This past Friday I found myself thinking about someone who passed away a few years back. There’s only a handful of people in life who you will meet who will have an impact on your life. Ralph, for me was one of them.

Ralph was my boxing trainer for seven years. I remember first starting out at the gym, we didn’t talk very much. He would teach me different punches, watch me as I trained and comment to me when I was doing something wrong but that was the extent of our relationship.  As much as I wanted to get to know him, it was pretty much all business.

After a few years all that changed. His personality wasn’t that of a serious man at all. He was the biggest jokester I ever knew. Along with the other trainers, I found myself staying at the gym at night- far after everyone else left, just talking and joking with him. Sometimes he would talk about his career as a fighter, as a champion, as a naval officer, as a kid growing up on the streets. He used to love to rhyme things, so he would always have a poem ready to go. Everyday when I walked into the gym he used to yell from across the gym “Matt!!!  Scat!!!!”, which doesn’t really make much sense at all but it made me feel welcomed somewhere. As if he was waiting for me to get to the gym.  I used to call him “Raul the Mad Frenchman”.

He used to go to the flea market and sell old bikes that he would fix up. Every now and again I would stop by and lend a hand. He would always sing, Out of nowhere he would just belt out a tune and nobody ever knew what his songs were about (because they were always in Spanish) but he was actually a damn good singer. I used to joke with him, telling him he should have a record day. Then one day, I walked into the gym, they pop in a cassette tape into the radio and I couldnt believe what I was hearing… Ralph had recorded a song- and it sounded great!! 

As he got older, he was unable to travel with us. Unable to be in the corner. Unable to make it to the gym on somedays because he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. We would all show up to train, hoping that it was a good day for Ralph and he was able to make it to the gym.

Then he passed away. The Rocky Mountain News actually wrote a great article about him which you can read here: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/obituaries/article/0,1299,DRMN_45_5371834,00.html if you so chose.

Ralph taught me a great deal about boxing but more about life. You would never see Ralph angry, he was always fair and he had the biggest heart anyone could ever have. He kept kids out of trouble and helped them by working with them, showing them the ropes so to speak. He was the only person I have met that was truly larger than life.

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