Ras-I Ajuah Bramble, better known as Livingstone Bramble and one of the most underrated lightweights of the talent-laden 1980s, died Saturday at age 64.
Perhaps most famous for his two victories over Ray Mancini in 1984-85, the hard-hitting Bramble was also on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets of 1986.
His two-round defeat against Edwin Rosario was so shocking, in fact, The Ring opted to showcase that result over Donald Curry’s stunning loss to Lloyd Honeyghan on the cover of its December 1986 edition. That alone should highlight Bramble’s quality and what a feat it was to beat him back then.
Bramble turned professional in 1980 but would experience his first loss, to Anthony Fletcher, the following year. The defeat galvanized his resolve, and he went on to win 13 in a row, beating the likes of James Busceme and Gaetan Hart to secure his shot at WBA lightweight titleholder Ray Mancini.
Mancini was being lined up to fight Aaron Pryor, and Bramble was not expected to win before he did just that, halting Mancini in the 14th round of a thrilling fight. In the rematch, which marked the debut of CompuBox stats, Bramble won a decision after 15. He drew some criticism for his trash-talking before both bouts, but his formidability in the ring was clear for the world to see.
There was then hope that Bramble, alongside fellow lightweight leaders like Hector Camacho and Jimmy Paul, would engage in unification bouts to decipher the true champion. A showdown with Camacho was supposed to start the process, and the pair signed to appear on the same September 1986 card, in separate bouts, with view to a collision the following year. Camacho beat Cornelius Boza Edwards, but Bramble was stopped by Rosario. And though he fought on for several years, he never again came close to securing such a lucrative payday.
Bramble would, however, fight the likes of Kostya Tszyu, Buddy McGirt, Roger Mayweather, Charles Murray, Freddie Pendleton and Oba Carr.
So eccentric – and misunderstood – that his manager Lou Duva called him “a cuckoo,” Bramble owned snakes, ran marathons and was a strict vegetarian. He will be sorely missed.
Matt Christie, a lifelong fight fan, has worked in boxing for more than 20 years. He left Boxing News in 2024 after 14 years, nine of which were spent as editor-in-chief. Before that, he was the producer of weekly boxing show “KOTV.” Now the co-host of ”The Opening Bell” podcast and regularly used by Sky Sports in the UK as a pundit, Matt was named as the Specialist Correspondent of the Year at the prestigious Sports Journalism Awards in 2021, which was the seventh SJA Award he accepted during his stint in the hot seat at Boxing News. The following year, he was inducted into the British Boxing Hall of Fame. He is a member of the BWAA and has been honored several times in their annual writing awards.