Robinson, Sugar Ray and Anderson, Dave – Sugar Ray

Description

Robinson, Sugar Ray and Anderson, Dave ‘Sugar Ray’ 1992 British edition. 380-pages. Fine/Fine

The 1992 British edition hardcover of Sugar Ray: The Sugar Ray Robinson Story, written by Sugar Ray Robinson in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning sports journalist Dave Anderson, was published in London by Robson Books. While the autobiography was originally published in the United States by Putnam in 1970, this 380-to-384 page British hardback printing served to introduce the boxing icon’s definitive life story to a new generation of UK readers.

Book Synopsis & Editorial Focus:
The autobiography chronicles the meteoric rise and subsequent financial ruin of Walker Smith Jr., globally revered as Sugar Ray Robinson (1921–1989)—the man often hailed as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer to ever step into a ring. Written with remarkable candor, the book bypasses a sterile list of statistics to provide an intimate look into Robinson’s complex reality. Key narrative features include:
• The Path to Greatness: Tracking his childhood through the Depression-era ghettos of Detroit and New York, his Golden Gloves victory at age 18, and his absolute dominance as the world welterweight (1946) and five-time middleweight champion (1951).
• Black Pride & Social Defiance: Positioning Robinson as an early beacon of Black power and pride. In an era where Black athletes were expected by mainstream society to be humble and accommodating, Robinson traveled with a flamboyant entourage, demanded premium pay, and openly challenged systemic racism alongside his close friend Joe Louis during their time in the U.S. Army.
• High Living & Hard Truths: Documenting how he ran through a fortune of roughly $4 million through a craving for flashy cars, expensive clothes, and nightlife, which ultimately left him in relative poverty in his later years. He also reflects on internal vulnerabilities—such as a lifelong phobia of elevators and a haunting prophetic dream that he would accidentally kill an opponent in the ring.

Physical Design & Features:
• Binding & Format: Bound in robust trade hardcover cloth boards featuring custom gilt or colored lettering stamped onto the spine.
• Dust Jacket: Originally issued with a protective paper dust jacket that heavily features archival black-and-white sports photography of Robinson during his prime.
• Illustrations: The text block includes a centralized 8-page signature of black-and-white photographic plates depicting key fights, training camps, and personal moments.
• Pagination: Comprises approximately xi preliminary pages followed by 380 to 384 pages of main text printed on standard UK trade-weight book stock.
• Edition Identification: Published in 1992 by Robson Books, London. True printings from this 1992 batch display the Robson catalog details on the copyright page and carry the ISBN-10: 0860518035 (or ISBN-13: 9780860518037).