RIP Ricardo Jimenez: One of Boxing’s Most Beloved

Famed but understated and beloved by all who met him, Ricardo Jimenez passed away this recent weekend.

Jimenez, 64, began as a journalist and worked for the powerful Spanish language newspaper La Opinion where he began covering boxing in Los Angeles. For years he covered the sport including such giants of the boxing ring as Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and James Toney.

I met Ricardo Jimenez around 1993 at one of the fight cards at the Olympic Auditorium. He was always a kind and soft-spoken individual but knew his stuff and knew the subject.

I also remember when Jimenez moved across the aisle to become a publicist for Top Rank in September 1999 during a Juan Manuel Marquez fight with Freddie Norwood for the WBA featherweight world title. It was held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino which was brand new at the time. I saw Ricardo at the tables with a Top Rank badge instead of a media credential. He informed me that he was now working with the boxing organization.

It was a pivotal moment because Top Rank was moving toward the smaller weight classes dominated by Mexican fighters. Jimenez knew all of the fighters and they knew him.

Dominant boxers like Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and others like Johnny Tapia and Paulie Ayala were capturing the notice of boxing fans worldwide. And then a newcomer arrived to truly stir the mix. He wasn’t Mexican but was willing to fight them all.

Manny Pacquiao arrived and that’s when boxing hit another level and Jimenez was a strong part of the promotional pushes to create interest.

Nobody was better suited to promote the smaller weight class prize fights than Jimenez. He knew all of the players and they all knew and trusted him.

After Top Rank changed direction Jimenez became an independent publicist and whenever I saw his named attached to a fight card my eyes brightened up. Nobody did his job better than Ricardo. And no one was more accommodating.

Sadly, last year, was the final time I saw Jimenez. We sat next to each other during a funeral for another journalist, Jose “Chiquilin” Garcia Martinez. Both worked at La Opinion and shared many war stories of events that have long passed. He shared some of those stories with me and we talked a little more. But that was the final time.

Chiquilin now has his buddy back and the boxing world has lost one of the best human beings in Ricardo Jimenez.

It’s with great sadness that I say farewell.

And thank you.

A Ricardo Jimenez Memorial Fund has been created. Please go to this link to contribute:

PayPal: alexlucelijimenez@gmail.com

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