While the sporting world and boxing in particular says goodbye to George Foreman, mourning extends to pugilism following the news of the death of Livingstone Bramble at the age of 64. The causes of his death have not yet been disclosed. The St Kitts and Nevis-born fighter was WBA lightweight champion for two years, between 1984 and 1986.
Bramble, a great counter-puncher, is especially remembered for his two victories over the legendary Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini. The first of these came in June 1984 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo and saw him win the WBA lightweight title after a tough battle that was decided in the 14th round by TKO. He retained the belt in the rematch against Mancini (a close unanimous decision) a year later and against Tyrone Crawley before losing the crown to Edwin Rosario in a shock KO defeat.
Bramble’s career went off the rails early on and was also excessively prolonged. Not knowing when to retire tarnished his record, which ended up being riddled with defeats. He turned professional in 1980 and had his last outing in the ring in 2003, finishing with 40 wins (25 KOs), 26 losses and three draws.
He was a very popular fighter in his prime, not only for his performances in the ring but also for his striking personality. The Rastafarian boxer was considered something of an eccentric, as he would often come to the ring with his snake – a boa constrictor called Dog – hanging around his neck. Interestingly, he also had a pit bull terrier called Snake and a ferret called Spider.
Somewhat annoyed by the fact that the press focused on his personality before his second fight against Mancini, he himself fueled the story about his figure. During the press conference, Livingstone unwrapped a voodoo doll and began to poke its eyes with a needle, while saying: “Ray [Mancini], tell me how you feel your eyes. Look how your eyes pop out now.” Another day he appeared with a ceramic skull, which made the media think Bramble was “crazy”. He was a peculiar guy who knew how to sell fights and was out for fun.
About his style, his manager Lou Duva had a somewhat peculiar view: “I tell my young fighters that if they want to do everything right, don’t watch Bramble. He does everything wrong, but it turns out he’s right. His opponents don’t know what’s coming next, and that pause to try to figure it out becomes their undoing.” The funny thing is that Duva considered his fighter, “the truth is, he’s a nutcase”. He also joked: “After each of his fights, I’m in a psychiatric hospital for ten days to recover. I can’t control him, you can’t educate him, he doesn’t listen to me.” A singular guy.
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