Jake LaMotta explained

Jake LaMotta
Nickname:The Bronx Bull
The Raging Bull
Height:5ft 8 in[1]
Reach:67 in
Realname:Giacobbe LaMotta
Weight:Middleweight
Light heavyweight
Birth Date:July 10, 1922
Birth Place:New York City, U.S.
Death Place:Aventura, Florida, U.S.
Style:Orthodox
Total:106[2]
Wins:83
Ko:30
Losses:19
Draws:4

Giacobbe "Jake" LaMotta (July 10, 1922 – September 19, 2017) was an Italian-American professional boxer who was world middleweight champion between 1949 and 1951. Nicknamed "The Bronx Bull" or "Raging Bull" for his technique of constant stalking, brawling and inside fighting, he developed a reputation for being a "bully"; he was what is often referred to today as a swarmer and a slugger.

Due to his hard style of fighting, LaMotta often took as much as he dished out in an era of great middleweights. With a thick skull and jaw muscles, LaMotta was able to absorb incredible amounts of punishment over the course of his career, and is thought to have one of the greatest chins in boxing history. LaMotta's six-fight rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson was one of the most notable in the sport. Although each fight was close and LaMotta dropped Robinson to the canvas multiple times, LaMotta won only one of the bouts. LaMotta, who lived a turbulent life in and out of the ring, was managed by his brother Joey. He was ranked 52nd on Ring Magazines list of the "80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years",[3] and also ranked amongst its list of the 10 greatest middleweights of all time.[4] LaMotta was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.[5]

LaMotta's autobiography was adapted into the 1980 Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull. It went on to be nominated for eight Academy Awards, with Robert De Niro winning Best Actor for his portrayal of LaMotta.

Early life

LaMotta was born on the Lower East Side of New York City on July 10, 1922, to Italian parents, Elizabeth (Merluzzo) and Giuseppe “Joseph” LaMotta.[6] [7] Many sources had reported his year of birth as 1921, but his daughter Christi claimed it was in fact 1922.[8] His mother was born in the United States to Italian immigrants, while his father was an immigrant from Messina, Sicily, who came with family including Jake’s older brother Joseph. The family lived briefly in Philadelphia before returning to New York City and settling in the Bronx.

Jake's father forced the boy to fight other boys in order to entertain neighborhood adults, who threw pocket change into the ring. LaMotta's father collected the money and used it to help pay the rent.[9] One of LaMotta's cousins on his father's side was Richard LaMotta, who became an entrepreneur and creator of the Chipwich ice cream treat.[10]

LaMotta learned to box while in a reformatory in upstate New York, where he'd been sent for attempted robbery. Afterward he fought undefeated in amateur bouts, turning professional at age 19 in 1941. During World War II, he was rejected for military service due to a childhood mastoid operation on one of his ears which affected his hearing.[11]

Boxing career

As a middleweight in his first fifteen bouts, LaMotta went 14–0–1 (3 KOs) before losing a highly controversial split decision to Jimmy Reeves in Reeves' hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Chaos erupted after the decision was announced. Fights broke out around the ring and the crowd continued to boo for 20 minutes. The arena's organist tried (but failed) to calm down the crowd by playing the "Star Spangled Banner".

One month later, LaMotta and Reeves fought again in the same arena. LaMotta lost a much less controversial decision. A third match between the two took place on March 19, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan. The first five rounds were close, though Reeves was struggling in the fourth. In the sixth round, LaMotta floored Reeves, who was only down for a second. Once the fight resumed, LaMotta landed a left on Reeves' chin, sending him down face-first. Reeves was blinking his eyes and shaking his head as the referee counted him out.

LaMotta vs. Robinson I–V

See also: Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta. LaMotta fought Sugar Ray Robinson in Robinson's middleweight debut at Madison Square Garden, New York City, October 2, 1942.[12] LaMotta knocked Robinson down in the first round of the fight. Robinson got up and took control over much of the fight, winning via a unanimous 10-round decision.[12]

A 10-round rematch took place February 5, 1943, at Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Michigan.[12] In the eighth round, LaMotta landed a right to Robinson's head and a left to his body, sending him through the ropes. Robinson was saved by the bell at the count of nine. LaMotta, who was already leading on the scorecards before knocking Robinson out of the ring, pummeled and outpointed him for the rest of the fight. Robinson had trouble keeping LaMotta at bay.[13] LaMotta won via unanimous decision, giving Robinson the first defeat of his career.

The victory was short-lived, as the two met on February 26, 1943, in what was another 10-round fight, once again at Olympia Stadium in Robinson's former home of Detroit.[12] Robinson was knocked down for a nine-count in Round 7. Robinson later stated, "He really hurt me with a left in the seventh round. I was a little dazed and decided to stay on the deck." Robinson won the close fight by unanimous decision, using a dazzling left jab and jarring uppercuts.[14] LaMotta said the fight was given to Robinson because he would be inducted into the army the next day.[15]

A fourth fight, the duo's final 10 rounder, took place nearly two years after the third, on February 23, 1945, at Madison Square Garden, New York.[16] Robinson won again by a unanimous decision.

LaMotta and Robinson had their fifth bout at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois on September 26, 1945. Robinson won by a very controversial split decision, contested over 12 rounds.[17] The decision was severely booed by the 14,755 people in attendance. LaMotta later said in his autobiography that the decision was widely criticized by several newspapers and boxing publishers. Robinson said afterward, "This was the toughest fight I've ever had with LaMotta."[18]

LaMotta vs. Fox

On November 14, 1947, LaMotta was knocked out in the fourth round by Billy Fox. Suspecting the fight was fixed, the New York State Athletic Commission withheld purses for the fight and suspended LaMotta. The fight with Fox would come back to haunt him later in life, during a case with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In his testimony and in his later book, LaMotta admitted to throwing the fight to gain favor with the Mafia. All involved agreed the fix was obvious and their staging inept.

As LaMotta wrote,

The first round, a couple of belts to his head, and I see a glassy look coming over his eyes. Jesus Christ, a couple of jabs and he's going to fall down? I began to panic a little. I was supposed to be throwing a fight to this guy, and it looked like I was going to end up holding him on his feet... By [the fourth round], if there was anybody in the Garden who didn't know what was happening, he must have been dead drunk.[19]

The thrown fight and a payment of $20,000 to the Mafia got LaMotta his title bout against World Middleweight Champion Marcel Cerdan.[20]

LaMotta vs. Cerdan

LaMotta won the World Middleweight title on June 16, 1949, in Detroit, Michigan, defeating Frenchman Marcel Cerdan.[21] LaMotta won the first round (in which he knocked Cerdan down), Cerdan the second, and the third was even. At that point it became clear something was wrong. Cerdan dislocated his arm in the first round, apparently damaged in the knockdown, and gave up before the start of the 10th round. LaMotta damaged his left hand in the fifth round, but still landed 104 punches in the ninth round, whereas Cerdan hardly threw a punch.[22] The official score had LaMotta as winner by a knockout in 10 rounds because the bell had already rung to begin that round when Cerdan announced he was quitting. A rematch was arranged, but while Cerdan was flying back to the United States to fight the rematch, his Air France Lockheed Constellation crashed in the Azores, killing everyone on board.[23]

World Middleweight Champion

LaMotta made his first title defense against Tiberio Mitri on July 7, 1950, at Madison Square Garden, New York. LaMotta retained his title via unanimous decision. LaMotta's next defense came on September 13, 1950, against Laurent Dauthuille. Dauthuille had previously beaten LaMotta by decision before LaMotta became world champion. By the fifteenth round, Dauthuille was ahead on all scorecards (72–68, 74–66, 71–69) and seemed to be about to repeat a victory against LaMotta. LaMotta hit Dauthuille with a barrage of punches that sent him down against the ropes toward the end of the round. Dauthuille was counted out with 13 seconds left in the fight.[24] This fight was named Fight of the Year for 1950 by The Ring magazine.

Saint Valentine's Day Massacre of boxing

The sixth and final fight between LaMotta and Robinson took place at Chicago Stadium. This fight was scheduled for 15 rounds and was for the middleweight title.[12] Held on February 14, 1951, Saint Valentine's Day, the fight became known as boxing's version of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. In the last few rounds, LaMotta began to take a horrible beating and was soon unable to defend himself from Robinson's powerful blows. But LaMotta refused to go down. Robinson won by a technical knockout in the 13th round, when the fight was stopped.[25]

Light heavyweight

LaMotta moved up to light heavyweight after losing his world middleweight title. He had poor results at first. He lost his debut against Bob Murphy, lost a split decision to Norman Hayes, and drew with Gene Hairston in his first three bouts. In his next three fights, LaMotta had rematches with Hayes, Hairston, and Murphy, and defeated all of them by unanimous decisions.

On December 31, 1952, LaMotta had his next fight against Danny Nardico. He knocked LaMotta down for the only time in his career (not counting his thrown 1947 fight) by a right hand in the seventh round. LaMotta got up and was beaten against a corner by Nardico until the bell rang. LaMotta's corner stopped the bout before the eighth round began.[26]

Following that fight, LaMotta took time off; when he returned, in early 1954,[27] he knocked out his first two opponents, Johnny Pretzie (TKO 4) and Al McCoy (KO 1), but a controversial split decision loss to Billy Kilgore on April 14, 1954, convinced him to retire.[28]

Post-boxing

After retiring from the ring, LaMotta owned and managed a bar at 1120 Collins Ave in Miami Beach. He also became a stage actor and comedian. In 1958 he was arrested and charged with introducing men to an underage girl at a club he owned in Miami. He was convicted and served six months on a chain gang, although he maintained his innocence.

In 1960 LaMotta was called to testify before a U.S. Senate sub-committee that was looking into underworld influence on boxing. He testified that he had thrown his bout with Billy Fox so that the mob would arrange a title bout for him.

LaMotta appeared in more than 15 films, including The Hustler (1961) with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason, in which he had a role as a bartender.[29] He appeared in several episodes of the NBC police comedy Car 54 Where Are You? (1961–63). A lifelong baseball fan, he organized the Jake LaMotta All-Star Team in the Bronx. The LaMotta team played in Sterling Oval which was located between 165th and 164th Streets between Clay and Teller Avenue.

In 1965, LaMotta appeared as "Big Jule" in the New York City Center production of Guys and Dolls for 15 performances alongside Alan King and Jerry Orbach.[30]

Fighting style

LaMotta is recognized as having had one of the best chins in boxing. He rolled with punches, minimizing their force and damage when they landed, but he was also able to absorb many blows.[9] In the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, his sixth bout with Robinson, LaMotta suffered numerous severe blows to the head. Commentators could be heard saying "No man can take this kind of punishment!" But LaMotta did not go down. The fight was stopped by the referee in the 13th round, declaring it a TKO victory for Robinson.

LaMotta was one of the first boxers to adopt the "bully" style of fighting, in that he always stayed close and in punching range of his opponent, by stalking him around the ring, and sacrificed taking punches himself in order to land his own shots. Due to his aggressive, unrelenting style he was known as "The Bronx Bull."[31] He boasted "No son-of-a-bitch ever knocked me off my feet", but that claim was ended in December 1952 at the hands of Danny Nardico when Nardico caught him with a hard right in the seventh round. LaMotta fell into the ropes and went down. After regaining his footing, he was unable to come out for the next round.[32] [33]

Raging Bull: My Story

Raging Bull: My Story is a 1970 second edition of LaMotta's memoir. The autobiographical details include his life as a young teenage criminal; his reformation in prison; his extensive career as an amateur and professional boxer; his struggles with organized crime who kept a boxing title out of reach; and his jealous obsession with his wife, Vikki. The book details his life, from childhood until the end of his fame.

The first edition is:

Raging Bull

See main article: Raging Bull. Hollywood executives approached LaMotta with the idea of a movie about his life, based on his 1970 memoir . The film, Raging Bull, released in 1980, was a box-office bomb, but eventually received overwhelming critical acclaim for both director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro, who gained about 60 pounds during the shooting of the film to play the older LaMotta in later scenes.

To accurately portray the younger LaMotta, De Niro trained with LaMotta until LaMotta felt he was ready to box professionally. De Niro lived in Paris for three months, eating at the finest restaurants in order to gain sufficient weight to portray LaMotta after retirement.[19] De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.

Later life and death

LaMotta had a troubled personal life, including an early spell in a reformatory, and was married seven times. He admitted to having raped a woman, having beaten his wives and coming close to beating a man to death during a robbery.[34]

In February 1998, LaMotta's elder son, Jake LaMotta Jr., died of liver cancer.[9] In September 1998, his younger son, Joseph LaMotta, died in the crash of Swissair Flight 111.[35]

His nephew, John LaMotta, fought in the heavyweight-novice class of the 2001 Golden Gloves championship tournament.[36] John later became an actor, and one of his roles was as "Duke", who ran the bar of that name featured in the television comedy series Frasier. Another nephew, William Lustig, is a well-known director and producer of horror films and the president of Blue Underground, Inc.[37]

LaMotta had four daughters, including Christi by his second wife Vikki LaMotta and Stephanie by his fourth wife Dimitria. He married his seventh wife, his longtime fiancée Denise Baker, on January 4, 2013.[38] LaMotta remained active on the speaking and autograph circuit, and published several books about his career, his life, and his fights with Robinson.

LaMotta appeared in a 50-minute New York City stage production, Lady and the Champ, in July 2012. The production focused on LaMotta's boxing career, and was criticized by The New York Times as poorly executed and a "bizarre debacle".[39]

LaMotta is the subject of a documentary directed and produced by Greg Olliver. The film features an appearance by Mike Tyson among other notable athletes, actors and Jake's family and friends. Also in production was a sequel to Raging Bull, although MGM filed suit to halt the project, saying that LaMotta did not have the right to make a sequel. The lawsuit was settled on July 31, 2012, when LaMotta agreed to change the title of the film to The Bronx Bull.[40]

LaMotta: The Bronx Bull stars actor William Forsythe as LaMotta, while Paul Sorvino plays his father. It also features Joe Mantegna, Tom Sizemore, Penelope Ann Miller, Natasha Henstridge, Joey Diaz and Ray Wise.[41]

LaMotta died on September 19, 2017, from complications of pneumonia in a nursing home in Florida, at the age of 95.[42] [43]

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateAgeLocationNotes
106Loss83–19–4Billy KilgoreSD10April 14, 1954
105Win83–18–4Al McCoyKO1 (10), April 3, 1954
104Win82–18–4Johnny PretzieTKO4 (10), Mar 11, 1954
103Loss81–18–4Danny NardicoRTD7 (10)Dec 31, 1952
102Win81–17–4Bob MurphyUD10Jun 11, 1952
101Win80–17–4Gene HairstonUD10May 21, 1952
100Win79–17–4Norman HayesUD10April 9, 1952
99Draw78–17–4Gene HairstonPTS10Mar 5, 1952
98Loss78–17–3Norman HayesSD10Jan 28, 1952
97Loss78–16–3Irish Bob MurphyRTD7 (10)Jun 27, 1951
96Loss78–15–3Sugar Ray RobinsonTKO13 (15), Feb 14, 1951
95Win78–14–3Laurent DauthuilleKO15 (15), Sep 13, 1950
94Win77–14–3Tiberio MitriUD15Jul 12, 1950
93Win76–14–3Joe TaylorUD10May 4, 1950
92Win75–14–3Chuck HunterTKO6 (10), Mar 28, 1950
91Win74–14–3Dick WagnerTKO9 (10), Feb 3, 1950
90Loss73–14–3Robert VillemainUD10Dec 9, 1949
89Win73–13–3Marcel Cerdan9 (15)Jun 16, 1949
88Win72–13–3Joey DeJohnTKO8 (10), May 18, 1949
87Win71–13–3O'Neill BellTKO4 (10), April 18, 1949
86Win70–13–3Robert VillemainSD12Mar 25, 1949
85Loss69–13–3Laurent DauthuilleUD10Feb 21, 1949
84Win69–12–3Tommy YaroszUD10Dec 3, 1948
83Win68–12–3Vern LesterSD10Oct 18, 1948
82Win67–12–3Johnny ColanTKO10 (10), Oct 1, 1948
81Win66–12–3Burl CharityTKO5 (10)Sep 7, 1948
80Win65–12–3Ken StriblingTKO5 (10), Jun 1, 1948
79Loss64–12–3Billy FoxTKO4 (10)Nov 14, 1947
78Loss64–11–3Cecil HudsonSD10Sep 3, 1947
77Win64–10–3Tony JaniroUD10Jun 6, 1947
76Win63–10–3Tommy BellUD10Mar 14, 1947
75Win62–10–3Anton RaadikUD10Dec 6, 1946
74Win61–10–3O'Neill BellKO2 (10), Oct 25, 1946
73Win60–10–3Bob SatterfieldKO7 (10), Sep 12, 1946
72Win59–10–3Holman WilliamsUD10Aug 7, 1946
71Draw58–10–3Jimmy EdgarPTS10Jun 13, 1946
70Win58–10–2Joe ReddickUD10May 24, 1946
69Win57–10–2Marcus LockmanUD10Mar 29, 1946
68Win56–10–2Tommy BellUD10Jan 11, 1946
67Win55–10–2Charley ParhamTKO6 (10), Dec 7, 1945
66Win54–10–2Walter WoodsKO8 (10), Nov 23, 1945
65Win53–10–2Coolidge MillerKO3 (10), Nov 13, 1945
64Loss52–10–2Sugar Ray RobinsonSD12Sep 26, 1945
63Win52–9–2George KochanTKO9 (10), Sep 7, 1945
62Win51–9–2José BasoraTKO9 (10)Aug 10, 1945
61Win50–9–2Tommy BellUD10Jul 6, 1945
60Win49–9–2Bert LytellSD10April 27, 1945
59Win48–9–2Vic DellicurtiUD10April 20, 1945
58Win47–9–2George CostnerKO6 (10)Mar 26, 1945
57Win46–9–2Lou SchwartzKO1 (10), Mar 19, 1945
56Loss45–9–2Sugar Ray RobinsonUD10Feb 23, 1945
55Win45–8–2George KochanTKO9 (10)Nov 3, 1944
54Win44–8–2George KochanUD10Sep 29, 1944
53Loss43–8–2Lloyd MarshallUD10April 21, 1944
52Win43–7–2Lou WoodsSD10Mar 31, 1944
51Win42–7–2Coley WelchUD10Mar 17, 1944
50Win41–7–2Ossie HarrisSD10Feb 25, 1944
49Win40–7–2Ossie HarrisSD10Jan 28, 1944
48Win39–7–2Fritzie ZivicUD10Jan 14, 1944
47Win38–7–2Fritzie ZivicSD10Nov 12, 1943
46Win37–7–2Johnny WalkerTKO2 (10), Oct 11, 1943
45Win36–7–2José BasoraUD10Sep 17, 1943
44Loss35–7–2Fritzie ZivicSD15Jul 12, 1943
43Win35–6–2Fritzie ZivicSD10Jun 10, 1943
42Win34–6–2Tony FerraraKO6 (10)May 12, 1943
41Win33–6–2Ossie HarrisUD10Mar 30, 1943
40Win32–6–2Jimmy ReevesKO6 (10)Mar 19, 1943
39Loss31–6–2Sugar Ray RobinsonUD10Feb 26, 1943
38Win31–5–2Sugar Ray RobinsonUD10Feb 5, 1943
37Win30–5–2Charley HayesTKO6 (10)Jan 22, 1943
36Win29–5–2California Jackie WilsonPTS10Jan 15, 1943
35Win28–5–2Jimmy EdgarSD10Jan 1, 1943
34Win27–5–2Henryk ChmielewskiUD10Nov 6, 1942
33Win26–5–2Bill McDowellTKO5 (8), Oct 20, 1942
32Loss25–5–2Sugar Ray RobinsonUD10Oct 2, 1942
31Win25–4–2Vic DellicurtiPTS10Sep 8, 1942
30Win24–4–2Jimmy EdgarPTS10Aug 28, 1942
29Win23–4–2Lorenzo StricklandPTS8Jul 28, 1942
28Loss22–4–2José BasoraPTS10Jun 16, 1942
27Win22–3–2Vic DellicurtiPTS10Jun 2, 1942
26Draw21–3–2José BasoraPTS10May 12, 1942
25Win21–3-1Buddy O'DellPTS10April 21, 1942
24Win20–3–1Lou SchwartzKO9 (10)April 7, 1942
23Win19–3–1Lorenzo StricklandPTS10Mar 18, 1942
22Win18–3–1Frankie JamisonPTS8Mar 3, 1942
21Win17–3–1Frankie JamisonPTS8Jan 27, 1942
20Loss16–3–1Nate Bolden10Dec 22, 1941
19Win16–2–1Jimmy CasaPTS6Nov 14, 1941
18Loss15–2–1Jimmy Reeves10Oct 20, 1941
17Win15–1–1Lorenzo StricklandPTS8Oct 7, 1941
16Loss14–1–1Jimmy Reeves10Sep 24, 1941
15Win14–0–1Cliff KoerklePTS6Aug 11, 1941
14Draw13–0–1Joe ShikulaPTS6Aug 5, 1941
13Win13–0Joe BaynesPTS6Jul 15, 1941
12Win12–0Johnny Morris3 (6)Jun 23, 1941
11Win11–0Lorenzo StricklandPTS6Jun 16, 1941
10Win10–0Lorenzo StricklandPTS4Jun 9, 1941
9Win9–0Johnny MorrisPTS4May 27, 1941
8Win8–0Johnny CihlarPTS4May 20, 1941
7Win7–0Monroe CrewePTS4April 26, 1941
6Win6–0Lorne McCarthyPTS4April 22, 1941
5Win5–0Stanley GoiczPTS4April 15, 1941
4Win4–0Joe FredericksTKO1 (4), April 8, 1941
3Win3–0Johnny Morris4 (4)April 1, 1941
2Win2–0Tony GilloPTS6Mar 14, 1941
1Win1–0Charley Mackley4Mar 3, 1941

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jake LaMotta. boxrec.com. BoxRec. September 8, 2023.
  2. https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/9030
  3. Web site: Ring Magazine's 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years. Boxing.about.com. March 1, 2013. June 2, 2014. January 8, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170108035508/http://boxing.about.com/od/history/a/ring_80_best.htm. dead.
  4. Web site: Ranking THE RING's 31 middleweight champions. September 8, 2017. The Ring. February 24, 2020.
  5. Web site: Boxing Hall of Fame names first inductees - UPI Archives. UPI.
  6. Web site: Biography : Official Jake Lamotta Website . Officialjakelamotta.com . June 2, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131109133457/http://officialjakelamotta.com/biography . November 9, 2013 . dead.
  7. News: elizabeth LaMotta Obit - Newspapers.com. The Record. July 11, 1984 . 54 .
  8. News: Raging Bull boxing legend Jake LaMotta dies. ABC News. September 21, 2017.
  9. Web site: International Boxing Hall of Fame profile . Ibhof.com . June 2, 2014.
  10. News: Dennis. Hevesi. Richard LaMotta, Creator of Chipwich Ice Cream Sandwich, Dies at 67. The New York Times. May 15, 2010.
  11. Raging Bull: My Story (p. 112)
  12. Sweet Thunder
  13. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Sugar_Ray_Robinson_vs._Jake_LaMotta_(2nd_meeting) "Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta (2nd meeting)"
  14. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Sugar_Ray_Robinson_vs._Jake_LaMotta_(3rd_meeting) "Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta (3rd meeting)"
  15. News: Paul. Gibson. How Sugar Ray Robinson made Jake La Motta his bloody Valentine in 1951. The Guardian. February 8, 2016.
  16. Box-Rec & Sweet Thunder
  17. Sweet Thunder & Box-Rec
  18. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Sugar_Ray_Robinson_vs._Jake_LaMotta_(5th_meeting) "Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta (5th meeting)"
  19. Web site: Jeff. Merron. Reel Life: 'Raging Bull'. ESPN.com. 7 January 2008.
  20. Book: Edmund P.. Edmonds. William H.. Manz. William S. Hein & Co., Inc.. Buffalo, New York. 2005. Congress and Boxing: A Legislative History 1960–2003. 1.
  21. Web site: The Lineal Middleweight Champions. The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  22. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Marcel_Cerdan_vs._Jake_LaMotta "Marcel Cerdan vs. Jake LaMotta"
  23. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19491028-0 Lockheed L-749-79-46 Constellation F-BAZN's accident description and causes (Flight Safety Foundation)
  24. Book: Peretz, Howard G.. It Ain't Over 'Till The Fat Lady Sings: The 100 Greatest Sports Finishes of All Time. Barnes and Nobles Books.
  25. Web site: Parkinson . Nick . 2016-02-14 . Rewind to 1951: St. Valentine's Day Massacre . ESPN.com . en.
  26. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Jake_LaMotta_vs._Danny_Nardico "Jake LaMotta vs. Danny Nardico"
  27. "Giacobe LaMotta," in: Dana R. Barnes (Ed.), Notable Sports Figures. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2004. Retrieved via Biography in Context database, September 22, 2017. "He had no matches in 1953 and fought his final three in 1954."
  28. Brady, James (September 21, 2017). "Jake LaMotta's best fights should be remembered more than 'Raging Bull'". SBNation. sbnation.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  29. News: Crowther. Bosley. Bosley Crowther. The Hustler (review). The New York Times. September 27, 1961. June 2, 2014.
  30. Web site: Guys and Dolls (Broadway, City Center, 1965) | Playbill.
  31. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/326422/Jake-La-Motta "Jake La Motta"
  32. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PrgKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Nk4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4571,87523 "James Looks To Title Bid As Jake Loses"
  33. .
  34. News: Jack LaMotta obituary. The Guardian. Rawling. John. September 21, 2017. September 23, 2017.
  35. News: Americas Boxing champ sues over plane crash son . BBC News . September 10, 1998 . June 2, 2014.
  36. Web site: NY Times – 2001 Golden Gloves. .
  37. Nephew Jason Lustig
  38. Web site: The raging bull who refuses to give up fight with life. Timesonline.co.uk. June 2, 2014.
  39. News: Theater Review: "Lady and the Champ", With Jake LaMotta. Jaworowski. Ken. July 24, 2012. The New York Times. July 27, 2012.
  40. News: MGM Settling 'Raging Bull 2' Lawsuit; Jake LaMotta Movie Changing Title to 'The Bronx Bull'. August 1, 2012. The Hollywood Reporter. August 1, 2012.
  41. Web site: The Bronx Bull. August 2, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402013802/http://www.mainstreetfilms.net/thebronxbull/. April 2, 2015.
  42. News: Jake LaMotta dead: Family members report passing of 'Raging Bull' boxing legend aged 96. Robbins. Josh. September 20, 2017. International Business Times UK. September 20, 2017. en.
  43. News: Goldstein. Richard. Jake LaMotta, 'Raging Bull in and Out of the Ring, Dies at 95. September 20, 2017. The New York Times. September 20, 2017.