FORMER WBA lightweight world champion Livingstone Bramble (aka Ras-I Ajuah Bramble) has died at the age of 64. It’s been a tumultuous 48 hours for the sport after the deaths of George Foreman and Colin Hart.
News broke on Saturday evening that Bramble had also passed. Born in Saint Kitts and Nevis, Bramble turned professional in 1980 and campaigned until 2003.
His final career record of 40-26-3 (25 KOs) was skewed by the usual number of losses towards the back end of a long stint in the sport. In his prime, Bramble was a fine fighter who claimed the WBA 135-pound strap in 1984, stopping Ray Mancini in round 14 of their 15-round title clash.
Bramble repeated the trick two fights later, defeating Mancini on points after 15 closely contested rounds. In 1986, Bramble was stunned in two rounds by Edwin Rosario, losing his belt.
Try as he might, Bramble was unable to make it back to that level. There were flashes of inspiration, such as a 1991 split decision loss to 20-0 Oba Carr and distance affairs with a fledgling Kostya Tszyu and James ‘Buddy’ McGirt.
Bramble’s final outing came in 2003, a six-round points loss to Armando Robles in Salt Lake City. Competing under the moniker ‘Pitbull,’ Bramble boxed under different aliases as his career drew to a close. The determination and skills remained, as he was only stopped five times in his 23 years as a professional boxer.
Away from the ring, Bramble was an eccentric character who owned snakes, shadow-boxed to Bob Marley and lived his life as a vegetarian.
