Manuel Ramos (boxer)

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Manuel Ramos
Born(1942-11-20)November 20, 1942
Hermosillo, Mexico
DiedJune 6, 1999(1999-06-06) (aged 56)
Mexico City, Mexico
NationalityMexican
Other namesPulgarcito
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights56
Wins24
Wins by KO19
Losses29
Draws3
No contests0

Manuel Ramos (November 20, 1942 – June 6, 1999), nicknamed Pulgarcito (Tom Thumb), was a Mexican boxer and actor. He was the heavyweight champion of Mexico, a top world title contender in the late 1960s, and one of Mexico's most internationally successful heavyweights. On June 24, 1968, Ramos became the first Mexican to challenge for the heavyweight crown when he fought reigning champion Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[1][2]

Biography

Manuel Ramos was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. He boxed professionally for two to three years in the early 1960s, but records of this period have not been preserved.[3] He defeated Indio Lopez for the Mexican heavyweight title on June 24, 1963, by first-round knockout. He next fought a series of American opponents in Los Angeles area venues, attaining a mixed record of 5-6-2.

His fortunes improved dramatically from 1966 to 1968, with a string of 13 victories, including a split decision over former title contender Eddie Machen[4] and a unanimous decision over former WBA champion Ernie Terrell.[5][6] This led to him being ranked #4 by The Ring Magazine and set up a title match with NYSAC World Champion Joe Frazier.[3]

The bout was held at Madison Square Garden on June 24, 1968. The iconic arena had just opened four months earlier, and Ramos was the first Mexican fighter to appear there.[7] The match was an intense two-round battle,[1][8] in which Ramos briefly staggered Frazier, but was then knocked down twice and lost by referee's stoppage when he signaled that he was unable to continue.[3] This was to be Ramos's only world title fight.

He continued to be ranked as a top heavyweight through the end of the 1960s, but losses to George Chuvalo, Jack O'Halloran,[9] and Chuck Wepner (in which Ramos inflicted serious cuts on his opponent but went on to lose by unanimous decision)[1][10] marked the beginning of his decline. After a period as a gatekeeper for up-and-coming heavyweights in the early 1970s,[11] he lost 15 straight fights and retired from boxing in 1977.

Outside of the ring, Ramos had roles in the Mexican films Nosotros los feos (1973) and El Loco Bronco (1989).

He worked as an office manager in the Mexican Navy, resigning in 1995.[2]

Manuel Ramos died from a heart attack in Mexico City on June 6, 1999.[12]

Professional boxing record

24 Wins (19 knockouts, 5 decisions), 29 Losses (9 knockouts, 19 decisions, 1 disqualification), 3 Draws[13]
Res. Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss 24-29-3 Bob Hazelton TKO 2 (10) June 30, 1977 Marshall, Texas
Loss 24-28-3 Ruben Rivera KO 1 (10) January 1, 1977 Monterrey, Nuevo León date uncertain
Loss 24-27-3 Bernardo Mercado KO 5 (8) May 13, 1976 Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Loss 24-26-3 Fernando Montes DQ 7 (10) October 3, 1975 Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
Loss 24-25-3 Moi Martinez Decision 10 (12) November 17, 1974 Reynosa, Tamaulipas
Loss 24-24-3 Duane Bobick TKO 7 (10) September 15, 1973 Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Loss 24-23-3 Armando Zanini Decision 8 June 15, 1973 Milan, Lombardy
Loss 24-22-3 Luis Faustino Pires Decision 10 May 5, 1973 Ginásio Presidente Médici, Brasília, Distrito Federal
Loss 24-21-3 John Hudgins TKO 4 (10) March 24, 1972 International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois
Loss 24-20-3 Ron Lyle UD 10 October 9, 1971 Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado
Loss 24-19-3 Ron Stander UD 10 August 26, 1971 City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska
Loss 24-18-3 Terry Daniels UD 10 July 26, 1971 Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Loss 24-17-3 Elmo Henderson Decision 10 May 14, 1971 Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
Loss 24-16-3 Jack Bodell Decision 10 April 13, 1971 Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, West Midlands
Loss 24-15-3 Jürgen Blin Decision 10 April 2, 1971 Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
Win 24-14-3 Joe Murphy Goodwin TKO 3 (10) March 16, 1971 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Loss 23-14-3 José Roman Decision 10 October 26, 1970 San Juan
Draw 23-13-3 Ron Stander Decision 10 September 17, 1970 City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska
Loss 23-13-2 Jimmy Richards Decision 10 August 29, 1970 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Loss 23-12-2 Oscar Bonavena KO 1 (10) May 9, 1970 Luna Park, Buenos Aires
Loss 23-11-2 Joe Bugner Decision 8 March 24, 1970 Wembley Stadium, London
Win 23-10-2 Dub GW Manis TKO 8 (10) March 3, 1970 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Loss 22-10-2 Chuck Wepner UD 10 January 26, 1970 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss 22-9-2 Jack O'Halloran KO 7 (10) October 17, 1969 The Forum, Inglewood, California
Win 22-8-2 Tony Doyle UD 10 September 11, 1969 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Loss 21-8-2 George Chuvalo TKO 5 (10) September 26, 1968 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win 21-7-2 Earl Averette TKO 4 (10) August 27, 1968 Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas
Loss 20-7-2 Joe Frazier TKO 2 (15) June 24, 1968 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York NYSAC heavyweight title fight
Win 20-6-2 Ron Reiter KO 1 (10) May 4, 1968 Nogales, Veracruz
Win 19-6-2 Everett Copeland Decision 10 March 17, 1968 Culiacán, Sinaloa
Win 18-6-2 Ernie Terrell UD 10 October 14, 1967 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Win 17-6-2 Johnny Featherman TKO 3 (10) August 9, 1967 Mérida, Yucatán
Win 16-6-2 Floyd Joyner KO 2 (10) May 25, 1967 Puebla, Puebla
Win 15-6-2 James J. Woody KO 2 (10) January 29, 1967 El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City
Win 14-6-2 Max Martinez KO 2 (10) December 19, 1966 Reynosa, Tamaulipas
Win 13-6-2 Don Koontz KO 2 (10) October 22, 1966 El Toreo, Mexico City
Win 12-6-2 Dave Centi KO 3 (10) September 11, 1966 Plaza de Toros, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua
Win 11-6-2 Wayne Heath KO 2 (10) August 7, 1966 Plaza México, Mexico City
Win 10-6-2 Eddie Machen SD 10 June 3, 1966 Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California
Win 9-6-2 Archie Ray TKO 8 (10) May 16, 1966 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
Win 8-6-2 Lars Olof Norling TKO 8 (10) May 5, 1966 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Win 7-6-2 John Henry Jackson KO 2 (10) April 23, 1966 Pacific International Arena, Portland, Oregon, Oregon
Win 6-6-2 Jerry Simms KO 6 (10) March 31, 1966 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Loss 5-6-2 Lars Olof Norling TD 6 (10) December 9, 1965 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California accidental headbutt
Draw 5-5-2 George Johnson Decision 10 November 4, 1965 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Loss 5-5-1 Joey Orbillo UD 10 October 7, 1965 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Loss 5-4-1 Wayne Heath SD 10 September 9, 1965 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Loss 5-3-1 Ski Goldstein Decision 10 February 5, 1965 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Draw 5-2-1 Joey Orbillo Decision 8 August 13, 1964 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Loss 5-2 Henry Clark Decision 10 July 16, 1964 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Loss 5-1 Al Carter Decision 10 May 12, 1964 Valley Garden Arena, North Hollywood, California
Win 5-0 Sam Pride TKO 3 (10) April 28, 1964 Valley Garden Arena, North Hollywood, California
Win 4-0 Al Carter Decision 6 March 17, 1964 Valley Garden Arena, North Hollywood, California
Win 3-0 Larry McGee KO 3 (6) February 18, 1964 Valley Garden Arena, North Hollywood, California
Win 2-0 Kid Apache KO 4 (8) January 23, 1964 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Win 1-0 Indio Lopez KO 1 (12) June 24, 1963 Mexico City Mexico heavyweight title

References

  1. ^ a b c Fernandez, Sr., Robert F. (August 6, 2014). Boxing in New Jersey, 1900-1999. McFarland. pp. 137–138. ISBN 9781476616070. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b Roste, Travis (March 1, 2010). "Heavyweight Autographs". Autograph Magazine. Archived from the original on June 30, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Manuel Ramos - Biography". BoxRec. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Amato, Jim. "Manuel Ramos - Mexican Heavyweight". Saddo Boxing. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ernie Terrell, Former Heavyweight Boxing Champ, Dies At 75". The Huffington Post. December 19, 2014. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  6. ^ Ryan, Joe (February 21, 2013). Heavyweight Boxing in the 1970s: The Great Fighters and Rivalries. McFarland. p. 39. ISBN 9780786470747. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Margarito a imitar a otros mexicanos en el Madison" [Margarito to imitate other Mexicans at the Madison]. Mediotempo (in Spanish). December 1, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Ryan, Joe (February 21, 2013). Heavyweight Boxing in the 1970s: The Great Fighters and Rivalries. McFarland. p. 132. ISBN 9780786470747. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Scott, Vernon (July 21, 1987). "Former Prizefighter A Heavyweight Movie Villain". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "Liston: One More Shot". The Miami News. June 30, 1970. p. 4-B. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Ryan, Joe (February 21, 2013). Heavyweight Boxing in the 1970s: The Great Fighters and Rivalries. McFarland. p. 95. ISBN 9780786470747. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "Sports Roundup: Boxing". Miami Herald. June 9, 1999. p. 223. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Manuel Ramos - Record". BoxRec. Retrieved August 10, 2022.

External links