Ray Mancini
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| Ray Mancini | |
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| Born | March 4, 1961 Youngstown, Ohio |
Ray Mancini (born March 4, 1961) is a former Italian-American boxer from the South Side of Youngstown, Ohio. Mancini inherited his distinctive nickname from his father, veteran boxer Lennie "Boom Boom" Mancini, who laid the foundation for his son's career. The name, however, perfectly suited the younger Mancini's wild, "whirlwind" fighting style. He would be reigning lightweight champion of the world throughout much of the 1980s.
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[edit] Early life and family
Boxing played a prominent role in the Mancini household. Mancini's father, Lenny Mancini (the original "Boom Boom"), was a top-ranked contender during the 1940s who was widely predicted to be a future world champion. Lennie Mancini's dream, however, was dashed when he was wounded during World War II. Although Lennie Mancini returned to boxing, limitations resulting from his injuries prevented him from fulfilling his potential.
Lenny inspired young Ray to develop his boxing skills and encouraged him to train at a gym when he was quite young. Ray had a stellar amateur career, and in 1978, he made the jump to the professional ranks. His whirlwind punching style caught the attention of network executives at several American television networks, and he became a regular on their sports programming. During this time Ray Mancini defeated some excellent boxers, including former United States champion Norman Goins.
[edit] Lightweight championship
His first attempt at a world title came in his next bout, when he was pitted against Alexis Arguello. The event was selected by many (including Ring Magazine and ESPN) as one of the most spectacular fights of the 1980s. Mancini gave Arguello trouble, but the more experienced champion used his experience to his advantage and took out the challenger in 14 rounds. Mancini was saddened by his first defeat, but not about to give up on his dream.
[edit] Frias
Six months later, he challenged the new world champion, Arturo Frias, for the world lightweight title. Fifteen seconds into the fight, the fast starting champion caught Mancini with a right to the chin and Mancini shook. Another combination made Mancini start bleeding from his eyebrow. Mancini stormed back and dropped the champion right in the center of the ring with a spectacular combination. Dazed and surprised, Frias got back up, but Mancini went after his prey with a fury, and was on top of him the moment the referee said they could go on, trapping Frias against the ropes. After many unanswered blows, the referee stopped the fight, and the Mancini family finally had a world champion.
Before his confrontation with Frias and during training camp in Tucson, three gunmen paid a visit to Mancini at his hotel. The gunmen were told he was not there, they never came back, and Mancini trained with police surveillance until the fight.
[edit] Duk Koo Kim
Mancini's first defense, against former world champion Ernesto Espana, went smoothly with a Mancini knockout win in 6 rounds.
His next defense would change both his life and the face of boxing: On November 13th, 1982, a 21-year-old Mancini met 23-year-old South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim. Kim had to lose several pounds before the fight to make the weight, and was dehydrated. By fight time, Kim was spent. It was, according to many observers, a fight filled with action, but Mancini had an easy time hitting Kim during the 14 rounds the fight lasted. Kim sustained brain injuries that led to his death 5 days later. The week after his death, the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine showed Mancini and Kim battling, under the title Tragedy In The Ring.
Mancini went to the funeral in South Korea, but he fell into a deep depression afterwards. He has said that the hardest moments came when people approached him and asked if he was the boxer who "killed" Duk Koo Kim. Mancini went through a period of reflection, as he blamed himself for Kim's death. In addition, the bout's referee, Richard Greene, committed suicide in February of 1983, and so did Kim's mother, four months later. In the aftermath of the tragedy, studies were conducted on the physical toll endured by boxers. The studies revealed that fighters tend to receive the greatest physical punishment after round 12. As a result of this finding, the WBC took steps to shorten its title bouts to a distance of 12 rounds. The WBA and WBO followed in 1988 and the IBF did in 1989.
[edit] Later matches
Mancini began the process of getting his life back together by once again putting on gloves. He went to Italy to face British champion George Feeney, a tough fighter from England. Mancini won a 10-round decision, but he was not the Ray Mancini of old.
He defended his title two more times. In a bout with double world champion Bobby Chacon, which was broadcast on HBO, the overmatched Mexican boxer lasted only three rounds. To fans at least, the old Boom Boom appeared to be back. Mancini, however, was making plans to get out of boxing to pursue a less violent trade: Acting.
In June of 1984, Mancini, still recovering from the emotional trauma of Kim's death, struggled to retain his title in a battle with Livingstone Bramble in Buffalo, New York. It was to be another Mancini "slugfest." This time, however, he came out on the losing end, defeated after 14 intense rounds. Mancini would lose his title, but not before a fierce effort that resulted in an overnight stay at a hospital and 71 stitches around one eye.
Mancini was not finished, however. He returned to the ring twice to regain his world title. During a rematch with Bramble in 1985, Mancini famously quoted a line from the 1976 movie Rocky, when he said to referee Mills Lane, "If you stop it, I'll kill ya!" After a tenacious effort, Mancini lost the fight in a 15-round decision. His next attempt came in 1988, when he was outboxed by Hector 'Macho' Camacho and lost to in a unanimous decision.
[edit] Retirement and later work
Mancini retired officially in 1993, leaving a record of 29-5, with 23 knockouts. His legacy also included an inspirational story involving a young champion who had won the title as much for his family as for himself.
More recently, Mancini realized his Hollywood dreams, appearing in as well as producing a handful of films. In addition, he gained new fans as a fight analyst for the Fox reality series, Celebrity Boxing. Mancini currently resides in Beverly Hills, California, where he remains accessible to fans. In encounters with fans, he reportedly enjoys talking, taking photos and signing autographs.
Mancini's career has enjoyed a curious afterlife in the realm of popular culture. Warren Zevon once wrote a song that tracked Mancini's career, up until his fight with Bobby Chacon. In the song, Boom Boom Mancini, Zevon evidently took artistic license when he described Mancini's response to the accidental death of Duk Koo Kim. The best known lyrics of the song are as follows: "When they asked him (Mancini) who was responsible for the death of Duk Koo Kim / he said 'someone should have stopped the fight, and told me it was him.'"
| Preceded by: Arturo Frias |
WBA Lightweight Champion 8 May 1982– 1 Jun 1984 |
Succeeded by: Livingstone Bramble |
