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By the time Alex "The Bronx Bomber" Ramos had reached the tender age of eleven, he was making quite a name for himself at New York’s TelStar gym on West 28th Street. At an age where most young boys were playing little league baseball or finally learning to ride their bikes - without the training wheels, Ramos was knocking out grown men; at the obsessive behest of his success driven father and under the watchful eye of gym owner Gil Clancy.
"The gym was filled with nothing but pros, Emile Griffith trained there", Ramos stated proudly, "I was the only amateur in the gym, and I was only a kid".
A boxing prodigy before even thinking of becoming a teenager, Ramos established himself as one of those "can’t wait, future champions".
En route to compiling a staggering amateur record of 180-9 (132 knockouts!), Ramos captured four NY golden gloves titles, several national championships and impressively fought his way onto the highly touted Team USA, from 1978-1980.
A proverbial lock for a gold medal at the 1980 Olympics, ill fate would intervene for the then nineteen year old Ramos, and all the USA Olympic qualified boxers, as President Jimmy Carter opted to boycott the Summer Games which were held in Moscow.
With his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal now shattered, fate would again deal the naïve, mega-talented Bronx native a harsh dose of reality. [details]
"The gym was filled with nothing but pros, Emile Griffith trained there", Ramos stated proudly, "I was the only amateur in the gym, and I was only a kid".
A boxing prodigy before even thinking of becoming a teenager, Ramos established himself as one of those "can’t wait, future champions".
En route to compiling a staggering amateur record of 180-9 (132 knockouts!), Ramos captured four NY golden gloves titles, several national championships and impressively fought his way onto the highly touted Team USA, from 1978-1980.
A proverbial lock for a gold medal at the 1980 Olympics, ill fate would intervene for the then nineteen year old Ramos, and all the USA Olympic qualified boxers, as President Jimmy Carter opted to boycott the Summer Games which were held in Moscow.
With his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal now shattered, fate would again deal the naïve, mega-talented Bronx native a harsh dose of reality. [details]
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