Page "Sugar Ray Robinson" Paragraph 23

In 1955, Robinson returned to the ring.

Although he had been inactive for two and a half years, his work as a dancer kept him in peak physical condition: in his autobiography, Robinson states that in the weeks leading up to his debut for a dancing engagement in France, he ran five miles every morning, and then danced for five hours each night.

Robinson even stated that the training he did in his attempts to establish a career as a dancer were harder that any he undertook during his boxing career.

He won five fights in 1955, before losing a decision to Ralph ' Tiger ' Jones.

He bounced back, however, and defeated Rocky Castellani by a split decision, then challenged Bobo Olson for the world middleweight title.

He won the middleweight championship for the third time via a second round knockout — his third victory over Olson.

After his comeback performance in 1955, Robinson expected to be named fighter of the year.

However, the title went to welterweight Carmen Basilio.

Basilio's handlers had lobbied heavily for it on the basis that he had never won the award, and Robinson later described this as the biggest disappointment of his professional career.

" I haven't forgotten it to this day, and I never will " Robinson wrote in his autobiography.

They fought for the last time in 1956, and Robinson closed the four fight series with a fourth round knockout.