Jake La Motta put his title on the line for the third time by fighting Sugar Ray for the sixth, and unquestionably the best of their epic series of fights. Held in Chicago Stadium on St. Valentine's day, Sugar Ray the current World Welterweight champion, entered the ring for his one hundred and twenty third fight. At the time, La Motta's record stood at twelve losses in ninety-four fights. Sugar Ray's plan for the fight was the same as the pervious three in which Ray won: to envisage himself as the Matador and La Motta as the bull. Throughout the fight, Sugar Ray gave La Motta a boxing lesson, keeping La Motta off balance with his stinging left jab, as well as throwing all sorts of combination to bamboozle La Motta.

Credit must be given to La Motta, however; for despite all of Ray's flashy punches he'd still march forward thus forcing Ray to expend a lot of energy. In the eleventh round La Motta pined Ray to the ring ropes and unloaded with all he had left, at one point Ray looked as if he was on the verge of being knocked out. This was to be La Motta last hurrah.

After this it was all down hill for La Motta. In the thirteenth round Ray backed La Motta up to the ropes and unloaded a barge of punches until referee Frank Sikora finally stopped the fight. La Motta ended up needing both hands on the top rope for support. The following day the headline on a number of papers read that this was boxing's version of the 'St. Valentine's Massacre.