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Santos Ramos poses for a photograph with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Santos Ramos was recognized with the Gold Medal for Sports Merit by the Mexican Bodybuilding Federation for being the only one to have obtained the Mr. Mexico title seven times.
Santos Ramos was inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.
Santos Ramos pose for a photograph at Iron Body Gym.
Santos Ramos received a recognition for his 30 years as «Guerrero Azteca» wrestler.
Santos Ramos pose for a photograph at Iron Body Gym.
Santos Ramos pose for a photograph at Iron Body Gym.
Santos Ramos pose for a photograph at Iron Body Gym.
Santos Ramos pose for a photograph at Iron Body Gym.
Santos Ramos and Fernando Laurel pose for a photograph at Iron Body Gym in Laredo.
Santos Ramos won the Mr. Mexico title seven times from 1976 to 1984.
Santos Ramos won the Mr. Mexico title seven times from 1976 to 1984.
Santos Ramos combined his career in bodybuilding with wrestling. He was a masked wrestler known as «Guerrero Azteca».
Santos Ramos combined his career in bodybuilding with wrestling. He was a masked wrestler known as «Guerrero Azteca».
Santos Ramos is a man who has dedicated his life to bodybuilding.
Ramos not only won the Mr. Mexico title seven times, but he also participated in Mexican wrestling as the masked wrestler “Guerrero Azteca” or “Aztec Warrior” for several years.
Ramos, who owns the Iron Body gym in Laredo, spoke with LMT as he recounted his experience in bodybuilding and his successes as a wrestler.
Originally from Valladares, Coahuila, Mexico, Ramos moved to Nuevo Laredo when his mother died.
“I came here in 1965, and at the age of 17 I started working at the Industrias Unidas — a company that produced oils and fats, soaps, ice, tin, and wood packaging,” he said. “There I met some guys who exercised at the Club Atlético Nuevo Laredo gym, and since then and up to now I have not stopped exercising.”
Ramos said that some time later the company where he used to work went on strike and he had to look for another job but instead he started selling products.
“At that time I had already obtained my card to go to the United States, and then I crossed to Laredo and bought five or six chickens that I later sold in restaurants,” Ramos said. “Then I bought an old car, and instead of five chickens I bought boxes of chicken to sell and I was doing well.”
Ramos said that then a new business opportunity presented itself and that changed his life forever.
“Manuel Campos, the owner of the Club Atlético Nuevo Laredo gym — located on Arteaga Street and Matamoros Street — said that he wanted to sell it for 12,000 Mexican pesos, which was the equivalent of about $1,000,” he said. “I told him that I was interested in buying it and that I had $500, but he said that he needed the full amount. So in a month I raised the money and became the owner of the gym.”
Ramos added that although proud of his achievement, he had to face a new challenge.
“It felt very good that I was already the owner of the gym, but Campos told me that at the end of the month I had to pay the rent for the premises and he gave me instructions for it,” he said. “However, the owner of the property warned me that I had to leave the premises immediately, that the property had already been sold and that Campos was already aware of it, so I had to vacate the property in 15 days.”
Undaunted, Ramos headed to Plaza Hidalgo where he bought the newspaper and sat down to read the classifieds trying to find a new location for his gym.
“A warehouse was rented on the streets of Independencia and Reynosa. I went to see it, I rented it and a week later I left the previous location to start in this new location,” Ramos said. “I was there from 1971-82 until I bought a property on Bolívar and América streets in front of Plaza del Charro, it was a large gym with a pool and I changed its name to ‘International Gym.’”
Ramos said that he later bought another property on Washington and Leandro Valle streets where he established the Golden Gym.
Later in 1989, Ramos and his family immigrated to Laredo, and it was then that he partnered with Ruperto Villarreal to establish the Olympia Gym on Hillside.
“We lasted like seven years, but then Ruperto’s dad passed away and things got complicated, so we decided to sell it and then I opened this Iron Body gym on Gale Street in 2004,” he said.
Ramos said that since he started exercising in 1966, he concentrated on working his body.
“I have always liked physical activity. I would leave school and instead of staying at home like other children, I would go out to play ball,” he said. “When I started going to the gym, I just wanted to get off work to go exercise, because I needed to release all that energy.”
Ramos won the Mr. Laredo title in 1967 in the novice category, and the following year he competed again and won the absolute Mr. Laredo. He participated in other regional competitions every year, but it was not until 1973 that he obtained his first Mr. Mexico title, but not the absolute.
“That year I won in my category, which is the median, for my weight and height,” Ramos said. “Then I came back in 1974 but came in second. In 1975, I competed again and I was the favorite, but a man from Veracruz beat me. It was not until 1976 that I won the absolute and professional. That victory allowed me to go to Canada to compete for Mr. Universe.”
Ramos won Mr. Mexico continuously in 1977, 1978 and 1979, without winning the title in 1980 and 1981. He said those years he focused heavily on establishing a gym in Nuevo Laredo. But he would return to the top later winning in 1982, 1983 and 1984.
His triumphs allowed him to represent Mexico for the Mr. Universe competition in Montreal, Canada; Paris France; Acapulco, Mexico; Columbus, Ohio; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Also, in 1977, he won the Mr. Latin America title in Acapulco, Mexico.
For Ramos, bodybuilding is a very tough sport.
“It is a very sacrificed sport. In one of my competitions, in 1984, I went 36 hours without drinking water. The purpose of this is to get more ripped from the muscles,” he said. “In the morning I had 30 egg whites and coffee, and during the day I ate grilled chicken or boiled fish.”
He said that many give up these sacrifices because some break their diet, faint or can’t stand it.
“If you want to win you have to make sacrifice and endure. It’s very tough. It’s not like any other sport,” he said. “In addition, it is a discipline that is not very profitable economically, since many sponsors or large payments are not obtained as in other sports. I did it because I lived from the gym and for the love of art.”
He said that the highest paid are those who win the Mr. Olympia title, since they can earn up to half a million dollars.
Ramos is mainly proud of his achievements, since he is the only Mexican to have reached the title seven times.
“My greatest satisfaction is having won Mr. Mexico seven times,” he said. “Because everyone wants to win and they put in a lot of effort to win at least one, but I won seven.”
Ramos began working out in 1966, started competing in 1967 and continued through 1985.
Ramos was an entrepreneur who, in addition to working in gyms, ventured into business with two sportswear stores. However, installing a ring in his gym caused him to start training to become a wrestler.
He then decided to identify himself as the masked wrestler “Guerrero Azteca.”
“I combined bodybuilding with wrestling,” he said. “I was a fan of wrestling, so I started training with wrestlers from Nuevo Laredo. I trained for about a year and a half learning techniques such as keying, counterkeying and exits. My friend the fighter, Sangre Chicana, and I started doing somersaults the same day. He dedicated himself completely to wrestling, but I only did it on the weekends, because I asked the promoters not to give me fights during the week because I had to prepare myself for the Mr. Mexico competitions.”
Ramos participated in wrestling matches in Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey, Torreón and Mexico City.
“I fought alongside great fighters like “El Solitario,” “Anibal,” “El Hijo del Santo” and “Mil Máscaras,” among others. All of them were technicians,” Ramos said. “And I fought against all the famous rude of the moment like “El Perro Aguayo,” “Sangre Chicana,” “Los Dinamita,” and many more.”
Ramos lost his mask to Salvador Cuevas, a wrestler who was also involved in bodybuilding.
“In the 1976 Mr. Mexico competition, I competed against Salvador Cuevas “El Supremo.” He and I were the favorites along with another contestant from Puebla. I won and Cuevas retired from bodybuilding and dedicated himself to wrestling,” Ramos said. “In the ring we confronted each other and he took my mask off. When they announced it, he said, ‘You beat me in the Mr. Mexico competition, but I took your mask off.’”
Asked about what he liked the most, bodybuilding or wrestling, Ramos said he preferred bodybuilding because in wrestling there is a risk of being seriously hurt.
“I feel like there is more admiration from people for bodybuilding,” Ramos said. “But in wrestling if you win people applaud you more, but there is a higher risk of getting hurt.”
Among his greatest satisfactions as a wrestler is having fought in the Arena México in Mexico City.
“To fight at the Arena México is a triumph for those who participate in wrestling. For me it’s a reason to be proud because only the best get there,” he said. “The Arena México is the equivalent of a boxer coming to fight in Las Vegas.”
Throughout his life Ramos has received many awards. He is part of the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame in Laredo. In Valladares, his hometown, they also put up a plaque to recognize him as being the only Mexican to hold the title of Mr. Mexico seven times.
Fernando Laurel, a sports commentator, said many people in Los Dos Laredos identify with Ramos.
“I cannot help feeling proud that one of ours has been able to reach the Mr. Mexico championship seven times and represented Mexico in Mr. Universe several times, in addition to achieving Mr. Latin America,” Laurel said.
For Laurel, it is also important to note that Ramos has participated in the National Pancracio, as wrestling is also known in Mexico.
“In his facet as a fighter, he used a mask, and called himself “Aztec Warrior” or “Guerrero Azteca.” However, Santos has said with a smile that his identity was an open secret due to his impressive physique, and everyone would know that it was him,” Laurel said. “We saw him participate in some arenas in Nuevo Laredo, such as Cine Arena Brazil, Plaza de Toros Nuevo Laredo, Arena Cuatro Caminos and, of course, his matches at Arena México fighting alongside the greats.”
Laurel said that some of the recognitions that Ramos has received at the local level are: International Latin American Sports Hall of Fame, in Laredo; Golden Chronicle in Nuevo Laredo, awarded by ACRONDE; and Hall of Sports Merit in Nuevo Laredo.
Nationally, on Dec. 2 in Mexico he was enshrined into the Hall of Fame by the Mexican Federation of Physical Constructivism and Fitness A.C.
Laurel stressed the importance of having Ramos as a coach in his gym.
Ramos, now 74 years old, said that in the future he plans to retire to Nuevo Laredo.
“I think I will fix my gym in Nuevo Laredo and retire in that city without giving up the sport,” Ramos said.
Finally, Ramos gave some recommendations for those who want to continue bodybuilding.
“My best recommendation for those who practice this sport is that if they have already competed and won, keep going,” Ramos said. “Now there is more room for sponsorships from companies or the government. It’s a very nice sport if you just want to stay well, but if you’re going to compete then it’s a demanding sport and you have to sacrifice yourself.”
mcharur@lmtonline.com
