He was my first boxing idol in the late 60’s. He was only a few years older then I. He was the LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD!!! This wasn’t a version of a split title. This was the UNDISPUTED title. In his first title shot as a mere teenager he lost a close decision to Carlos Teo Cruz. The man who had dethroned the great Carlos Ortiz. Mando met Cruz in a return bout and he captured the crown on an eleventh round stoppage. He later lost the title on cuts to Hall Of Famer Ismael Laguna. Mando bounced back beating the likes of Raul Rojas and Sugar Ramos. Mando met Pedro Carrasco for the W.B.C. title and was blatantly disqualified. He then beat Carrasco in a rematch to claim that title. He also defended successfully against Carrasco in their rubber match.
The fast life finally caught up to Ramos and he lost his crown to unheralded Chango Carmona. He was then stopped by Tury “The Fury” Pineda and after a few ill-fated comeback attempts, Mando retired.
Roberto Duran is my favorite fighter of all time. At 135 lbs. Roberto may have been the best, EVER… Still I would have loved to see Duran in his prime vs. Ramos in his prime. It would have been a very interesting battle.
Photo by Michele Chong