The Retired Boxers Foundation
This is a newly established foundation so please show your support 
     for them and their great cause.







Frisco - OK, First Question Alex. You were a four time New York Golden 
Gloves Champion. As a former amatuer boxer myself I know  thats a big 
deal. Who were some of the fighters you fought in those days that we 
might Know?

Alex Ramos - I fought a number of fighters who would go on to be world 
champions. As an amateur, I fought Jose Gomez, a world amateur champion 
and olympic champion from Cuba; Duane Thomas, world champion. I also 
fought Tony Ayala twice as an amateur, winning one and losing one. I also 
fought Mike "The Body Snatcher" McCallum who was a three-time world 
champion. I beat him in the New York Golden Gloves semi-finals. If I had 
lost, I would have been on that plane with the olympic team which went 
to Warsaw, Poland, for the USA against the world fighters. As you know, 
that plane crashed killing everyone on board.  I also fought Juan Roldan, 
who I knocked unconcious in the first round. He was the only guy to knock 
down Marvin Hagler in a controversial 10th round knockdown. In addition, 
I fought Everett Conklin, J.B. Williams (a light heavyweight champion) 
and Jeff McCracken. 

Frisco -  After such a long accomplished amatuer career was it hard to 
make the transition to pro? I ask because guys like Mark Breland though 
he had success as a pro always seemed to have a very amatuer style that 
in part, I think was due to him staying a amatuer for so long and having 
so many fights.

Alex Ramos - It wasn't difficult for me to make the transition from 
amateur to pro because I always had a professional style because of my 
training. The only thing that changed was training to handle the 
additional rounds.  I had to train more for endurance after I turned pro.   
 
Frisco - Was there as much boxing politics involved in the big time 
amatuer game as there seems to be at the pro level?

Alex Ramos - Yes, indeed!  The politics in both the amateur and the 
professional fight game are the same level of intensity. The stakes are 
much higher in the pro's because the pro level is more about money where 
as the amateurs are more about making a name.  In both amateur and 
professional fights, it's still about "who you know" which is the basis 
of the politics.  
 
Frisco - When You turned pro in 1980 you were a member of NBC's "Tommrows
Champions",  There were a lot of fighters from that group that went on
to make big names for themselves Like Tony Ayala, Davey Moore, Bobby
Czyz, and Johnny Bumphas. How did you get involved in that, and what did
you think of all the attention some of the guys like Czyz got compaired 
to how you were treated?

Alex Ramos - There were only eight "Tomorrow's Champions" and Bobby Czyz 
wasn't one of them. The confusion about Bobby being one of the eight was 
because my manager, Shelly Finkel, was  working with Lou Duva, who was 
Bobby's Manager. I love Bobby Czyz and he was a great fighter. Bobby and 
I were stable-mates. KO Magazine picked us "head-to-head" and picked me 
3 to 1 to beat him. The bottom line is that I was always proud to be one 
of "Tomorrow's Champions" and was never envious of any of the guys. We 
were all very tight.
 
Frisco - When You beat Norberto Sabater it seemed to me you were on your 
way, then you fought Wayne Capplette and you destroyed him. You were 
looking pretty awesome at the time and people started mentioning you as 
one of the top young guns. You Next faced a guy who had no business 
beating you Ted Sanders, yet he did. I've always wanted to ask you, Alex 
what happened in that fight? How could Sanders beat you?

Alex Ramos - Sanders beat me because I didn't take care of myself. It was 
my infamous "battle with Cupid!" I was paying more attention to a woman 
than I was to the bout. They always say that "women weaken legs" and I 
am living proof that it's true.  I had no legs after round 2.   
 
Frisco - What was the deal with him not showing for the scheduled 
rematch? I remember at the time you walked in the ring and grabbed the 
mic shrugged your shoulders and said "What can I say he's a coward". Were 
you ever given a reasonable reason why he no showed? It seemed to me your 
management should have been anxious to get that one on.

Alex Ramos - Sanders didn't show up for the fight in Fort Lauderdale, 
Florida, but he did show up the day before the media interviews. He saw 
me and I was in "Granite!" shape. He turned around and flew back home. It 
was the first time on national TV that a fighter punked out.  
 
Frisco - In your next Fight after the Sanders loss you faced Tony Cerda, 
who was a tough guy but agian he held you to a draw why during this 
period were we not seeing the same "Bronx Bomber" that beat Capplette 
and Sabater?

Alex Ramos - After Sanders backed out of the fight, I basically over
trained. Usually, after a fight, you get some time off to see your loved 
ones and to have a little fun.  Because of Sanders, I only got one day 
off.  By the time I fought Cerda, I just wanted to get it over with and 
see my family.  I had lost my heart for the win.
 
Frisco - You fought Curtis Parker in April of 1984 winning the USBA 
middleweight title. I remember the fight and it was a fantastic effort 
on your part. I also should tell some of the readers at that time there 
was a WBA and WBC champion which were both Marvin Hagler, the only other 
belts were the NABF and USBA and in those days those were very important 
titles. Guys Like Alex and Parker, James Kinchen, James Shuler all held 
those belts if you wanted to get noticed you had to actually fight the 
other contenders. Parker was amongst the toughest of the bunch. What do 
you remember about that fight? What was it like finally winning a belt 
after the rough two years you had going into it?

Alex Ramos - I was actually supposed to fight Wilford Scypion who backed 
out and I was then matched with Curtis Parker, a much tougher opponent, 
I might add!! Parker only had 24 hours notice for this fight and he was 
a hell of a fighter.  I remember that I was pumped  up, ready to face 
King Kong! I was criticized for not using my jab in that fight. If I had, 
I probably would have ended the fight much sooner, but, I had a point 
to prove: I wanted the world to see that I could take a punch! I had so 
much press about having a "glass jaw" and I was sick of the "weak chin" 
comments. I fought the wrong fight with Parker, but I won unanimously on 
all of the judges cards.  That was the biggest night of my career.  
 
Frisco - Do you remember if you were favored to beat Parker?

Alex Ramos - The odds were very close, but I was favored to beat him.

Frisco - You fought a guy from my neck of the woods in your next fight,
John Collins. I have asked him about you, and that draw you two fought 
and he says though he felt he won, he said that you had him stunned a
couple of times and maybe even felt you were stronger then him. What was 
your feelings on that fight, did you deserve to win it?

Alex Ramos - Go figure! I broke his jaw, broke his cheek bones (and 
probably his ribs) and I cut his face badly. It was a "home-town fight" 
and if that fight had been anywhere else, there would have been a 
decisive, clear winner and it wouldn't have been Collins. Tell him I 
said so!  
 
Frisco - Now in the next fight you faced James "The Heat" Kinchen. I 
remember looking forward to that fight for weeks because you and he were 
two guys made for a good fight. Your styles seemed perfect for each other 
and you didn't let us down that was a classic, though you lost the title 
and the fight. Now I know that had to be hard but the way the fight 
turned out in hind sight are you able to look at a fight like that and 
say well I lost, but we gave them a war, and be proud of how great you
did in the fight? Or is it something that you can't think positivly 
about? I mean if you feel you can't you should reconsider because that 
was a great fight and in every great fight it takes two to make it one 
and you were one of the two.

Alex Ramos - James "The Heat" Kinchen was in shock when he won that fight.  
That was a bad day for me. I wasn't mentally prepared. I just gave up on 
myself. In fact, I never lost a fight because the opponent was better, I 
lost fights because I beat myself up. 

Frisco - You fought a lot of big names in a golden era of the middle-
weights and network boxing. I'm gonna name some of your opponents and 
maybe you can give us a word or two on what you thought of each man.
 
Alex Ramos:

Murray Sutherland - Tough fighter. Lot's of low blows and head butts.  
He basically pissed me off and Paul Venti, the referree, took rounds 
away from me instead of points, for low blows. What made me mad was that  
Sutherland had been pushing my head down and Venti refused to warn him.  
Everyone saw it, including the commentators. That loss was basically a 
political win for Sutherland. Besides the fight, I like Murray Sutherland 
and consider him a good friend.  
 
Curtis Parker - One of the toughest fighters I've ever been in the ring 
with, but I beat him at his own game, slugging.  Curtis Parker was a 
slugger and I played his game. It was a great fight.  
 
John Collins - Highway robbery! It was a home-town decision.
 
James "The Heat" Kinchen - I gave it to him. I quit on myself.  
 
Michael Nunn - I called him Michael "Run"! The most boring fight of my 
career. All he did was run for twelve rounds. If he would have fought
me, I would have beat him.

Jorge Castro - That night in Argentina was the lonliest night of my life.  
I went to Argentina alone and I fought him because no one else would 
fight him in Argentina. It was a comeback fight for me, and the fight 
that ended my career. If I had fought him in my prime, I would have 
knocked him out.
 
Frisco - J.B. Williamson was a man you defeated in 1983 who later became
lightheavyweight champion. did you ever consider trying to go after his 
title while he had it?

Alex Ramos - I watched him win that title, sitting between NBA greats 
Maurice Lucas and Magic Johnson. I challenged him (loudly!) from 
ringside. I was the only fighter to ever beat him in a decision. I beat 
him for the amateur title and as a pro.
 
Frisco - Is there anything in Boxing that you regret or wish you had done
differently? And what are you the most proud of about what you have
accomplished?

Alex Ramos - I wish I had taken better care of myself. When I lost a 
fight, it was because I gave up on myself. Also, I regret putting 100% 
of my trust in my managers.  As a fighter, I knew I was talented, but I 
was very much in awe of the managers I had and in hindsight, I now realize 
that decisions were based on business ($$$$) and not necessarily in my 
best interest. I second guessed my own instincts giving in to managers.  
If I could do it over again, I would have made more of my own decisions 
and asked a hell of a lot more questions.  

In terms of my accomplishments, I am most proud of being selected for 
the USA Boxing Team and being one of "Tomorrow's Champions". I am also 
proud of my amateur career and all of the titles I won, especially the 
4 Golden Gloves Championships.  Of course, I treasure my 1984 USBA 
Middleweight Championship and my 1986 California Middleweight title. I'm 
37 years old and I have a lot of history in the fight game, and it has 
shaped my character. I learned some lessons the hard way, but I feel that 
everything happens for a reason. I am grateful that my brain is intact 
and I am extremely hopeful about the future.   
 
Frisco - Now on to the present Alex, you are involved in the "Retired 
Boxers Foundation" and you have a website devoted to it and we'll give 
out that info at the bottom of this interview, but maybe you can tell 
us in your own words what it is, and how you got involved in it? Is it 
true that you founded it?

Alex Ramos - Of all the accomplishments I have had in the sport of boxing, 
I am most proud of the Retired Boxers Foundation, which I founded in 1995.  
While I had my glorious days in the ring like many retired professional 
fighters, I also had my days in the "darkness" of alcoholism, substance 
abuse and homelessness. I believe that God saved me from this life so that 
I could help my brothers from the fight game, especially those who 
suffered as I did. In addition to the pain of alcoholism, substance abuse 
and homelessness, many fighters suffer from dementia pugilistica (the 
medical term for "punch drunk"), as well as rage disorders, financial 
problems, etc. The mission of the Retired Boxers Foundation is to help 
retired professional fighters make the transition from their glory days 
to a dignified retirement. Too many suffer humiliating retirements on the 
street and they don't know where to go for help. Worse yet, most of them 
think no one cares. These once great athletes have provided great 
entertainment for boxing fans, and it is my mission for the remainder of 
my life, to let people know about these fighters and to find the resources 
to assist them.  Fighters should not have to make "comebacks" when they 
are well past their prime because they are desparate for money. The RBF 
will assist fighters in redirecting their lives and getting the support 
they need. For more information about the RBF, please check out our 
website at:

The Retired Boxers Foundation 
  
Frisco: Now I see that the big fundraiser scheduled for last week was
postponed when can fans and those interested look for that to be
rescheduled?

Alex Ramos - We are rescheduling for sometime between April and July of 
1999.  We are currently working with our venues to choose a new date.  
Basically, it takes money to make money  and we need more funds to make 
the Retired Boxers Foundation Inaugural Gala and Awards Show a reality.  
We have over 50 retired professional world champions that want to attend 
the event, but most of them cannot afford the transportation, much less 
the cost of a ticket. We want to honor these fighters so we need to raise 
enough money to pay all of their transportation and accomodations. The 
RBF Gala and Awards Benefit is important to the RBF because it will 
spotlight the mission of the organization and will educate the public on 
the condition of these fighters.  Had we been able to acquire adequate 
funds for the December 10th event, we had ESPN, HBO and others ready to 
cover it. This event will be the first of many in the RBF World Tour, 
with the first event in California, and subsequent events in New York 
City, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Europe, etc. 

HBO's Real Sports, hosted by Bryant Gumbel, is doing a show in February 
or March on the RBF and boxers' pension plans.  We will keep you posted 
and we hope you will watch the program. In the meantime, we will keep 
you posted.
 
Frisco - I would like to take this space and thank you For Not only 
talking to me today and answering these questions, but also for putting 
it all on the line and giving fans like me many, many great memories to
remember you by and making me a little bit more a boxing fan by your
efforts.

Alex Ramos - Maybe you can help me. I got a call from NBC in New York.  
They are trying to find an old time fighter from the '40s by the name 
of Billy Fox. Billy is supposedly homeless and living somewhere on the 
East Coast. The RBF is trying to help NBC find this guy because they want 
to help him out. Also, if you know any other down and out fighters in the 
New York area, or if any of your fans do, we would like to know about 
them and how to find them.  Thanks!

Frisco - No Problem Alex, we will pass that along to our readers. If 
anyone out there knows the where abouts of Billy Fox (who fought Jake 
LaMotta in a infamous fight), or other retired down and out fighters 
please pass along that info to Alex Ramos at jaxfacts@ix.netcom.com
or myself at contender@xta.com and I will pass that info to Alex. Also
please check out his website at: 

The Retired Boxers Foundation 

and help out if you can, its a good organization for a good cause .
 
To read more of Frisco's work please visit "The Judges" section.