RIP Jake LaMotta

Former World Middleweight Champion, Jake LaMotta, died on Tuesday, September 19th in a nursing home from complications from pneumonia. The Italian American fighter who was portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1980 film, Raging Bull, was 95-years-old. The Bronx Bull fought professionally from 1941 to 1954, and compiled an impressive record of 83 wins, 19 losses, and four draws. He fought some of the top boxers of his day including Sugar Ray Robinson, Billy Fox, and Marcel Cerdan. He captured the World Middleweight Title on June 16, 1949 with a victory over the Frenchman, Cerdan, in Detroit. In 1950, LaMotta successfully defended his title against Tiberio Mitri and Laurent Dauthuille. LaMotta fought his final bout on April 14, 1954 against Billy Kilgore.

Following his retirement from boxing, LaMotta worked in the bar industry, wrote books, acted, and did stand-up comedy. He was inducted into a number of halls of fame, including the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Despite having a few run-ins with the law throughout his life, LaMotta was loved and respected by the boxing world for his intense fighting style. In his later years, LaMotta was often seen attending autograph signings and meet and greets with fans. I had the honor to meet LaMotta in the spring of 2014 at an autograph signing in White Plains, NY.

RIP Jake LaMotta.

Jake LaMotta's BoxRec Page

Jake LaMotta's International Boxing Hall of Fame Page

(Matt Ward and Jake LaMotta in 2014)

(Friend of The Weigh-In, Steve G. and Jake LaMotta in 2003)

MW

Haley Zale Interview

I recently had a phone interview with actress, Haley Zale. Haley is the niece of former World Middleweight champion, the Man of Steel, Tony Zale. Tony fought professionally from 1934 to 1948, and captured the World Middleweight title on multiple occasions. 

In November 2015, two of Tony Zale's championship belts, as well as four of those won by multiple division World Champion, Carmen Basilio, were stolen from the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. The investigation into this robbery, as well as efforts to recover the six stolen title belts is ongoing. 

Check out our Bonus Round interview on both SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - Actress Haley Zale Discusses her Uncle Tony Zale and the 2015 IBHOF Title Belt Theft on SoundCloud 

Bonus Round - Actress Haley Zale Discusses her Uncle Tony Zale and the 2015 IBHOF Title Belt Theft on iTunes 

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Canastota Police Department at 315-697-2240 or the FBI Albany Field Office at 518-465-7551. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information in the case, as well as autographed items by Mike Tyson.

Bring Back the Belts 

PO Box 80834

Lansing, MI 48908

You can learn more about efforts to bring back the belts (#BringBackTheBelts) by clicking on the links below: 

Tony Zale Official Website 

Bring Back The Belts Facebook Page

Tony Zale World Middleweight Boxing Champion Facebook Page 

Bring Back the Belts YouTube Video

Instagram - tonyzalethemanofsteel

Twitter - @BoxerZale

MW

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