Ex-champion Bramble has eye on bout with De La Hoya

It was 15 years ago that Livingstone Bramble became a world champion, knocking out Ray Mancini in the 14th round of a June 1, 1984, fight in Buffalo.

In a Feb. 16, 1985, rematch in Reno, Bramble defended that WBA lightweight title and won by unanimous decision, punishing Mancini with 674 punches and taking only 381 in return.

Eight months later, Sept. 26, 1986, Bramble lost his title when Edwin Rosario knocked him out in the second round of a fight in Miami.

The history lesson is pertinent in terms of context, as Bramble -- now 38 but just as spry as ever -- remains an active fighter. On May 21 in San Rafael, Calif., the Las Vegas resident will face fellow veteran Paul Nave in a 10-round welterweight bout.

"It's not like I'm looking for a marathon career," Bramble said this week before working out at the Golden Gloves Gym. "I'm not crazy about running down a million guys to fight. But I'm more businesslike about my career and I want to repair some of the damage I created."

He's referring to his less-than-glossy 38-14-3 record, which largely is the result of a series of lackluster losses earlier this decade. At that point, Bramble had been reduced from a steel-chinned, switch-hitting champion to an opponent who was best noted for his Rastafarian looks and lifestyle.

"I was just taking fights to get paid," he admitted. "I was fighting just to fight and my heart wasn't in it.

"Actually, I wanted to retire as far back as 1986. I was burnt out."

Today, he's anything but.

"There was a time I'd lost my focus, but I feel great now," he said. "Mentally, I feel better than at any time in my career, and physically I'm a mature guy who's quick and strong. Maybe I can't compensate for some of my physical losses, but I've increased my stamina and I'm so quick now that I can throw my load in the first round and still keep going."

He likes the idea of fighting Nave, who is 16-6-3 and is also 38.

"It's a nice fight for me and it'll let people see what I've got to offer," he said. "With my name, I need a marketable win to put me in place -- if not in demand -- for a bigger fight."

As you might guess, he has someone in mind: Oscar De La Hoya.

"I've been studying him from Day 1," Bramble said. "The way I see it, I've got an outside shot of getting a fight with him and I've got the style to beat him. Maybe he'll give me a fight when he wants a tune-up or when he thinks it's time for an easy fight."

He laughs, knowing the public perception would be that he had no chance against De La Hoya. Nevertheless, Bramble does have some name-recognition value, and you never know what may come to pass.

But whether he fights De La Hoya or not, Bramble has succeeded in getting his life in order in time to make a late stab at righting his career.

"If I hadn't made this comeback, I probably would be dead by now," he said. "It's all behind me now, but just a couple of years ago I was living like (Unabomber) Ted Kaczynski back in a cottage in a rain forest in the Virgin Islands. I was a hermit and I felt I had no other reason to live at the time."

A tough divorce winded him and he also had to come to grips with raising his two children, son Aluja, who is now 16 and attends Valley High and is a budding fighter himself, and younger daughter Rashan.

At some point amid the turmoil, Bramble realized he was still interested in boxing and that he had to relocate to Las Vegas to make it work. And to regain a license he had to pass a series of strenuous physical tests as mandated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

"It was like they were trying to kill me," he said. "But I passed and (NSAC executive director) Marc Ratner came by one day to watch me spar and he said it was the best fight he'd seen all year.

"I've held my own with some top guys in the gym. I've been under 150 pounds for the last year and a half, and that was after getting up to 180 a couple of years ago."

He had two earlier fights scheduled this year in Mexico that fell through, so he's anxious to get to California and face Nave. He's leaving today for the West Coast.

"You can't keep a good man down, and, besides, even Muhammad Ali didn't win all his fights," he said. "I miss the islands and the beach and ocean down there, but I had to get out of there and give something up if I wanted to get myself back together.

"I never envisioned that I'd still be in the game, but I've got to use the energy that I feel today. I feel so good about things, I almost want to cry."

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