Wesley Ramey
Wesley "Wes" Ramey (September 17, 1909 – March 10, 1997) was an American boxer who was dubbed the "Uncrowned Champion of the Lightweights".[1] Although he was ranked as a top-10 lightweight contender for 10 consecutive years, he was never given a chance to fight for a world title.[2] Over the course of his career he defeated Hall of Famers Tony Canzoneri, Benny Bass, Lew Jenkins and Cocoa Kid. He also faced the likes of Sammy Angott and Pedro Montanez in defeat.[3]
Wesley Ramey | |
---|---|
Statistics | |
Real name | Wesley Ramey |
Weight(s) | Lightweight |
Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) |
Reach | 67 in (170 cm) |
Nationality | American |
Born | Evart Township, Michigan | September 17, 1909
Died | March 10, 1997 87) | (aged
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 194 |
Wins | 152 |
Wins by KO | 11 |
Losses | 28 |
Draws | 14 |
No contests | 1 |
Although lacking in knockout power (he had only 11 knockouts in 152 wins), Ramey possessed excellent lateral movement skills; which allowed him to dart in and out of range. This, coupled with his excellent conditioning gave him a critical edge outpointing his opposition.[4]
Reporter Bill Farnsworth, Jr. wrote, "Wes Ramey … came to Fort Hamilton last night and haunted Joey Costa, the New Jersey lad. Ramey was the ghost. He was so elusive for eight of the rounds that Joey couldn’t have struck him with a handful of buckshot."[1] After retiring from the sport, Ramey ran two successful bars while concurrently training amateur and professional fighters. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013.[5]
Notable bouts
Result | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes[3] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | PTS | 8 | 1939-12-12 | |||
Loss | UD | 10 | 1939-07-05 | |||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1939-03-28 | |||
Win | PTS | 8 | 1939-02-21 | |||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1938-12-16 | |||
Loss | UD | 10 | 1938-09-16 | |||
Win | UD | 10 | 1938-07-08 | |||
Loss | PTS | 10 | 1938-05-06 | |||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1938-04-28 | |||
Loss | KO | 1 (10), 2:40 | 1937-07-26 | |||
Win | UD | 10 | 1937-01-22 | |||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1935-10-04 | |||
Win | PTS | 12 | 1935-06-13 | |||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1935-05-15 | |||
Win | UD | 10 | 1933-08-31 | |||
Loss | SD | 10 | 1933-08-07 | |||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1933-04-20 | |||
Draw | MD | 10 | 1933-04-06 | |||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1933-03-03 | |||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1933-02-02 | |||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1933-01-07 | |||
Win | NWS | 10 | 1932-03-09 | Newspaper Decision | ||
Win | PTS | 10 | 1932-01-29 | |||
Win | PTS | 8 | 1931-05-25 | |||
Loss | PTS | 10 | 1931-01-01 | |||
Win | MD | 10 | 1930-12-15 | |||
References
- Callis, Tracy. "WES RAMEY: "FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET"". WAIL!. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
- Tibbs, Bill. "Remembering a True Champion: Wesley Ramey". Max Boxing. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
- Wesley Ramey's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-18.
- Olsen, Cory. "Grand Rapids fight legend Wes Ramey to get his due in International Boxing Hall of Fame". M Live. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
- International Boxing Hall of Fame - Wesley Ramey IBHOF.com Retrieved on 2014-04-05