Former middleweight champion Jake LaMotta, the gritty boxer portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1980 film "Raging Bull," died Tuesday at the age of 95. 

Denise Baker, the wife of LaMotta, confirmed his death to multiple outlets following complications from pneumonia in a Miami nursing home. 

"He was a great man, sensitive and had eyes that danced right up to the end," Baker told ABC News. "I love him, God rest his soul. 

"He never went down!"

Born Giacobbe LaMotta on July 10, 1922 in Bronx, New York, "The Raging Bull" was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Throughout a 13-year career that began in 1941, LaMotta recorded a record of 83-19-4 and held the middleweight championship from 1949 to 1951. 

LaMotta was best known for his six-fight rivalry against "Sugar" Ray Robinson, who is considered by most the pound-for-pound greatest boxer in history. LaMotta only defeated him once, during their second meeting in 1943 at Detroit's Olympia Stadium, when Robinson was forced into a brawl during a unanimous decision defeat. 

Robinson and LaMotta fought five times between 1942 and 1945. They met for a sixth and final time in 1951 after LaMotta had captured the middleweight crown. The fight became known as the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" after Robinson unleashed a tremendous beating on LaMotta in a 13th-round TKO. 

LaMotta, who was known for his legendary chin, was stopped while laying on the ropes, no longer able to defend himself. But he was never knocked down by Robinson at any point during their rivalry, which became a source of pride for LaMotta. 

In the end, LaMotta saw the canvas just one time in his career in the 7th round of a 1952 loss to Danny Nardico. LaMotta regained his feet and his corner stopped the fight between rounds. 

The film on LaMotta's life was adapted from his 1970 memoir "Raging Bull: My Story." Although the film was a minor commercial success, DeNiro won an Academy Award in 1980 for best actor and trained with LaMotta in the ring for the fight scenes. 

LaMotta was known as a brawler inside the ring who overwhelmed opponents with a savage volume of punches. He lived just as wild of a lifestyle away from boxing, as well.

The New York State Athletic Commission suspected LaMotta of throwing a fight during his 1947 loss to Billy Fox and fined him $1,000 for concealing an injury, which had been the excuse LaMotta gave for his fourth-round TKO loss. 

LaMotta later admitted in both his book and in testimony provided to the FBI in 1960 that he threw the fight in order to pay the mafia -- which controlled boxing at the time -- $20,000 to secure a middleweight title shot.