Champion boxer Sugar Ray Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan. One of the greatest pugilists in history, Sugar Ray Robinson (born Walker Smith Jr.) was born in Detroit. When he was a teenager his parents moved to New York City. At the age of nineteen, Smith changed his name to Sugar Ray Robinson and became a professional boxer. After serving in the U.S. Army, Robinson returned to boxing and became the welterweight champion from 1946 to 1950.
For more information, see Sugar Ray Robinson with Dave Anderson, Sugar Ray. New York : Viking Press, 1970.
Source : Michigan Historical Calendar, courtesy of the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University.