Cruz Duran limps toward the middle of the ring, cradling his stomach.
“Poderoso,” he exhales, powerful in Spanish. “Muy poderoso.” Very strong.
Seconds earlier, an explosive body shot from heavyweight Ricardo “Big 12” Brown had rearranged the Mexican’s insides — doubling him over, ultimately ending their fight after just 56 seconds and handing Duran the first loss of his career.
By all measures, Duran was lucky to walk away from his encounter with Brown, whose other early-career opponents have often been floored and stayed down.
“Nunca, nunca,” he said. Never, gesturing to the spot Brown nailed him, had he been hit like that.
Behind every punch thrown by Big 12 — Six fights. Six wins. Six knockouts. — are two powerful motivations.
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His journey began on the gritty streets of Spanish Town, Jamaica.
“It was very rough,” he remembers. “(I) grew up in the ghetto with big crime and violence around, it wasn’t a good place to grow up.”
Despite his disadvantaged start, representing Jamaica as an amateur boxer opened doors — and representing his country as a professional on the world stage is still his dream.
“There’s lots of people down there that are really looking forward to seeing me fight in Jamaica,” says Brown, who remains a high-profile name in his homeland. “I can’t wait to get there and show people what I can do.
“Jamaica is always going to be my home.”
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They say the mark of a man is his ability to provide for his family.
In the plot of Ricardo Brown’s life, Brantford is a long way from Spanish Town in nearly every way: The cuisine. The climate. The crime.
Against the odds, it is here — half an hour west of Hamilton — that “Big 12” and his family have settled; wife Nikole and son Shakeim are another layer of motivation.
“I love it out here, it’s a nice place to relax, chill, (it’s) really easygoing,” reflects the 6-foot-7 heavyweight. “I’ve met a lot of great people.”
Shakeim, who just celebrated his eighth birthday, has autism — and Ricardo and Nikole work diligently to ensure he is a happy, healthy child.
“We do everything for him, make sure he goes to school, takes his medication (and) does the right stuff,” explains Brown. “My wife is always locked in, makes sure he’s good.
“I have to give thanks for that. Big time.”
Routine has come naturally to the Brown family in Brantford, and whether it is grinding through bone-chilling road work in the winter or enjoying time at home with the family, Ricardo is quietly building for the ring opportunities that are inevitably coming.
“Right now I’m making sure I eat right, stay in shape, (and) when fight time comes, I’m ready — I’m doing doing my thing until I reach the top.”
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In addition to forging his own route through the heavyweight division, Ricardo Brown is part of a larger core of United fighters representing Jamaica.
From Joshua Frazer to Shakeel Phinn and the newly-inked Kemahl Russell, they are illuminating a path to the professional fight game.
“Jamaicans are seeing what they can do, (and) pushing harder because now they know they can go out and get it,” says Brown, who dreams of eventually headlining a major fight card in his home country. “It’s one team, one Jamaica. We’re working and never looking back.
“I’m happy to see that Tyler (Buxton) is getting these guys in.”
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With Duran doubled over along the ropes at the Pickering Casino Resort in January, Ricardo Brown started ripping off push ups. Ringside, the VIP tables laughed and applauded.
But the message was clear: At 6-0, with six knockouts, Big 12 is ready for the next step in his journey.
His strength and power are undeniable, and the jumbo-sized Jamaican is excited to return to the Pickering Casino Resort on April 29th.
“It’s amazing, to think where I came from and know all these fans are coming out to see me, I have to give thanks,” reflects Ricardo. “It’s good to be out in Pickering, where you get to meet fans and go out and uplift those people with my performance.”
The next chapter in Big 12’s career will be written on April 29th.
Ringside with Carlos is a bi-weekly column written by Carlos Verde, featuring reflections on Ontario boxing, fighter profiles and feature stories on those in the fight game.
