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Mando Ramos Jim Amato  He was my first boxing idol in the late 1960s. He was only a few years older than me and 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, Ramos lost a close decision to Carlos "Teo" Cruz. Cruz was the man who had dethroned the great Carlos Ortiz. Ramos met Cruz in a return bout and he captured the crown on an eleventh round stoppage. Ramos later lost the title on cuts to Hall Of Famer Ismael Laguna. Ramos bounced back and beat the likes of Raul Rojas and Sugar Ramos. Ramos met Pedro Carrasco for the WBC lightweight title and was blatantly disqualified. Ramos then beat Carrasco in a rematch to claim that title. Ramos 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 Arturo Pineda. After a few ill fated comeback attempts, Ramos retired. Roberto Duran is my favorite fighter of all time. At 135 pounds, Duran 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.
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