Livingstone Bramble Wasn’t Great; But For 27 Months-He Was Damn Good

Bramble, a native of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, who retired in 2003 with a record of 40-26-3 (25 knockouts), seemed to burst out of his own ordinary ways against Mancini and into another dimension of quality. He put on a masterpiece in all phases of the sport that night in Buffalo. Defensively, he set himself into an airtight shell, his long forearms fending off the powerful blows of the aggressive champion. And when “Boom Boom” finished punching, Bramble would erupt and counter with sharp combinations that continually rocked the typically immovable Mancini. 

As the fight progressed, Boom Boom became more and more helpless, his handsome face being sliced and diced by this suddenly elite challenger.

The end came when a Bramble combination made Mancini stumble and turn away. It was one of the biggest upsets of 1984, as Bramble overcame 6-1 odds.

Eight months later, in February 1985, they did it again in Reno, NV. The courageous Mancini was better this time, testing Bramble with every ounce of his courage and ability. But the improving Pit-Bull was, again, too good. Bramble won a close 15-round decision that would’ve been the 1985 “Fight of the Year” had Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns not engaged in their historic encounter two months later. 

In February 1986, Bramble beat top contender Tyrone “Butterfly” Crawley. It was yet another impressive win, and it showed Pit-Bull’s layers. Whereas Mancini was a slugger, Crawley was a boxer – and a very good one. Bramble displayed a previously unseen versatility and patience in chopping down the talented Philadelphian in 13 rounds, his second defense of the WBA 135-pound title. 

Bramble was firmly in the pound-for-pound discussion, and talk began to swirl about a possible unification battle with WBC counterpart Hector “Macho” Camacho. It was truly one of the biggest fights in boxing. A card in Miami was arranged, where the two titlists would co-headline to show off their skills and whet the public’s appetite for the forthcoming Bramble vs. Camacho showdown.

 Macho would fight Cornelius Boza-Edwards, and Pit-Bull would take on Edwin Rosario. Things didn’t go as planned. Camacho won unimpressively. And Bramble, well, he got destroyed.

Rosario, who’d come off a very controversial decision loss to Camacho the previous June, annihilated Bramble inside of two rounds. It was a devastating, conclusive defeat that sent Livingstone right back to his ordinary ways. Gone was the cloak of invincibility. Gone was the pound-for-pound rating. Gone was his WBA lightweight title. And, just like that, Bramble was ordinary again. 

He would fight for another 17 years, but he never won a major fight again. 

Over his remaining 42 fights, Bramble would lose 24 times. He became a name on a ledger to fighters on the rise, like Oba Carr and Kostya Tszyu. 

R.I.P., Pit-Bull

But, besides his interesting all-or-nothing ring career, Bramble (also known as Rasi-I Alujah Bramble) could be a colorful character. In the lead-up to the first Mancini fight, he brought in a “witch doctor” named “Dr. Doo” from his native Virgin Islands. He put a “spell” on Mancini.  Later, it was discovered that Dr. Doo was Bramble’s high school basketball coach. 

Bramble later appeared with his pet snake – named “Dog” – on the cover of The Ring magazine. Word is that he had a dog named “Snake.” Everyone who came into contact with him described him as down-to-earth, friendly, and fun. 

As for his ring career, Bramble won’t go into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. His name will never come up as an all-time great, in the vein of a Roberto Duran or a Pernell Whitaker. His prime was just too painfully short. 

But, for 27 short months in the mid-1980s, he was one of the best in the business.