Sugar Ramos: Tragedy, controversy, greatness  

    Ultiminio Ramos Zaqueira, remembered by the international boxing community as Sugar Ramos, was an intense featherweight with a huge right hand who reigned as world champion in 1963 and 1964, and, sadly, is remembered by some as the man who caused the death of Davey Moore. His career was marked by two volatile and controversial decisions in world title bouts.

     Sugar Ramos was one of 22 children in a poverty-stricken family in Mantanzas, Cuba. He began boxing at an early age and turned pro at 15 with a knockout victory over Rene Arce on Oct. 5, 1957. Ramos started his career with a record of 32-0-2, with 24 knockouts. One of his early KO victims, Jose "Tiger" Blanco, died after their fight. The first defeat on his record came five years into his career when he was disqualified for a foul in the fourth round of a bout against Rafael Camacho, then he reeled off another 14 straight victories after that.

    During that streak, Ramos, 40-0-2, got a shot at Davey Moore's world featherweight title in a bout that took place March 21, 1963 in at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles -- part of a triple-header of championship fights that also included Emile Griffith vs. Luis Rodriguez for the welterweight crown, and Battling Torres vs. Roberto Cruz for the junior welterweight belt.

    Moore dominated the first two rounds, but the relentless Sugar Ramos gained control as the fight wore on. In the 10th round, he sent the champion into the ropes with a multi-punch barrage, then put him on the canvas with left hook. Moore rose at the count of three, but Ramos pounced again, leaving the future Hall of Famer draped over the ropes as the round ended. Before the start of the 11th round trainer Willie Ketchum told the referee that Moore couldn't continue. Ramos, a TKO victor, was the world champion.

    Moore spoke to reporters for 40 minutes after the bout, then went to sleep and never woke up again. His death created a firestorm of protest, with activists calling for the end of the sport and inspired Bob Dylan's song, "Who Killed Davey Moore?" (CLICK HERE to watch Dylan's performance).

    Ramos won his next six fights, including successful title defenses against Rafiu King (a 15-round decision), Mitsunori Seki (a fight stopped in the sixth round because Seki's trainer feared a repeat of the Moore tragedy) and Floyd Robertson (15-round decision).

    The win over Robertson, a Ghana native, was a split decision in Robertson's home country, prompting an explosive reaction from the pro-Robertson crowd. After the fight, the Ghana Boxing Authority changed the result to a "no contest," then reversed the decision and awarded the victory to Robertson. But the World Boxing Association overruled that verdict, declared the original result valid, and Ramos retained his title.

    The rugged Cuban lost his title to future Hall of Famer Vicente Saldivar four months later in a bout that featured seven furious and reckless rounds, after which Ramos' face was a mask of blood. Ortiz took the crown when Ramos failed to answer the bell for Round 12.

    Two years later, the former featherweight king fought world lightweight champion Carlos Ortiz in Mexico City, where Ramos was a fan favorite. Ortiz opened a deep cash in Ramos' eyelid -- a cut would require 22 stitches -- prompting referee Billy Conn to stop the bout in the fifth. Conn's decision created a 20-minute riot in the arena, spurring the head of the Mexican Boxing Commission to order Ortiz back to the ring to resume the fight. When Ortiz refused, Ramos was declared the winner, but most of the boxing world continued to regard Carlos Ortiz as the title holder. A year later, Carlos Ortiz justified that opinion by knocking out Ramos in the fourth round of a rematch.

    Sugar Ramos announced his retirement after that loss, but after several failed business ventures he returned to the ring four years later. He won the first four rounds of that comeback, then dropped a split decision to Mando Ramos at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. He fought four more times, going 1-2-1 in those contests, then called it quits for good in 1972.   

-- Dennis Taylor, The Boxing Amusement Park

CLICK HERE to view Sugar Ramos' Wikipedia biography