Ultiminio "Sugar" Ramos (born December 2, 1941,
MatanzasMatanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the city of bridges, of...
,
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
) is a
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n
boxerBoxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win...
, who began his boxing career in his native country.
He won the Cuban Featherweight championship belt in 1960 and then fled to
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
when
Fidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician, one of the primary leaders of the Cuban Revolution, the Prime Minister of Cuba from February 1959 to December 1976, and then the President of the Council of State of Cuba until his resignation from the office in February 2008...
came into power.
In
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Ultiminio "Sugar" Ramos built his historical career. On March 21, 1963, Ramos had a bout scheduled at
Dodger StadiumDodger Stadium is a stadium in Los Angeles, California, United States. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962. Dodger Stadium was constructed from 1959 to 1962 at a cost of $23 million paid...
. On that day, Ramos severely beat
Davey MooreDavid S. "Davey" Moore was an American world-champion boxer who fought professionally 1953-1963. A resident of Springfield, Ohio, Moore was one of two men to box professionally under the name Davey Moore. The second boxed during the 1980s.Moore died March 25, 1963, as a result of injuries...
. In the 10th round, Moore was knocked down.
Ultiminio "Sugar" Ramos (born December 2, 1941,
MatanzasMatanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the city of bridges, of...
,
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
) is a
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n
boxerBoxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win...
, who began his boxing career in his native country.
Exile
He won the Cuban Featherweight championship belt in 1960 and then fled to
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
when
Fidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician, one of the primary leaders of the Cuban Revolution, the Prime Minister of Cuba from February 1959 to December 1976, and then the President of the Council of State of Cuba until his resignation from the office in February 2008...
came into power.
Famous bouts
In
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Ultiminio "Sugar" Ramos built his historical career. On March 21, 1963, Ramos had a bout scheduled at
Dodger StadiumDodger Stadium is a stadium in Los Angeles, California, United States. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962. Dodger Stadium was constructed from 1959 to 1962 at a cost of $23 million paid...
. On that day, Ramos severely beat
Davey MooreDavid S. "Davey" Moore was an American world-champion boxer who fought professionally 1953-1963. A resident of Springfield, Ohio, Moore was one of two men to box professionally under the name Davey Moore. The second boxed during the 1980s.Moore died March 25, 1963, as a result of injuries...
. In the 10th round, Moore was knocked down. His head bounced off the bottom rope, and then hit the canvas. Four days later, Moore died from injuries sustained to his brain stem.
This was similar to Ramos' twelfth professional fight in which Jose Blanco died from injuries sustained in the fight. Ramos was criticized.
Retirement
Ramos lost his title in 1965 and never challenged for his title again. He did continue boxing, however, until 1972.
Records
His record was 55 wins (40 KO's) 8 loses, and 3 Draws.
- He was elected into the World Boxing Hall of Fame
The World Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Riverside, California, United States, in Southern California. The WBHF is one of two recognized international boxing hall of fames, with the other being the International Boxing Hall of Fame , with the IBHOF being the more widely recognized...
in 1992 as both "Ultiminio Ramos" and "Sugar RamosUltiminio "Sugar" Ramos is a Cuban boxer, who began his boxing career in his native country.-Exile:...
"--apparently as two different boxers.
Cultural references
Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet and painter who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was, at first, an informal chronicler and then an apparently reluctant figurehead of social unrest...
wrote a song about the event where Davey Moore succumbed to death while posing the question of public responsibility. It is titled "
Who Killed Davey MooreWho Killed Davey Moore was a song written in 1963 by American folk singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. Though the song was not commercially released on Dylan's several studio albums in the 60s, it was popular in his repertoire for live shows during that era. It would later be released on The Bootleg...
?" and was also sung by
Pete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early '50s as a member of The Weavers, most notably the 1950 recording of Leadbelly's...
.
Phil OchsPhilip David Ochs was a U.S. protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
wrote a song titled "Davey Moore"
http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics/davey-moore.html which told the story of Davey Moore's death and placed the guilt on the managers and the boxing "money men" as well as boxing fans.
A tribute to Davey Moore is also made by the New Zealander and French writer and singer
Graeme AllwrightGraeme Allwright is a singer-songwriter. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, he moved to France in 1948. He began to perform and write folk songs a few years later and was eventually signed by Sonogram. In the 1960s, he translated into French a number of songs written by Leonard Cohen...
wikipedia via his song Qui a tué Davy Moore (see
Graeme_Allwright site)