The Cuban
government’s abolishment of professional sports in 1960 had an
immediate & profound impact on the country’s sporting
landscape. Boxing and baseball were the leading participant
sports in an island nation proud of its sports history, and
their future would be forever changed with the decision to end
professionalism in the country.
This
unexpected change in political philosophy led to the exodus of
Cuba’s top professional boxers seeking their fame and fortune
on foreign soil. Among those deciding to continue their
professional careers outside of Cuba were Ultiminio
“Sugar” Ramos, Benny “Kid” Paret, Luis Manuel Rodriguez and
Jose “Mantequilla” Napoles.
Each one
would ultimately reach the pinnacle of their sport by winning
a World Championship, and all except Paret were later inducted
into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Ultiminio “Sugar” Ramos, Cuba’s top featherweight,
began his career in 1957 at the tender age of 15 years old and
compiled an unbeaten record of 26-0 with 20 KO victories and
only one draw. He was an excellent boxer with outstanding
power and tremendous courage in the ring. However, tragedy
followed Ramos in one of his earliest bouts as
his opponent, 17-year old Jose “Tiger” Blanco, died as a
result of injuries suffered in the fight. A young, despondent
Ramos contemplated retirement, but was
encouraged by the victim’s mother to continue his boxing
career, as she did not hold Ramos responsible
for her son’s death. Leaving his native Cuba, he settled in
Mexico and continued his winning ways, raising his overall
record to 38 wins with 30 KOs, only one loss by
disqualification and three draws. He defeated such notable
ring names as Rafiu King, Alfredo Urbina, Baby Vasquez and
Eloy Sanchez, and quickly rose to the featherweight division’s
upper echelon. He was feverishly embraced by his adopted
homeland of Mexico, becoming one of its top boxing
attractions.
Ramos
finally earned a world title fight against Davey Moore,
the world Featherweight Champion, on March 1963 in Dodger
Stadium, Los Angeles. Moore, who had won the
title in 1959 and held it for four years, was an outstanding
champion with a record of 59-6 and 30 KOs. Before a largely
pro-Ramos crowd, and after 10 rounds of brutal
fighting, Ramos was declared the winner by a 10th
round KO over a courageous champion. The win for Ramos
was a bitter sweet one, as ex-champion Davey Moore
died two days later as a result of injuries suffered during
the fight. Tragedy had once again struck Ramos
in the ring.
Following the
Moore tragedy, new featherweight champion
Ramos successfully defended his title on three
occasions. However, in September 1964, Ramos
lost his title to Mexican challenger Vicente Saldivar,
himself a future Boxing Hall of Famer, by TKO in 12 rounds.
Saldivar inflicted the first true loss on Ramos’
record after 49 professional fights.
Having
outgrown the featherweight division, Ramos
campaigned as a lightweight and earned a title fight with
another future Hall of Famer, Puerto Rico’s Carlos Ortiz,
in Mexico City. With a pro-Ramos Mexican crowd wildly
cheering for a victory, Ortiz was declared a
winner after 5 rounds due to a cut suffered by Ramos.
The fight was not without controversy, as Ortiz
benefited from the referee’s long count of a second round
knockdown he suffered at the hands of Ramos,
and the fight stoppage due to Ramos’ cut
resulted in a riot by unhappy Mexican fans. In a rematch held
in Puerto Rico four months later, Ortiz proved
too big and strong for Ramos, winning by a TKO
after four rounds.
Ramos
continued his winning ways after the Ortiz
losses, but with his skills slowly deteriorating, he lost
consecutive fights to Antonio Amaya and Mando Ramos, himself a
future champion. After a TKO loss in 1972, Ramos
decided to hang up the gloves and retired with a record of 55
wins, 40 by KO, 7 losses and 4 draws.
The decision
to leave his native Cuba 41 years earlier to continue his
professional career allowed Ultiminio “Sugar” Ramos
to reach the pinnacle of his sport and boxing immortality.
Ramos was inducted into the International
Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York in
2001, the highest honor bestowed to a professional
boxer.
However, the
sporting community in Cuba was deprived of an opportunity to
celebrate and acknowledge Ramos’ achievements
with a well deserved reception due to the government’s
hard-line stance against professional sports in their country.
