Sugar Ray Robinson, an American professional boxer, tried to back out of the fight against welterweight boxer Jimmy Doyle because he had a dream that he was going to kill him.
His dream turned into reality, and he knocked Jimmy unconscious, which resulted in the latter’s death later that night on June 25, 1947.
Walker Smith Jr., better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, is often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
He was a dominant amateur who turned professional at the age of 19 in 1940. By 1951, he had a professional record of 129–1–2, with 85 knockouts.
Robinson went on the sixth-longest streak in professional boxing history with a 91-fight unbeaten streak from 1943 to 1951. He held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951.
Similarly, he won the world middleweight title in 1951 and announced his retirement in 1952. However, he returned after two and a half years and regained the middleweight title in 1955.
Robinson was the first boxer in history to win a divisional world championship five times. He was also ranked number one on The Ring magazine’s list of “80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years” in 2002.
He was the pioneer of boxing’s bigger-than-life entourages, including a secretary, barber, masseur, voice coach, a coterie of trainers, beautiful women, a dwarf mascot and lifelong manager George Gainford.
ESPN’s Ron Flatter
Sugar Ray Robinson’s Fight With Jimmy Doyle
On June 25, 1947, Sugar Ray Robinson stepped into the ring against 22-year-old Jimmy Doyle in what would become one of the most haunting fights of his legendary career.
However, before the bout, Robinson had a chilling dream that he experienced before his fight with Doyle.
Sugar Ray Robinson on killing Jimmy Doyle in the ring. pic.twitter.com/590s2zwvsW
— Farenmon (@FarenMon) September 23, 2022
In his autobiography, Robinson recounted a vivid dream in which he knocked Doyle unconscious.
In the dream, Jimmy Doyle was in the ring with me. I hit him a few good punches and he was on his back, his blank eyes staring up at me, and I was staring down at him, not knowing what to do, and the referee was moving in to count to ten and Doyle still wasn’t moving a muscle and in the crowd I could hear people yelling, ‘He’s dead, he’s dead,’ and I didn’t know what to do. Then I woke up.
Sugar Ray Robinson
He was troubled by the dream and considered withdrawing from the fight.
However, promoters feared financial loss and persuaded him to fight, even bringing in a priest to reassure him that it was just a dream.
The fight proceeded, and in the eighth round, Robinson landed a devastating left hook that sent Doyle crashing to the floor. Referee Jackie Davis began the count but quickly realized Doyle was not moving.
The young boxer never regained consciousness and died that night.
A distraught Robinson later confessed to reporters about his dream, tormented by guilt. The fight haunted him.
I had knocked out guys before, dozens of them. But in those fights, I always had a good feeling, a conquering feeling when I saw them being counted out, maybe because I could see that they weren’t really hurt. But now, with Doyle stretched out and his eyes blank, I had that empty feeling you get when something in your life is really wrong, and all I could think of was the dream. You warned me, God, “You told me. Why did I let everybody talk me out of it?”
Sugar Ray Robinson
Robinson Fulfilled Jimmy’s Wish To Buy A Home For His Mother
The boxing world was shaken in 1947 when Jimmy Doyle tragically died after a bout with Sugar Ray Robinson.
The fight, held in Cleveland, ended in disaster when Doyle collapsed in the ring and later succumbed to his injuries.
Hall of Fame boxer Sugar Ray Robinson once backed out of a fight because he had a dream that he was going to take his opponent’s life in the ring. After a priest and minister convinced Robinson to fight, Robinson went into the ring and fatally punched his opponent, Jimmy Doyle. pic.twitter.com/PGuglNlRD3
— Morbid Knowledge (@Morbidful) November 21, 2023
In the aftermath, Robinson faced threats of criminal charges, even murder accusations, though none ever came to pass.
The emotional toll weighed heavily on him, especially after he learned of Doyle’s heartfelt motivation for fighting, which was to buy his mother a house.
Doyle’s unfulfilled dream inspired Robinson, who took it upon himself to make it a reality.
Despite no legal or moral obligation, he gave Doyle’s mother the earnings from his next four fights, which were enough for her to purchase a home. It was a gesture of profound compassion, ensuring that Doyle’s final wish for his mother was honored.
Years later, the tragedy remains a haunting “what if.”
Robinson had reportedly tried to withdraw from the fight, even claiming a premonition of disaster. The history might have unfolded differently if he had succeeded in withdrawing from the bout.
But in the wake of sorrow, his act of kindness stands as a witness to his character, both as a champion in the ring and a man of integrity outside of it.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Walker Smith Jr., the youngest son of Walker Smith Sr. and Leila Hurst, was born on May 3, 1921, in Ailey, Georgia.
- He originally aspired to be a doctor, but dropped out of DeWitt Clinton High School and switched his goal to boxing.
- His net worth was estimated to be $500 thousand at the time of his tragic demise.
- He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes mellitus and passed away from heart disease at the age of 67 on April 12, 1989.
