Born May 3rd 1921 in Black Bottom, Detroit, Walker Smith Jr. was later to become known as the world famous boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. The youngest child of Walker and Leila Smith, Ray's father 'Pop', to his friends, worked hard during the day as a laborer on construction, and at night on a sewer project six days a week, from six in the morning until midnight. Leila worked part time in a downtown hotel as a chambermaid, and then later as a seamstress.

Money was always a problem for the Smiths as they had to constantly move to new lower rent apartments. By the time Junior had reach five, the constant arguments over Pop's drinking habits and the amount spent on maintaining this habit, led to the divorce of Junior's parents.

Once Leila obtained the divorce, she took Junior, and his two older sisters, Marie and Evelyn to New York where Junior and Evelyn, took up tap dancing lessons. This was to teach young sugar Ray about balance and timing, and would prove useful in his later boxing career. To help his mother make ends meet Sugar Ray took small menial jobs as a shoe shine boy, window cleaner and delivery-boy in a local vegetable and meat markets during the day. In the evening Junior along with some friends from the neighborhood would dance for a few dollars outside the famous theatres on Broadway.

A few years later the family moved to Harlem where Junior easily made new friends. Most evenings after dinner, Junior along with the rest of the neighborhood kids, could be found playing the usual games of that period, i.e. stickball, tag etc. One evening, the fastest kid on the block challenged Junior to a race. Although this kid was faster than Junior, nevertheless he raced him anyway. Surprisingly Sugar Ray won the race and was promptly challenged again however, when Sugar Ray declined on the grounds that he was tired, a fist fight followed which ended with the other kid on his arse with a bloody nose. Eventually word got around, that Junior was good with his fists

Warren Jones, a classmate of Junior, invited him over to his uncle's gym, the Salem-Crescent Athletic Club situated in the basement of the local Salem Methodist Church. There Sugar Ray was introduced to Warren's uncle, George Gainford, who would later be Sugar Ray's trainer throughout his pro career. It was here that Sugar Ray learnt how to box.

In addition to running the Athletic Club, George Gainford also ran Bootleg boxing matches on the side most nights of the week and was earning in the region of three hundred dollars per week - big money for back then. Junior was allowed to tag along on the condition, laid down by his mother, that he didn't participate in any of the bouts himself; for in her mind this kept Junior of the street and out of trouble, as well out from under her feet at home. Junior's mother was not aware of the money involved in the Bootleg fights.

During one trip George Gainford was short of a Flyweight fighter, and Junior volunteered to step in as the replacement fighter. In order to fight in a supposedly amateur show, you had to have an Amateur Athletic Union identity card to certify that you were an amateur and not a Professional. Junior clearly didn't have one, but George who always had a stack of cards handy for just such an occasion did bearing the name Ray Robinson. The real Ray Robinson had given up boxing several months early, and went on to be a Bartender. Junior went on to win the bout and was presented with a gold watch, which he promptly handed back in exchange for ten dollars. This is how the Bootleg fights worked.

Junior kept boxing under the name of Ray Robinson, and proved to be very proficient boxer. When the Amateur Athletic Union card expired it was renewed under the same name, and in this way Junior was to acquire his new boxing name. Even George was now referring to Junior as "Robinson". Ray went on to win the National Golden Gloves championship in the Featherweight division. Robinson had also acquired an addition to his name with his first knock out of a big Canadian kid who had previously been undefeated.

The local sport's editor for a paper in Waterton, New York, told George that he had a sweet fighter in that Robinson. A lady at ringside over heard this remark and interrupted by saying "as sweet as sugar" In the paper the next day the editor referred to Ray as Sugar Ray Robinson and that is how Ray got his nickname. Soon afterward Ray turned Professional.