Armando Muniz & Mexico's "Cut Doctor" . . .

By Rick Farris


Today I joined Armando Muniz, Gwen Adair and Josie Arrey-Mejia at the LAX Marriott Hotel to make the arrangements for this year's WBHOF Banquet, wihich will be held on October 24th. After our meeting with the hotel rep, the four of us had lunch together in one of the hotel's restaurants.

Mando and I were talking about a serious cut he had received in a bout with Hedgeman Lewis, a close bout that Muniz won.

After the fight, Dr. Jack Useem patched Mando up quickly, using ten stitches. A couple of weeks later, Armando joined his manager, Vic Weiss, referee Rudy Jordan, and his trainer, Louie Jareque on a trip to Mexico to watch Welter Champ Jose Napoles KO Argentina's Horacio Saldena in a title defense.

While in Mexico, Muniz was introduced to Dr. Horacio Ramirez, a legendary cut doctor who worked with the Napoles camp. The doctor noticed Muniz's cut was not healing properly and told them to meet him at his office. An hour later, the doctor told Muniz he wanted to re-stitch the wound correctly. At first, Mando was sceptical. Armando knew that in two months he would be fighting Napoles for the title and feared the doctor might try something crooked, however, the doctor was unaware that Napoles next bout was already in the works.

Armando was instructed to take a seat. The doctor threw a towel over the fighter's shoulder and grabbed a razor blade out of his bag. He reached over and slit Mando's cut wide open and the blood dripped downonto the towel. "Man, that really stung when he slit my brow, but once it was open, the doctor removed all the scar tissue that had formed," Muniz said. "He then re-stitched the wound using 25 stitches."

Muniz was amazed that the wound healed perfectly and quickly. Two months later, Muniz battled the great Jose Napoles hard and, without question, defeated the champion in a brutal bout that was stopped when Napoles cuts were bleeding beyond control. Mando had outfought the great champion and should have returned home with the belt. However, as so often happens in Mexico, the official gave the fight to Napoles on some BS technicality.

Muniz laughed as he told of his own wounds. "I was cut over my right eye, and a couple other places. However, despite taking a few direct hits to the old wound over my left eye that had been re-stitched, it stayed sealed and would remain so for the rest of my career."

"I was amazed", Mando said. "Dr. Ramirez did such a great job, fixing a wound that surely would have cost me victories in later fights."

"Can you imagine, having a Mexican docotor that worked for Napoles, do for me what one of our own doctors was unable to do." The former welterweight contender and World Boxing Hall of Fame President smiled as he told the story. Truly amazing.