1984 NYT article on Alex Ramos and Shelly Finkel

I was impressed that Finkel pressured Ramos to retire at age 23 after the Kinchen ko, and attempted to line up a desk job for him. Seems like he genuinely cared about his wellbeing. It's of course completely understandable why Ramos didn't want to quit, but in hindsight he might have had a much easier life if he'd taken Finkel's advice.

PLAYERS ; BOXER REACHES A CROSSROADS
By Michael Katz
Published: November 29, 1984

The dream was not supposed to end this way, with the dreamer unconscious and draped on the ropes. Alex Ramos still cannot believe it is over, and he wants to continue his boxing career. After last Saturday's knockout, his manager, Shelly Finkel, disagrees:

''I keep thinking of that song, 'The Gambler,' by Kenny Rogers. 'You've got to know when to fold 'em.' It's a gamble if he continues. He's gambling his life.''

It looked that way Saturday, when Ramos, one of the brightest prospects to escape the South Bronx, was knocked out in the ninth round by James Kinchen in a nationally televised fight at Lake Tahoe, Nev. It was the same town where the four-time New York Golden Gloves champion began what he calls his ''on-and-off'' professional career four years ago to the month.

There had been no sign of danger in the eight previous rounds of a dull contest between two top-10 middleweights. But a light right hand to the temple dazed Ramos, and a follow-up right to the chin left him out on his feet, bent over in midring, his arms dangling at his side. Kinchen then landed two solid left hooks that drove Ramos into the ropes. After two more crushing rights to the chin, he finally fell.

''It scared me,'' said Finkel. ''He didn't even know he got hit with those last two right hands.''

Finkel, a well-to-do rock promoter, handles five of the 1984 Olympic stars, including Mark Breland and Pernell Whitaker, but he has always had a special feeling toward Ramos, the first boxer he managed and one of ''Tomorrow's Champions'' who made their pro debuts in 1980 on NBC-TV.

Three hours after Saturday's fight, Ramos watched a tape replay and ''got shattered,'' Finkel said.

''Shelly, I got knocked out worse than Arguello did,'' the fighter told his manager, referring to the bout two years ago when Alexis Arguello had to be carried from the ring after his first knockout loss to Aaron Pryor.

''Basically,'' said Finkel, ''he's at the crossroads of his life at the age of 23. Not many kids know what they want to do when they're 23.

''I know it's difficult, when you've been dreaming all your life of being a world champion. But it wasn't meant to be.''

Ramos has earned between $400,000 and $500,000, but Finkel said that ''he didn't save the way he should have.'' Finkel said he would try to get Ramos a job in an office, or perhaps in sales, so that the fighter could cash in on his popularity in New York's Hispanic community. He knows of one opening as boxing director for a youth center.

But he said it would be difficult to convince Ramos, since ''his whole yearly pay will be half of what he made last Saturday,'' which was $50,000.

''I've told him, 'Alex, at 26 or 27, you're going to have to do this anyway,' and it's better he do it now, before it's too late,'' Finkel said.

But Ramos said yesterday that ''I haven't decided what I want to do,'' and he insisted that ''I still have it; I know I can be champion.''

''I will not help him,'' said Finkel. ''I will do everything I can to discourage him.''

Finkel, who has a year and a half left on his managerial contract with Ramos, conceded that there was no legal way he could prevent Ramos from fighting.

''I can't stop him, but I wouldn't take any money from him,'' he said. ''What I'm afraid of is that he'll be taken over by some meat merchant who doesn't care about his welfare.''

Ramos, whose chin was questioned even when he was in the amateurs, maintained that he ''can take a good punch.'' He pointed to the most significant victory of his 21-3-2 career, a 12- round decision over tough Curtis Parker earlier this year.

''Parker hit me with some good shots,'' he said. ''Kinchen hit me good, too.''

''It's going to be very hard for him not to be gun-shy,'' said Finkel. ''You don't have a guy who has the real drive to make it. He told me something in private to prove that. He told me he was worried about getting hit.''

The problem is more than a suspect chin, or the psychological effects of a devastating knockout. Ramos has not always been serious about training, often spending more time thinking about his girlfriend than his opponent.

Johnny Bumphus, his friend and

stablemate, said he had advised

Ramos to continue, ''but get your priorities in line, what comes first, what comes second.'' But Finkel believes that Ramos has already had his chances.

''The kid is 15-0 and goes in against a nothing in Ted Sanders,'' he said. ''He was rated in the top 10, wins every round, and the other corner is telling Sanders they're going to stop. And then his legs give out because he was not serious about his training. You'd think that would straighten him out. But his next fight, he says he can't wait till it's over so he can go out, and he fights a 10-round draw with another nothing, Tony Cerda.''

Ramos said that his mind ''wanders,'' and ''that's why I got gray hair, I'm constantly thinking.''

He blamed being ''a little weak in the mind'' for the knockout.

''I don't think highly of myself sometimes when I'm in there,'' he said. ''I got to think like I'm the champion. I gave in with my mind. I'd like to go away somewhere, maybe to a jungle, with no food, no nothing, and learn how to survive. I've got to become mean.''

He also blames his lack of training. After a draw with John Collins in June, he did no serious training for three months and allowed himself to become 20 pounds overweight.

''I guess I got a punishment,'' he said. ''God sent me another message.''

The message was not to quit?

''I think it was to do my job, that He was giving me one more chance.''

 

Damn. Bizarre indeed.