the sad tale of ricky womack

Vantage_West · Feb 7, 2012

WHEN PRISON MAY MEAN DEATH BEFORE TIME

This brings me to a modern instance of how prison may mean death before their time for some people.
Rickey Womack was a star American amateur boxer. He split a legendary eight-fight series with a young Evander Holyfield who went on to become a world champion, and earn a fortune estimated in the tens of millions.
Boxing was the lighthouse for young Rickey Womack who did not have a good time as a child.
His father was physically abusive to his mother, and was once accused of murdering his two-year-old son, a brother of Rickey. The senior Womack was eventually murdered during an armed robbery.
Young Rickey was later put into foster care when USA Protective Services took away eight of his mother¹s children.
THE LETHAL COCKTAIL OF MIXED EMOTIONS

His talent in a boxing ring gave every indication that this sport would be Rickey's salvation. The Womack boxing flag was flying high, and his career compass seemed to be set to direct him towards a vocation as star-studded boxer.
Sadly it was not to be.
Bad outside influences became enmeshed with Rickey's own dreadful family experiences, and they became a lethal cocktail of mixed emotions. Rickey drifted away from the strict discipline demanded by boxing, and became vulnerable.
The promise of a short-cut route to riches led him to the rags of a 16-year jail sentence for robbery and attempted murder at the age of 22 years.
Rickey served his sentence no doubt fortified by the hope that he could continue his boxing career where it had left off. Although he was at the mature age for a boxer of 40 years, he may well have felt mentally and physically in good condition, and believed himself to be capable of fulfilling the yearning to become a success in boxing.
OL' FATHER TIME IS OFTEN UNBEATABLE

Successful boxers make a great deal of money, and throughout the 16 years of incarceration I believe it was the boxing lighthouse that gave Rickey Womack hope.
However Ol' Father Time is a very difficult opponent, and is often unbeatable.
In November 2000 Rickey left prison. He had four successful comeback fights, which only modestly advanced his comeback; nevertheless the backslappers with their enthusiastic over-reacting compliments may have mistakenly fuelled his great boxing dream.
Others, with a more detached opinion, were not so fanciful.
The experts knew that the dream at 40 years of age of Rickey Womack to become a champion boxer was only a hallucination, an illusion.
While the boxing dream may have shaped his outward appearance, there is now reason to believe that when the backslappers had left, and he was left to his own thoughts the main person who was not fooled was Rickey.
On the 19th of January the once star boxing attraction Rickey took the final count, apparently by his own hand. Now the inquest is on to try and put together the jigsaw pieces of the life of Rickey. It is a heartrending story that ended the way it was often lived - violently.
'A PRISONER IN HIS OWN LIFE'

"A prisoner in his own life," is how those closest to him describe Rickey Womack after his death.
"Rickey just couldn't make the adjustment back to society. We tried to extend ourselves as friends, but he couldn¹t even accept it. Those sixteen years made it hard for him to come back home." said his boxing trainer Rick Griffith.
It is said that on the preceding night of Friday before his death that Rickey had an altercation with his wife Angela, a lawyer, which lasted throughout the night, and into the next dawn.
At some point early Saturday morning, Rickey Womack sat down on a couch in his basement apartment, took out a gun he had borrowed from his nephew, and after threatening his wife with it, put it to his head and shot himself in front of her.
Those that knew well this very private man say his death was not a totally unforeseen event. There were signs that he was seriously mentally troubled.
After his last fight, a unanimous points decision over Willie Chapman in front of 10,000 people at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Rickey had been inconsolable over his poor performance that had the audience booing.
On the way from the fight arena sitting in a car with his manager, Dr. Stuart Kirschenbaum, Rickey alarmed Dr. Kirshenbaum.
"We were driving home and he said to me Doc, I won't bother you anymore I'm just going to end this thing. It was obvious he was talking about suicide. I said Rickey don't do anything you'll regret.
"He said Doc, don't worry, I would never do anything to go back to prison. I would kill myself before I would go back there."
'HE COULDN'T GET TO THE SUNSHINE' - BUT NOW OTHERS MIGHT BECAUSE OF HIM

Dr. Kirschenbaum said that his fighter¹s behaviour had been growing increasingly more alarming to his friends, and especially toward his wife.
"Rickey was so incredibly jealous. He used to lock her in the house if he had to go somewhere and she wasn¹t allowed to leave. Rickey had a hard time understanding what a marriage was about. He looked at her as a possession and kept her away from his career. He had a lot of trouble sharing with her his problems.
"He treated her as if he was the warden and she was the prisoner, which is not uncommon with other men that come out of institutions."
Dr. Kirschenbaum says that despite his calls to Womack's parole officer, and psychologists, the suicide became inevitable because of the nature of the man.
"There wasn't anything more we could do to prevent the tragic ending.
"He went to prison for attempting to murder someone with a gun and his life ended with a gun; this time of his own doing.
It¹s a story that I prayed he would make a success out of. The shadow over Rickey wouldn't break and he couldn¹t get to the sunshine.
" Rickey donated his organs to medical research.
"I hope the good parts of Rickey Womack that he wasn't willing to share in life will have some value to others through this most unforeseen giving of himself. Maybe in the end, Rickey's life was worth it, not to himself, but to other people," added Dr. Kirschenbaum.
R.I.P. Rickey Womack.

Click to expand...

by mad frankie fraser:blood

fatcity · Feb 8, 2012

Thanks for the read.
Tragic life.

Azania · Feb 8, 2012

Great sad and tragic read.The human mind can be a furnace of destruction.

Thanx for sharing.

D9Garrard · Feb 8, 2012

I saw Womack on a couple of ESPN undercards back in 1985 and he looked like a "can't miss" prospect. He was being promoted towards a Holyfield rematch (from the amateurs) even back then and it seemed like a credible idea. He was that impressive.

Danmann · Feb 8, 2012

I remember his as prospect, he fought Holyfield in Olympic trial finals, when Holyfield got decision it was an upset. Womak screwed up though, I remember his arrest in 1980's for shooting a video store clerk in stick-up, for something like $200. I think one of his 3 accomplices fired gun. Emmanuel Stewerd was angry, he had given Womak a condominium, and a $100,000 signing bonus after loss to Holyfield as part of contract, which also included a brand new car and a a salary. Guy has condo, paid for, a car, new, a salary, a contract, jus to go on with boxing, so he goes with 3 friends to rob and shoot a video store clerk.
Those are details of robbery, which that author left out.
A shame he ****ed up his life, but who is to blame?

Bollox · Feb 9, 2012

You forgot to add that Womack wrote off the car so Steward bought him another one. A new Saab Steward once said he was shocked to find Womack spent his days watching gruesome horror movies Womack was just not destined to be around a long time. Nor for a good time so it seems. He simply wasn't a happy person

Surf-Bat · Feb 9, 2012

I remember him on the Hagler-Hearns undercard. He was an impressive specimen but a pretty unexciting performer. If only he fought like what he looked like....

he grant · Feb 9, 2012

Womack was a talented, mean s.o.b. and favored to defeat Holyfield .. it was the first time Evander started to show how special he was by twice defeating him on the way to the Olympics ... Womack's path to destruction was a tragedy for boxing along the lines of Ike and Tony A ...

http://www.tapoutlive.com/media/6027/1984_Olympic_Trails_Rickey_Womack_vs._Evander_Holyfield_Pt.2/

boxersk · Feb 13, 2012

interesting read, thanks for posting

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the sad tale of ricky womack

Vantage_West ヒップホップ·プロデューサー Full Member

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the sad tale of ricky womack

Vantage_West ヒップホップ·プロデューサー Full Member

fatcity Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

Azania Active Member Full Member

D9Garrard Active Member Full Member

Danmann Well-Known Member Full Member

Bollox Active Member Full Member

Surf-Bat Boxing Addict Full Member

he grant Historian/Film Maker

boxersk T.C.B. Full Member