Jim Robinson (born 1925), known as "Sweet Jimmy", was an American boxer from

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

. Robinson fought Muhammad Ali (at that time still called Cassius Clay) in Miami Beach on February 7, 1961 as a last-minute replacement for Willie Gullatt. Robinson became Ali's fourth professional opponent. His whereabouts and status are currently unknown.

Background

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Robinson was a middleweight boxer who fought up to heavyweight. He was managed by Clyde Killens, a local pool hall owner. He was often used as a last minute sub on Chris Dundee promotions in Miami-Dade County and was often used as a stepping-stone for upcoming South Florida prospects. He trained at the famed

5th Street Gym The 5th Street Gym (also known as World Famous 5th St. Gym) is a boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as h ...

, but lived in the Overtown section of Miami known as Liberty City.

Bout with Clay/Ali

On February 7, 1961, Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali), was scheduled to fight Willie Gullatt in Miami Beach. According to Gullatt, promoter Chris Dundee,

Angelo Dundee Angelo is an Italian masculine given name and surname meaning "angel", or "messenger". People People with the given name *Angelo Accattino (born 1966), Italian prelate of the Catholic Church *Angelo Acciaioli (bishop) (1298–1357), Italian Rom ...

's brother, offered Clay $800 and offered Gullatt only $300 for the fight. Gullatt refused, and did not show up, instead opting to go out drinking. Dundee then enlisted Robinson to fight Clay. Robinson showed up at

Miami Beach Convention Hall The Miami Beach Convention Center (originally the Miami Beach Exhibition Hall) is a convention center located in Miami Beach, Florida. Originally opened in 1958, the venue was renovated from 2015-2018 for $620 million. The re-imagined and enhanc ...

with his gear in an old army bag. Clay officially outweighed him by 16.5 pounds and won by knockout at 1:34 of the first round. Robinson fought for seven more years while compiling a record of 8 wins and 25 losses. He was knocked out 16 times. He retired from boxing in 1963 and became a fixture in local pool halls and street corners in Liberty City. In 1968 he came out of retirement to fight Kent Green in Miami Beach. At that time Green was the only fighter to have a TKO win over Muhammad Ali (when Ali was an amateur). Green stopped Robinson in under a minute.

Whereabouts unknown

In 1979 ''Sports Illustrated'' writer/photographer Michael Brennan tracked down Robinson in Miami for what has been his last known interview to date. Robinson claimed that he only weighed 158 lbs. for his fight with Ali (not 178 as was officially listed). He also stated that he was good friends with Ali and would drive him around in Ali's pink Cadillac. He last saw Ali in 1967. Since this interview, Robinson's whereabouts have been unknown. In 2009, ESPN sports writer

Wright Thompson Wright Thompson (born September 9, 1976) is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ''ESPN The Magazine''. He formerly worked at ''The Kansas City Star'' and ''Times-Picayune'' in New Orleans. Thompson's topics have covered a wide range of sports issues ...

wrote an article about his six-year attempt to find Robinson in the Overtown district of Miami with no success. Ali collector Stephen Singer has spent a number of years searching for Robinson, collecting autographs of 49 of Ali's 50 opponents, with Robinson being the lone omission.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 8 Wins (3 knockouts, 5 decisions), 25 Losses (16 knockouts, 9 decisions) , - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Loss , 8–27 , align=left, Kent Green , TKO , 1 , 31/10/1968 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 8–26 , align=left, Richie Smith , PTS , 6 , 07/05/1964 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 8–24 , align=left, Ray Lavarro , PTS , 6 , 05/05/1964 , align=left, North Dade Arena,

Opa-locka, Florida Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss. Developed based on a ''One Thousand and One Nights'' theme, Op ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 8–23 , align=left, Willie Johnson , KO , 3 , 09/04/1964 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 8–22 , align=left, Eddie Agin , KO , 3 , 14/10/1963 , align=left, Key West, Florida , align=left, , - , Loss , 8–21 , align=left, Vince Hepburn , KO , 2 , 21/03/1963 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 8–20 , align=left, Jack Gilbert , PTS , 4 , 25/02/1963 , align=left, North Miami Beach Auditorium, North Miami Beach, Florida , align=left, , - , Loss , 8–19 , align=left, Andy Mayfield , TKO , 4 , 24/01/1963 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 8–18 , align=left, Ray Lavarro , UD , 6 , 10/01/1963 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 8–17 , align=left, Bobo Reckley , KO , 5 , 19/11/1962 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 8–16 , align=left, Bobo Reckley , KO , 4 , 08/11/1962 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 8–15 , align=left, Junior Grant , SD , 6 , 14/06/1962 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 8–14 , align=left, Gene Wells , PTS , 6 , 28/04/1962 , align=left,

Miami Beach Auditorium The Miami Beach Convention Center (originally the Miami Beach Exhibition Hall) is a convention center located in Miami Beach, Florida. Originally opened in 1958, the venue was renovated from 2015-2018 for $620 million. The re-imagined and enhance ...

, Miami Beach, Florida , align=left, , - , Loss , 7–14 , align=left, Frank Patterson , TKO , 4 , 29/03/1962 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 7–13 , align=left, Frank Patterson , PTS , 4 , 17/03/1962 , align=left,

, Miami Beach, Florida , align=left, , - , Loss , 7–12 , align=left, Roger Whitley , KO , 2 , 28/02/1962 , align=left,

, Miami Beach, Florida , align=left, , - , Loss , 7–11 , align=left,

Herb Siler Herb Siler (b. January 5, 1935 Brundidge, Alabama, United States - d. March 25, 2001 Miami) was a heavyweight boxer. He won 16 fights (including seven by knockout) and lost 12, with no draws. His career started in 1960 and ended in 1967. Siler ...

, TKO , 5 , 08/02/1962 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 7–10 , align=left, Jim Tillman , PTS , 4 , 11/01/1962 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 7–9 , align=left, Jim McNeil , PTS , 6 , 13/11/1961 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 7–8 , align=left, Tommy Lee , PTS , 6 , 06/11/1961 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 6–8 , align=left, Tom Cox , KO , 1 , 17/10/1961 , align=left,

Cutler Ridge Cutler Bay is an incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida established in 2005, with a population of approximately 45,425 as of 2020. With 45,425 people, Cutler Bay is in 9th place of the top 10 most populous municipalities of the 34 m ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 5–8 , align=left, Tiger Lee Flowers , PTS , 4 , 09/10/1961 , align=left, Sir John Club,

, align=left, , - , Win , 4–8 , align=left, Jim Tillman , SD , 6 , 25/09/1961 , align=left, Sir John Club,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 3–7 , align=left, Al Owens , KO , 5 , 18/09/1961 , align=left, Sir John Club,

, align=left, , - , Win , 3–6 , align=left, Ted Jones , KO , 3 , 11/09/1961 , align=left, Sir John Club,

, align=left, , - , Win , 2–6 , align=left, Willie Johnson , UD , 6 , 07/09/1961 , align=left, Little River Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 1–6 , align=left, Joe Moss , TKO , 5 , 17/07/1961 , align=left, Sir John Club,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 1–5 , align=left, Yama Bahama , KO , 6 , 02/06/1961 , align=left, Nassau, Bahamas , align=left, , - , Loss , 1–4 , align=left, Claude Williams , KO , 1 , 14/04/1961 , align=left,

Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 1–3 , align=left,

Cassius Clay Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

, KO , 1 , 07/02/1961 , align=left,

, Miami Beach, Florida , align=left, , - , Loss , 1–2 , align=left, Al Owens , PTS , 4 , 08/11/1960 , align=left,

North Miami, Florida North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami camp ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 1–1 , align=left, Allan Harmon , KO , 3 , 13/10/1960 , align=left, Key West, Florida , align=left, , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Willie Johnson , TKO , 3 , 13/06/1960 , align=left, Palace Arena,

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Jim 1925 births Missing people Possibly living people Boxers from Florida Heavyweight boxers American male boxers 1970s missing person cases Date of birth missing