First-generation, Italian American Jake LaMotta is remembered for his hall of fame boxing career, securing the middleweight championship in spectacular fashion at Madison Square Gardens in NYC on June 16, 1949. 

LaMotta survived a turbulent upbringing in the Bronx, experiencing a rough, seedy and even criminal early life as a teenager and into his 20s as he later confessed in his book. But, it was what he possessed in his hands and how he battled in the ring that made him different and special. His boxing tenacity, toughness and slugging power made him a dangerous fighter in the ring, respected by all and feared by opponents.