Documents the rise of the iconic boxer against a backdrop of the mid-twentieth century, describing his Harlem youth and emergence as a symbol of black America while offering insight into his athletic talents and his relationships with such figures as Langston Hughes, Lena Horne, and Miles Davis.
Washington Post reporter Wil Haygood documents the amazing life of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, who emerged from the ghettoes of Detroit and Harlem to become one of the greatest fighters of all time and a guiding light for African Americans during the days of segregation. Haygood vividly depicts Sugar Ray's epic reign in the ring, particularly his brutal feud with Jake "The Raging Bull" LaMotta, and provides an array of anecdotes, testaments and staggering statistics which support the claim that Robinson was "pound for pound" the best boxer of the 20th century, a title bestowed upon him by none other than Muhammad Ali. Haygood also analyzes Robinson's status as an African American icon, who flaunted his wealth at every opportunity as an example of what blacks could aspire to, and had prominent interactions with Lena Horne, Langston Hughes, Miles Davis, and Count Basie.
- Genre: Sports + Recreation, Biography + Autobiography
- Subgenre: General, Sports, Boxing
- Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc
- Pages: 461
- Language: English
- Format: hardcover
- Release Date: October 13, 2009
- Date Published: October 13, 2009
- Author: Wil Haygood