José Manuel Ribalta (born March 31, 1963) is a Cuban former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

who competed in the

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division from 1982 to 1999. A talented and physically imposing

gatekeeper A gatekeeper is a person who controls access to something, for example via a city gate or bouncer, or more abstractly, controls who is granted access to a category or status. Gatekeepers assess who is "in or out", in the classic words of manage ...

(6 ft 6 in tall with 80 in reach), Ribalta is best known for his brave performance against

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

in 1986. Beside Tyson, Ribalta faced many notable fighters during the peak of his career, among which he had beaten former undisputed HW world champion

Leon Spinks Leon Spinks (July 11, 1953 – February 5, 2021) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a s ...

by 1st round stoppage, lost to Frank Bruno also by stoppage, and was closely outpointed by Larry Holmes, Tim Witherspoon, Tony Tubbs, Michael Dokes and (controversely) James "Bonecrusher" Smith. Nearing retirement, he was stopped by Vitali Klitschko, Chris Byrd and Donovan "Razor" Ruddock.

Early life

Ribalta's family fled Cuba by way of the Freedom Flights in 1967 and settled in

Adams Morgan Adams Morgan (abbreviated as AdMo) is a Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in the city’s Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest quadrant. Adams Morgan is noted as a historic hub for Counterculture of ...

area of Washington, D.C. Then four years later the family moved to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, the city with the largest Cuban diaspora outside of Cuba. Both of his older brothers (all three were named José) were boxers. The oldest brother (the first to move to the United States) competed in the welterweight division and had three professional fights in the US. The middle of the three brothers was a boxer in Cuba, where he faced Teófilo Stevenson three times in the amateur ring and lost to him three times, and also fought Aziz Salihu. The younger José started boxing in the United States in the mid-1970s. He did not go through the Cuban school, but became the best known of the Ribalta brothers.

Professional career

Ribalta made his professional debut in 1982. He had 10 straight wins. In 1983, he lost to Ricardo Richardson by TKO in the 7th round. Then Ribalta won another 7 fights. Advancing on the list of professional boxing rankings, Ribalta made his living as a sparring partner for WBC champion

Trevor Berbick Trevor Berbick (1 August 1954 – 28 October 2006) was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 2000. He won the WBC heavyweight title in 1986 by defeating Pinklon Thomas, then lost it in his first defense in the same year to Mi ...

and title contender Gerry Cooney. In July 1985, his first nationally televised bout took place against James "Bonecrusher" Smith. Ribalta lost by a split decision. The audience was loudly outraged by the decision of the judges, and Ribalta considered that he was "robbed". In September 1985, Ribalta faced

Marvis Frazier Marvis Frazier (born September 12, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division. The son of Joe Frazier, he challenged once for the heavyweight title. Early life Marvis was born September 12, 1960, in Phil ...

. After a close battle, Frazier won the fight by a majority decision. In May 1986, he was knocked down by David Jaco, but managed to turn the tide of the fight and won by knockout in the fifth round. On 17 August 1986, Ribalta faced

in a fight broadcast on HBO prepaid at the

Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino Trump Plaza was a hotel and casino on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts. Designed by architect Alan Lapidus, it operated from May 14, 1984, until September 16, 2014. History Early years The T ...

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

. At the time of the fight, Ribalta was ranked #10 in the WBC ranking. In the fight, Ribalta was knocked down three times and eventually lost by TKO in the 10th round, when the fight was stopped after Tyson's next series of strikes landed on Ribalta, who was pressed against the ropes. Tyson hit Ribalta 220 times. In 2014, Tyson rated Ribalta as the strongest opponent he faced, and the one with the best chin. In 1987, Ribalta defeated

, knocking him down three times in the first round. Then he defeated Mark Young and

Steve Zouski Steve Zouski (born August 14, 1954) is an American former professional heavyweight boxer who competed from 1978 to 1991. Known for his toughness in the ring, he fought several prominent boxers, including Mike Tyson, George Foreman, and Tommy Morr ...

. In 1990, Ribalta faced

Tim Witherspoon Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2003. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title in 1984, and the WBA title in 1986. He beat heavyweight ...

and lost by majority decision. In 1991, he lost to

Bruce Seldon Bruce Samuel Seldon (born January 30, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and current boxing trainer, who competed from 1988 to 1996, and 2004 to 2009. He held the WBA heavyweight title from 1995 to 1996, most notably losing to Mike ...

and Pierre Coetzer. In April 1992, he was knocked out by

Frank Bruno Franklin Roy Bruno (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title from 1995 to 1996. At regional level, he held the European heavyweight ...

in the 2nd round. In October 1992, Ribalta faced

Michael Dokes Michael Marshall Dokes (August 10, 1958 – August 11, 2012) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 1997, and held the World Boxing Association, WBA heavyweight title from 1982 to 1983. As an amateur boxing, amateur he won a ...

and lost by unanimous decision. In September 1993, he lost against

Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He is often considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. ...

by unanimous decision. In December 1993, Ribalta lost a unanimous decision in a 3-round bout against Tony Tubbs in a national heavyweight tournament in the Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. In 1994, Ribalta lost against

Joe Hipp Joe "The Boss" Hipp (born December 7, 1962) is a retired professional Americans, American heavyweight boxing, boxer. A member of the Blackfeet Tribe, he became the first Native Americans in the United States, Native American to challenge for a w ...

by knockout in the 2nd round. Then he won five fights, which were followed by losses against

Axel Schulz Axel Schulz (born 9 November 1968) is a German former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 1999, and in 2006. He challenged three times for both the IBF and European heavyweight titles. As an amateur he won a bronze medal at the 1989 ...

, Larry Donald,

Vitali Klitschko Vitalii Volodymyrovych Klychko (; ; born 19 July 1971), known as Vitali Klitschko, is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer. He serves as mayor of Kyiv,Chris Byrd Christopher Cornelius Byrd (born August 15, 1970) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2009. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having first won the WBO title in 2000 after an upset corner stoppage over ...

. In 1999, Ribalta lost by knockout in the 1st round against

Donovan Ruddock Donovan "Razor" Ruddock (born December 21, 1963) is a Jamaican-born Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 2001 and in 2015. He is known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991, a fight against Lennox Lewis in 1992, ...

, after which he retired from professional boxing. He was inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014. Ribalta is the author of “Courage In The Ring“, his autobiography of his life as a professional athlete.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ribalta, Jose 1963 births Living people Cuban male boxers Heavyweight boxers Cuban emigrants to the United States Boxers from Miami 20th-century Cuban people 20th-century Cuban sportsmen