'Raging Bull' Boxer Jake LaMotta Dead at 95
Jake LaMotta, the boxer who was the subject of the 1980 film "Raging Bull," has died from complications from pneumonia at the age of 95, his wife told ABC.
TMZ first reported LaMotta's death.
LaMotta was 83-19 over his professional boxing career. He turned professional in 1941 at the age of 19 after he wasn't allowed to enlist in the military due to a mastoid operation in one of his ears.
Robert De Niro won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of LaMotta in "Raging Bull," which was based on LaMotta's autobiography Raging Bull: My Story.
The Bronx native became the world middleweight championship in 1950, but he is perhaps best-known for his rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson. The two fighters squared off six times with Robinson winning five, but LaMotta dropped Robinson multiple times and his gutsy performance endeared him to boxing fans worldwide. Of their rivalry, LaMotta would joke, "I fought Sugar Ray so many times I'm surprised I didn't get diabetes."
In one particular fight against Robinson dubbed the 1951 "Valentine's Day Massacre," LaMotta took an intense beating before the fight was stopped in the 13th round because LaMotta was unable to defend himself. LaMotta never went down, however, prompting Robinson to call LaMotta the toughest man he ever fought.
"If the referee had held up another 30 more seconds, Sugar Ray would have collapsed from hitting me," said LaMotta, according to ESPN.
According to TMZ, LaMotta's condition had deteriorated in recent weeks, and his family eventually decided to remove him from a feeding tube.
