Robinsons Weight Worries Handlers: Middleweight King down to 1563/4; Doctor Orders Him to Take Things Easy, Daily Racing Form, 1952-06-18

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Robinsons Weight Worries Handlers Middleweight King Down To 156|; Doctor Orders Him to Take Things Easy By BARNEY NAGLEB Staff Correspondent POMPTON LAKES, N. J., June 17.— Its neither the heat nor the humidity thats bothering Suger Ray Robinson in his training grind for the lunge at Joey Maxims cruiserweight championship at the Yankee Stadium Monday night. Its the weight. Robinsons weight is down so low, 156%, that his man with a stethoscope, Dr. Vincent A. Nardiello, has ordered him to take things in lazy stride from here on in. This was learned here today as Robinson merely limbered up, after a day of complete rest, by way of keeping his muscles loose and his eye steady. Hell spar tomorrow, rest again on Thursday and spar again Friday. Thats all. Robinson has only worked 37 rounds in this camp, a contrastive number alongside the 107 rounds already labored by the 175-pound champion up at Grossinger, N. Y. "We got below 156% already," George Gainford, Robinsons more or less owner and operator said, "and thats no good. The problem is to keep Rays weight up. Id like him to come in at 158. Thats just right and hed only be giving away a dozen pounds or so." Didnt Heed Too Much Work Gainford pointed out that Robinson didnt need too much work coming into the gym. The middleweight champion has been working since last November, when he began training for the defense against Carl "Bobo" Olson in San Francisco. The oft-postponed bout finally took place on March 13. Little more than a month later, on April 16, Robinson knocked out Rocky Graziano in Chicago. He rested a few weeks and went right into training for the match with Maxim. For a guy trying to keep his weight up, hes going about it in the wrong way. It may be that Robinson will work only a few rounds tomorrow and just as few on Friday. He cant afford to shed the ounces from his lissome frame. Maxim has no such problem. Not only has Dr. Nardiello imposed a weight-saving schedule on Robinson, but he has ordered the 160-pound champion to eat freely, within the limitations of sound dietetics. "This is a tough time of the year to be working," "Dr. Nardiello said. "Rays got a special problem in this one. He cant be too light, but he must be at the right poundage for speed. This is the one thing Ray must take into the ring with him." Dr. Nardiello went to Europe with Robinson last July for the title-loss to Randy Turpin. He spent many days at camp here when Robinson was training for the liberation of the midddleweight championship in September. "I know Ray," the doctor explained. "I knew he wasnt in condition in England. I knew he was wonderful for the return with Turpin in September. Right now hes better than he was in September. We want to keep him this way. Hes got to take it easy from now on."


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1952061801/drf1952061801_2_9
Local Identifier: drf1952061801_2_9
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800