Dubbed the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, this bout between Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake Lamotta was the last of six clashes between two of boxing’s greatest ever fighters.
The two icons fought five times between 1942-45, with Robinson winning four.
Both fighters were past their prime as they met in front of 15,000 fans at Chicago Stadium but Robinson was still able to conjure flashes of his brilliant past, punishing Lamotta with sharp jabs and counterpunches.
A thunderous left hook bloodied Robinson in the sixth and he also survived a late onslaught from Lamotta in the 11th before butchering the Raging Bull with a plethora of uppercuts and left hooks before the fight was stopped in the 13th.
Here’s what else happened on this day:
1896: The Winnipeg Victorias beat the Montreal Victorias 2-0 to win the Stanley Cup.
1966: Wilt Chamberlain scores 41 points in a 149-123 win for the Philadelphia 76ers over the Detroit Pistons to pass Bob Pettit as the NBA ’s all-time leading scorer.
1994: Matt Le Tissier’s hat-trick gives Southampton a 4-2 victory over Liverpool at The Dell.
2009: Leigh Halfpenny scores a try and Stephen Jones 15 points as Wales beat England 23-15 in the Six Nations at the Millennium Stadium.
