All you need to know about Jake LaMotta

Jake LaMotta is an American former professional boxer and stand-up comedian, who had a net worth of $1 million when he died. Jake LaMotta, known as a bully in the ring, was a gruff, aggressive fighter who handed out terrible beatings and absorbed equally heavy knocks from his opponents.

In the ring, Jake LaMotta was most remembered for his six-fight feud with Sugar Ray Robinson. Outside of the ring, he was recognized for having his life depicted in the 1980 Martin Scorsese film “Raging Bull,” in which he was played by Robert De Niro in an Academy Award-winning performance.

Who was Jake LaMotta?

Jake LaMotta was born Giacobbe LaMotta on July 10, 1922, in New York City, to Italian parents Elizabeth and Joseph. He had a younger brother, Joey. Growing childhood, LaMotta’s father ordered him to fight other local boys in order to entertain the adults. He learned to box while incarcerated in an upstate reformatory for an attempted robbery.

LaMotta had an unbeaten amateur boxing record before turning professional in 1941. He avoided military conscription because of a childhood mastoid procedure on one of his ears, which impaired his hearing capacity.

Jake LaMotta fought 106 times and finished with an 83-19-4 record, including 30 knockouts. In June 1949, he defeated Marcel Cerdan in Detroit, Michigan, to claim the World Middleweight Championship.

After retirement, he owned and managed several clubs before transitioning to stand-up comedy and acting. He has appeared in various films, including The Hustler, The Doctor and the Playgirl, The Runaways, Firepower, and New Jack City. Jake LaMotta died on September 19, 2017, at the age of 95.

How old was Jake LaMotta?

He was 96 years old when he died.

What was Jake LaMotta’s net worth?

He was estimated to be worth $1 Million.

What was Jake LaMotta’s career?

LaMotta began his professional career in 1941 when he was 19 years old. He competed as a middleweight and won 14 of his first 15 fights, with one draw. LaMotta’s first loss was a contentious split decision to Jimmy Reeves, which sparked outrage in the ring. A month later, the two fought again, and Reeves won in a far less controversial manner.

In a third battle against Reeves in 1943, LaMotta ultimately won. Before that, LaMotta faced Sugar Ray Robinson in the latter’s middleweight debut, and Robinson won by unanimous decision.

The combatants fought many rematches, the first of which saw LaMotta hand Robinson his first professional defeat. However, Robinson emerged victorious in a rematch two weeks later. The pair’s third battle took place two years later, and Robinson won again. Robinson won a contentious split decision in their fifth encounter.

In late 1947, LaMotta faced Billy Fox and was knocked out in the fourth round. The New York State Athletic Commission, believing the fight had been manipulated, withdrew the purses and suspended LaMotta. In a subsequent testimony, LaMotta acknowledged to throwing the match in order to gain favor with the Mafia and earn a title shot. He went on to battle Frenchman Marcel Cerdan in 1949 for the world middleweight title, which he eventually won. Although a rematch was planned, Cerdan died in an aircraft crash on his way back to the United States. LaMotta made his first successful championship defense in 1950, defeating Tiberio Mitri by unanimous decision. His next defense came against Laurent.

LaMotta’s sixth and final battle with Sugar Ray Robinson took place on Valentine’s Day, 1951. The vicious match became known as the boxing world’s Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre owing to the tremendous beating LaMotta received, which forced the fight to be interrupted.

After losing his world middleweight title, he advanced to light heavyweight. LaMotta struggled in that weight division at first, losing to Bob Murphy in his debut and Norman Hayes in his second fight. However, he quickly turned things around, defeating Murphy and Hayes in rematches. LaMotta had a less successful 1952 New Year’s Eve match against Danny Nardico, who knocked him down for the only time in his career.

After his defeat, he took a break from the ring before returning in early 1954. In his first two matches back in the ring, LaMotta defeated Johnny Pretzie and Al McCoy. He resigned from boxing after losing a disputed split decision to Billy Kilgore.

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