When considering this fight between Mike Tyson and Jose Ribalta….it is important to give credit to Jose Ribalta….as he was the one of only two heavyweight boxers to go the distance with Iron Mike to this point in his career….as Tyson came into this fight with a 25 – 0 record with 23 KO’s. As a result of this accomplishment….I want to share with you an excerpt from “Courage In The Ring” by Jose Ribalta as follows:
“I am writing this book for the experience that it has brought me. My family came from Cuba during the time of Castro. We were among the freedom flights to America. I started boxing at the age of twelve and ended up fighting world champions. My dad was the sugar cane inspector of the mills in Cuba. His boss was Batista the dictator before Castro came in to power. He made sure all my family made it to Washington D.C. first then later to Miami,FL. I started boxing when I saw my brother boxing at the local gym. I went on to fight Larry Holmes, Frank Bruno, Leon Spinks and Mike Tyson just to name a few. I sparred with Muhammad Ali, Gerry Cooney, Lenox Lewis. I talk about the pitfalls of boxing and the politics of it. Also the good times like travel ,meeting wonderful people, making money. Now in my older age I train up and coming fighters and try to encourage them. I teach the boxing basics. It the only way to go forward . My fight with Tyson was one of my most famous moments. I went all the ten rounds with him. Years later Tyson said “Jose was the strongest fighter I ever fought in the ring.” I am also a recent inductee of the 2014 class of the FLA.Boxing Hall of Fame. I am proud and honored to receive this coveted award.”
As seen in this video…..Jose Ribalta stepped into the ring with a true gladiator in Mike Tyson….a man who was built to go into the ring and destroy his opponents….a gladiator who left no man standing….as the viewer will get to see why Iron Mike called Ribalta the strongest man he ever fought.
