that in order to get a chance at the World Championship, he had agreed to throw his fight against Billy Fox, so as to enable the Mafia to make a big monetary hit on the betting lines.
Lamotta was knocked down only once (by Danny Nardico) in his 106 fight career, as his only losses came by Technical Knock Out or by Judges scorecards.
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 crowd pleaser even back then, the money that spectators would throw into the ring after Jake fought—usually pennies, nickels 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.
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.
In the mid-1940s LaMotta suffered from a boxing injury and took time off to recover. He was always interested in baseball and decided to form the Jake LaMotta All-Star team. They played in Sterling Oval which was located between 165th and 164th Street between Clay and Teller Avenue in the Bronx. All of his Bronx friends came to the game. He also held professional fights at that field and his brother Joey often fought there. His wife Vicki was a very successful ticket seller because she was so young and pretty.
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.
Jake LaMotta is recognized as having one the best chins 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".
Nearing 1980, Hollywood executives approached LaMotta with the idea of a movie about his life, based on LaMotta's 1970 memoir ''. 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.
It has been said that in order to add pounds for the role, De Niro consumed entire pizzas, half-gallons of ice cream and gallons of beer daily until the desired weight was achieved. 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 of having an affair with his (Jake's) then wife, Vicky LaMotta.
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: "Honey, you were worse."[1][2]
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.
★ Boxing Record
★
★
| Contents |
| Boxing records |
| Early life |
| Boxing career |
| Post boxing |
| Fighting style |
| Raging Bull |
| Later life |
| External links |
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 LaMotta later in life; during a hearing with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he shocked the sports world by admitting that in order to get a chance at the World Championship, he had agreed to throw his fight against Billy Fox, so as to enable the Mafia to make a big monetary hit on the betting lines.
Lamotta was knocked down only once (by Danny Nardico) in his 106 fight career, as his only losses came by Technical Knock Out or by Judges scorecards.
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 crowd pleaser even back then, the money that spectators would throw into the ring after Jake fought—usually pennies, nickels 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.
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.
In the mid-1940s LaMotta suffered from a boxing injury and took time off to recover. He was always interested in baseball and decided to form the Jake LaMotta All-Star team. They played in Sterling Oval which was located between 165th and 164th Street between Clay and Teller Avenue in the Bronx. All of his Bronx friends came to the game. He also held professional fights at that field and his brother Joey often fought there. His wife Vicki was a very successful ticket seller because she was so young and pretty.
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.
Fighting style
Jake LaMotta is recognized as having one the best chins 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".
Raging Bull
Nearing 1980, Hollywood executives approached LaMotta with the idea of a movie about his life, based on LaMotta's 1970 memoir ''. 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.
It has been said that in order to add pounds for the role, De Niro consumed entire pizzas, half-gallons of ice cream and gallons of beer daily until the desired weight was achieved. 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 of having an affair with his (Jake's) then wife, Vicky LaMotta.
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: "Honey, you were worse."[1][2]
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.
External links
★ Boxing Record
★
★
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