Paul Ramos won the Ohio light heavyweight boxing championship in 1979 and beat a future world heavyweight champ.Ramos, a retired Cuyahoga County jailer, died May 22 at home in Clearwater, Fla., after a long struggle with arterial disease. He was 56.

“What a specimen he was!” said former Sheriff Gerald McFaul, who employed and briefly managed Ramos. “Nice fellow. Good family man.”Ramos, nicknamed Pablo, was born in Yauco, Puerto Rico, and moved to Cleveland three months later. He married his South High sweetheart, Debi Drotar.

He fought as an amateur from age 12 to 22, winning Cleveland Golden Gloves titles and joining national Amateur Athletic Union teams. He once beat Akron’s Michael Dokes, future heavyweight king. He trained with the renowned Richie Giachetti. His career was slowed in his 20s by a motorcycle accident, which broke his ankle, elbow and wrist.

Ramos was inducted to the Ohio State Former Boxers and Associates’ Hall of Fame. He and his family lived near South High awhile, then in Brooklyn, and moved to Clearwater last year. Survivors include his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter. Fortuna Funeral Home of Independence handled his arrangements.