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Paul Pender defeats Sugar Ray Robinson for the middleweight boxing title

Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965.

Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regarded as the greatest boxer of all time, pound-for-pound, and is ranked as such by BoxRec as of April 2025.

Robinson was a dominant amateur, but his exact amateur record is not known. It is usually listed as 85–0 with 69 knockouts, 40 in the first round. However it has been reported he lost to Billy Graham and Patsy Pesca as a teenager under his given name, Walker Smith Jr. He turned professional in 1940 at the age of 19 and by 1951 had a professional record of 129–1–2 with 85 knockouts.

Events Before

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    Johnny Cash performs the first of many free concerts behind bars at San Quentin State Prison in California

  2. Chad becomes an autonomous republic in the French Community

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  3. USSR's Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity

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  4. TV western "Rawhide," starring Clint Eastwood, premieres on CBS

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  5. Plane crash known as "The Day the Music Died" kills musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson (aka The Big

    Plane crash known as "The Day the Music Died" kills musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper), and the pilot near Clear Lake, Iowa

Events After

  1. Gabrielle Carteris is born

    Gabrielle Carteris is born

  2. Longest recorded strike ends as Danish barbers' assistants end their 33-year strike

    Longest recorded strike ends as Danish barbers' assistants end their 33-year strike

  3. Berry Gordy signs The Supremes to Motown Records

    The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes.

  4. First live, nationally televised presidential news conference, held by JFK

    First live, nationally televised presidential news conference, held by JFK

  5. "I Fall to Pieces" single released by Patsy Cline (Billboard Song of the Year 1961)

    "I Fall to Pieces" is a song written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard that was originally recorded by Patsy Cline.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 22, 1960?
Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
Why is Paul Pender defeats Sugar Ray Robinson for the middleweight boxing title historically important?
However it has been reported he lost to Billy Graham and Patsy Pesca as a teenager under his given name, Walker Smith Jr. He turned professional in 1940 at the age of 19 and by 1951 had a professional record of 129–1–2 with 85 knockouts.

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January 22 in HistoryYear 1960