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Former Pugilist Who Struggled With Addiction Will Speak to Village Teens – “Bronx Bomber’ Now an Advocate for Retired Boxers.
SAN DIEGO – Alex “The Bronx Bomber’ Ramos will speak to youngsters living at St. Vincent de Paul Village’s Teen Academy on Tuesday November 9, at 6:30 p.m., at the organizations 1404 5th Avenue location.
Ramos, a four-time New York Golden Gloves champion, 1984 USBA middleweight champion, and member of the USA boxing team from 1978 to 1980, will speak to the thirty-five teens about his rise to the top of the boxing world, an addiction that caused him to lose it all and ultimate recovery and newfound success as an advocate for retired boxers. Many of the teens living at the academy have struggled with similar demons, says Rick Newmyer, program manager of the facility.
“Whether it’s drug addiction, homelessness, parental abuse or abandonment that caused our kids’ current situation, they will undoubtedly draw many similarities between their own struggles and those of Alex Ramos,” he says. “The overriding theme of Mr. Ramos testimony, though, will be his resurrection as an upstanding member of the boxing community and a champion for pugilists who have struggled in retirement.
Ramos founded the Retired Boxers’ Foundation in 1995, “whose mission is to assist retired professional fighters making the transition from their glorious days in the ring, to a dignified retirement,” according to the organization’s web site, www.retiredboxers.com. Some of the issues the foundation addresses include alcoholism and substance abuse problems, neurological and physiological disorders, rage disorders, lack of medical insurance, homelessness and treatment for those suffering from Dementia Pugilistica.
