Former professional boxer and now the owner of the prestigious Olivetti Boxing Gym in Biñan City, Laguna, Dino Olivetti, confessed that his fight against Ramie Mancao was the most painful in his career. He said in his Facebook post last July 20, “Ang pinakamasakit na experience ko sa boxing ay ang makagat” (The most painful experience I had in boxing was being bitten), attaching a video clip of the incident. This happened two years before the most famous ear-biting incident in boxing history.
When Boxers Bite
The most bizarre biting incident in the history of the sport is when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear clean off on June 28, 1997, during the WBA Heavyweight Championship at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada, in their second fight.
There are other infamous similar incidents in boxing history. For instance, in October 2014, during the Wadi Camacho-Craig Kennedy-I fight in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, Camacho allegedly bit Kennedy’s neck. Camacho was disqualified by Referee Martin Williams in the second round of the 8-round cruiserweight match, which Kennedy won.
Heavyweight Derek Chisora was also fined and suspended for four months by the British Board of Boxing Control in June 2009 for biting Paul Butlin. Unlike in Camacho-Kennedy, Chisora won by the scorecards. It was their first fight.
Our very own John Riel Casimero was also bitten at least twice reportedly during his February 10, 2012, fight against Argentina’s Luis “Mosquito” Lazarte, ending in what is considered the craziest brawl in boxing history. Every Casimero fan and even his bashers know its details, so there is no need to elaborate.
Olivetti Remembers
Dino Olivetti held a record of 6 wins and 1 loss (3 KOs) when he laced his gloves against Ramie Mancao in his hometown on November 8, 1995. Mancao, more experienced, had fought twice in Thailand and was a contender for the Oriental and Pacific Flyweight crown, which he held until 1997.
Mancao’s most notable opponent in his entire career was Chokchai Chockvivat of Thailand, who later lost his title to Manny Pacquiao via KO in 1997, paving the way for Pacquiao’s rise to world titles and history. Mancao had downed 8 opponents before his encounter with Olivetti.
Fighting before his fellow Lagunense in his hometown Biñan and being a newcomer in boxing, Olivetti was determined to win convincingly, despite his legendary boxing pedigree. He felt that his more experienced opponent underestimated him. He said: “Halata sa galaw niya na alam niya na kayang-kaya niya ako kasi bata pa ako noon at baguhan pa lang noon.” (It was obvious from his movements that he knew he could handle me because I was still young and a beginner then.)
In the first two rounds, Olivetti was hardly wedged by his foe’s solid punches. In the second round, he caught Mancao with a lethal uppercut that resulted in a knockdown. Due to Olivetti’s elusiveness, Mancao was unable to retaliate. In the 5th round, irritated and upset, Mancao nibbled Olivetti near his nipple, causing a deduction for the foul act. Olivetti admitted that Mancao was a heavy puncher, but that night, he was a swift-moving target, making Mancao’s punches miss by kilometers. Olivetti won unanimously in the final tally of their 8-round fistfight.
Describing how it felt, he said, “Ang sakit! Dumugo at nilagnat ako kinabukasan.” (It hurt! I bled and had a fever the next day.)
In Tyson-Holyfield, after the fight, Tyson remarked that his bites were in retaliation for the headbutts from Holyfield. But everything ended well between the two. The two great heavyweights became bosom friends, and in 2015, Tyson even inducted Holyfield into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. They even went into business together in 2022, creating an edible cannabis product in the shape of Holyfield's ear.
But that is not the case for Olivetti. He had never seen Mancao since then.
If Camacho did not leave a biting mark on Kennedy’s collar, Mancao left an ugly scar on Olivetti’s upper left chest. After some years, to conceal the horrid and most painful remembrance of his boxing years, Olivetti covered it with a tattoo of a boxer’s hands clasped in prayer with boxing gloves hanging from it.
Mancao lost his last two fights after losing to Olivetti. His swansong was on June 22, 1996, in Mandaue City, Cebu, via TKO to Noel Panescoro in the 4th round of their scheduled 8-round match. Mancao’s final ring record is 17 wins (10 KOs), 10 losses (6 KOs), and 1 draw.
Frustration, like reality, also bites.
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(Photos: Dino Olivetti)
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