In the USA, Raadik made quick progress and in December 1946 fought the formidable Jake LaMotta.
He lost a one-sided decision to defending welterweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson on August 9, 1950 and lost a split decision to Johnny Bratton for the vacant National Boxing Association World welterweight title on March 14, 1951 after Robinson had relinquished the title upon winning the world middleweight title from Jake LaMotta a month earlier.
He never challenged for a world title again, but from 1941 to 1946, he fought Sugar Ray Robinson, Lew Jenkins, Jake LaMotta, Beau Jack, Bob Montgomery, Tommy Bell, Billy Arnold and Freddie Archer.
Giuseppe "Joey" LaMotta (born April 27, 1925) is the brother and one time manager of former world middleweight boxing champion, Jake LaMotta.
Balboa was also inspired by other fighting legends: Joe Frazier, for his Philadelphia origin, training methods and victory against Muhammad Ali (The inspiration of Apollo Creed), and Jake LaMotta, for his Italian-inner city roots, ability to absorb many blows and his rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson, which heavily resembled Rocky and Apollo's.
Less Than Jake | Jake Gyllenhaal | Jake Garn | Jake | Jake Roberts | Jake Nava | Jake LaMotta | Jake and Dinos Chapman | Jake Drake-Brockman | The Judge and Jake Wyler | Jake Kaufman | Jake Ballard | Jake Wood | Jake Shears | Jake Richardson | Jake Pavelka | Jake Heggie | Jake Gibbs | Jake 2.0 | Jake Winebaum | Jake Owen | J.J. "Jake" Pickle | Jake Weber | Jake Thomas | Jake T. Forbes | Jake Seamer | Jake Rademacher | Jake Plummer | Jake O'Donnell | Jake McGoldrick |
Among the fighters who "ducked" Burley were Hall of Famers Billy Conn (who fought Joe Louis for the heavyweight title), Frenchman Marcel Cerdan (who was supposed to face Burley in his American debut), Jake LaMotta (who had fought the likes of powerpuncher Bob Satterfield, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Holman Williams, who was Burley's greatest rival), and even Sugar Ray Robinson, considered by many boxing historians as the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time.