I worked "Nino" Ribalta's corner when he fought "Bonecrusher" Smith on the Tubbs-Page undercard in Buffalo back in April of '85. In that bout, he got tagged by a massive right hand by Smith in the opening round & he went down in a heap right in front of me. I thought he was finished but he somehow got to his feet & fight "Bonecrusher" on even terms the rest of the way. Only to lose a very close split decision.
"Nino"s" prime lasted for a good five years from '85 to '90 when he had a good solid run through the division in which he only lost one fight in convincing fashion. That being his reasonably competitive fight with Tyson who was an absolute wrecking ball at the time. All his other losses during that time were ridiculously close affairs that could have easily gone his way. Those being his losses to Smith, Marvis Frazier ( a majority decision that I thought he won ) & Tim Witherspoon ( yet another majority nod that "Nino" was unlucky in ).
I think he was so disillusioned by the Witherspoon loss that he was never the same again because he just never gave the same sort of effort & he became a journeyman fighter that went on a 7-12 skid before retiring in '99. But, he only lost to the best heavyweights like Bruno, Doles, Holmes, Tubbs, Vitali Klitschko, Chris Byrd & "Razor" Ruddock.
I still keep in touch with "Nino" on Facebook & he's running a non-profit boxing gym for disadvantaged youth these days. He's a great guy. Sadly, the ravages of 17 years as a pro in which he fought 56 times against many of the best has left him slurring his words & a bit forgetful these days but what can you do? It was a sacrifice he made on his quest to become a champion.
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This photo was taken immediately after his fight with "Bonecrusher" Smith at the post-fight party.