Jake LaMotta the famous middleweight boxing champion of the 90s was known for his fierce fighting style. He became known for attacking his opponents like a bull. Although he did not have the ideal structure of a boxer he always delivered a good performance; he knocked his opponents down and made his inhuman fans sing for more. LaMotta was a figure to be reckoned with. Here are his biography his fortune information about his family his wife his brother and other quick facts.
Jake LaMotta Became a Professional Boxer At The Age of Nineteen, What Was His Net Worth Before Death?
Giacobbe “Jake” LaMotta was born on July 10 1922 in the Bronx district of New York City. He is of Italian descent but has American citizenship. Jake had a terrible childhood because his father beat him and his mother constantly as if they were his enemies. And when he was done an angry LaMotta took to the streets to vent his anger on other kids in the neighborhood.
His troubled childhood led him to start stealing. He was caught trying to break in and held in a juvenile detention facility but soon after his release, Jake Lamotta picked up where he left off. He robbed people and even confessed to raping a woman. His father encouraged him to fight constantly on the streets and his reputation as a fighter earned him some money as a teenager to pay bills at home LaMotta became a professional boxer at nineteen.
He took his violent and wild nature into the ring and threw himself on his opponents like a hurricane. He was known to take many blows to the face as if he was about to faint and just when his opponents thought they were going to win LaMotta rose up to defeat them. His net worth is estimated at about $10 million.
Who are Members of His Family (His Wife, Son, and Brother)?
Jake LaMotta was the son of an Italian who sold vegetables. He was one of five siblings. His younger brother, Joey LaMotta, born on April 27, 1925, fought a little like a serious amateur from 1945 to 1946. He won 32 games, lost 5, and had two draws before he left to support Jake as his manager until he died on December 29, 1991.
The two were quite close, and it was Joey who introduced Jake to Vikki, who later became his second wife and the love of his life. His nephew, Joey’s son John Lamota, fought as a boxer for a short time and later became an actor. Following in the footsteps of his father and uncle, he fought as an amateur in the 2001 Golden Championship Tournament.
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He married seven times and had six children – two sons and four daughters – Jake Jr., Joseph, Christi, Jacklyn, Elisa, and Mia. After the death of his brother Joey in 1991, his first son Jake LaMotta Jr. became his manager, but he was later diagnosed with liver cancer and died in 1998.
His second son Joe returned after serving a prison sentence to care for his father. He became a cook and prepared his own recipes, which led him to travel a lot with his father Jake Lamotta. But tragedy struck again and Jake LaMotta received news of the death of his son Joe in a Swissair Flight 111 crash.
Although he married seven different women, his most popular marriage was with Vikki. They were married for 10 years, from 1947 to 1957, and she was his second wife, she remembers that they had a pleasant marriage until Jake Lamotta began to beat her. She proved the fruit never falls far from the tree.
His career had slowed down for a while, and he took his frustration out on her. In those days, he was constantly jealous of his young and beautiful wife. His jealousy fuelled his anger at a boxer colleague whom he beat up extraordinarily fiercely in one of her fights because his wife admired his opponent as handsome.
Despite their failed marriage, Vikki remembers only pleasant memories of how she was dominated by his love. She says he knew how to make her laugh and feel like a woman. Her love for him made her raise her sons without any hatred for their father.
His Boxing Career
On February 5, 1943, LaMotta took revenge on the undisputed champion Sugar Ray Robinson when he beat him to the ground. He was the first boxer to defeat Robinson, and nobody ever knocked Ray down, but Jake Lamotta did it on his own to get revenge for the victory in his first fight as a boxer one year before – in October 1942.
The fight took place in Madison Square Garden in New York. The two fought four more times – on February 26, 1943 (three weeks after LaMotta’s victory over Robinson), on February 23, 1945, on September 26, 1945, and on February 14, 1951 (Valentine’s Day Massacre). Robinson won all four but with controversial unanimous decisions.
LaMotta lost to Billy Fox in November 1947, but the fight was denied and LaMotta was suspended by the New York State Sports Commission. In June 1949 he defeated Marcel Cerdan and became the world champion in middleweight.
Cerdan was given the chance to reclaim his title but died in a plane crash on the way to the fight in the United States. LaMotta then defended in July 1950 against Tiberio Mitri and also against Laurent Dauthuille, two months later in September of the same year – 1950. His fight with Dauthuille was called “fight of the year”.
He lost the title of world middleweight to his arch-enemy, Ray Robinson, in the fight “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre”.
He ventured into light heavyweight boxing after losing his middleweight title and performed poorly against Bob Murphy, Norman Hayes, and Gene Hairston. In the setbacks, he defeated all three, but in December 1952 he was knocked down by Danny Nardico for the first time in his career. After the defeat against Billy Kilgore, he retired in 1954.
His life and career inspired Martin Scorsese to film his biography in 1980. The film entitled “The Raging Bull” portrayed Jake LaMotta as a hooligan who was merciless in everything he did and whose ruthlessness was unparalleled. The film was considered by many to be the best film of the ’90s and Robert DeNiro, who played Jake LaMotta, received an Oscar for his interpretation of the role in the film.
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Jake LaMotta Post Boxing, Acting Career and How He Died
When he retired from professional boxing, he owned bars and played stand-up comedy, because, besides his ability to fight ruthlessly, he is amazingly funny and also a good actor. He has starred in over 15 films, including The Hustler (1961), Chivato (1961), House in Naples (1965), Firepower (1979), Hangman (1987), and others. Jake LaMotta died at the age of 95 in a nursing home in Florida. He struggled with pneumonia and finally gave up the ghost on September 19, 2017.
Did You Know That:
Jake Lamotta became a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
He won 83 matches and lost 19.
He had an aggressive character which he took everywhere he went
Despite his deformed upbringing, LaMotta did a good job as a father
LaMotta was born on July 22, 1922, and died at the age of 95 on September 19, 2017, with his seventh wife Denise Baker by his side
He died of difficulty dealing with pneumonia
He was still actively signing autographs until his death
LaMotta despite his ruthless nature was a very good cook; he loved to stay at home to cook for his kids.
LaMotta claimed that his love for Vikki, his second wife led to the failure of his successive marriages
He married Denise Baker, his fiancée who is 30 years younger in 2013.
He had a long-time rivalry with Ray Robinson and only defeated him once.
Quick Facts
| Popular As | Giacobbe LaMotta (The Bronx Bull, Jack, The Raging Bull, Bronx Bull) |
| Occupation | actor, writer, miscellaneous |
| Age | 95 years old |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Born | 10 July 1922 |
| Birthday | 10 July |
| Birthplace | The Bronx, New York, USA |
| Date of death | 19 September 2017 |
| Died Place | Aventura, Florida, USA |
| Nationality | USA |
