Which boxer backed out of a fight because he had a dream that he was going to kill his opponent in the ring?

Question

Boxing is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves, throw punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time in a boxing ring.

Answer 1

Sugar Ray Robinson

In his autobiography, Robinson (1921–1989) told the heart-sinking story.

“It was there, the night before the fight, that I had a dream, a premonition,” Robinson wrote.

“In the dream, Jimmy Doyle was in the ring with me. I hit him a few good punches and he was on his back, his blank eyes staring up at me, and I was staring down at him, not knowing what to do, and the referee was moving in to count to ten and Doyle still wasn’t moving a muscle and in the crowd I could hear people yelling, ‘He’s dead, he’s dead,’ and I didn’t know what to do. Then I woke up.”

Robinson didn’t want to fight Doyle, but promoter Larry Atkins convinced him it was pointless to cancel the fight because of a dream.

When Robinson knocked Doyle out, “I stood over him, transfixed, seeing my dream come true, horribly true.”