Ray Mancini (born Raymond Michael Mancino; March 4, 1961), better known as "Boom Boom" Mancini, is an American former professional boxer who competed professionally from 1979 to 1992 and who has since worked as an actor and sports commentator. He held the WBA lightweight title from 1982 to 1984. Mancini inherited his nickname from his father, boxer Lenny Mancini. In 2015, Mancini was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Early life and amateur career
Mancini, an American of Italian descent, was born Raymond Michael Mancino in Youngstown, Ohio on March 4, 1961. Boxing played a prominent role in the Mancini family history. Mancini's father, Lenny Mancini (the original "Boom Boom"), was a top-ranked contender during the 1940s. Lenny Mancini's dream, however, was dashed when he was wounded during World War II. Although Lenny Mancini returned to boxing, limitations resulting from his injuries prevented him from fulfilling his potential. He was a childhood friend and neighbor to future Oklahoma Sooners football head coach Bob Stoops.

Lenny inspired Ray to develop his boxing skills and encouraged him to train at a gym when he was quite young.  Thus, Ray then began his quest to win the world title for his father.

Professional career
On October 18, 1979, Mancini made his professional debut and defeated Phil Bowen with a first-round knockout. 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 Mancini defeated some notable boxers including former US champion Norman Goins in March 1981.

Lightweight title challenges
On April 30, 1980, Mancini defeated Bobby Sparks with a knockout at 1:28 in the first round for the regional Ohio State Lightweight title. Over a year later on May 16, 1981, Mancini won his first major title by defeating Jorge Morales for the WBC-affiliated NABF Lightweight championship when the referee determined that Morales could not continue after the 9th round.  In the post-match interview, Ray said that he was "keeping this title for myself because the world title is going to my dad".  Two months later, he successfully defended the title against José Luis Ramírez after a unanimous decision. Mancini's first attempt at a world title came on October 3 when he was pitted against Alexis Argüello for his World Boxing Council lightweight title. The event was selected by many (including The Ring and ESPN) as one of the most spectacular fights of the 1980s. Mancini gave Argüello trouble early and built a lead on the scorecards, but Argüello used his experience to his advantage in the later rounds and stopped Mancini in the 14th round.

Mancini would rebound from the loss to Argüello by winning his next two bouts, including a second successful defense of his NABF Lightweight title against Julio Valdez (10th-round TKO) which would earn him another chance at a world title.

WBA Lightweight champion
On May 8, 1982, in a match held at The Aladdin in Las Vegas, he challenged the new World Boxing Association lightweight champion, Arturo Frias. Fifteen seconds into the fight, Frias caught Mancini with a left hook to the chin and another combination made Mancini bleed from his eyebrow. Mancini recovered and dropped Frias right in the center of the ring with a combination. Dazed, Frias got back up, but Mancini immediately went on the offensive and trapped Frias against the ropes. After many unanswered blows, referee Richard Greene stopped the fight at 2:54 in the first round, and the Mancini family finally had a world champion.

Match against Duk Koo Kim

Mancini's first title defense, against former world champion Ernesto España, went smoothly with a Mancini knockout win in the 6th round.

On November 13, 1982, a 21-year-old Mancini met 27-year-old South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim. Kim had struggled to make the  weight limit, and had to lose several pounds shortly before the fight. The title bout, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, was televised live on CBS Sports. Mancini won by TKO in the 14th round. Moments after the fight ended, Kim collapsed and fell into a coma, having suffered a subdural hematoma, and died four 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 and 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, Kim's mother died by suicide three months after the fight, and the bout's referee, Richard Green, killed himself in July 1983.

As a result of Kim's death, the WBC took steps to shorten its title bouts to a maximum of 12 rounds. The WBA and WBO followed in 1988, and the IBF in 1989.

Later matches
Mancini began the process of getting his life back together by once again putting on boxing gloves. He went to Italy to face British champion George Feeney, where he won a 10-round decision.

He defended his title two more times. First, on September 15, 1983, he beat Peruvian challenger Orlando Romero by a knockout in nine rounds at Madison Square Garden to achieve a lifelong dream of fighting in that building, and then after a November 25 tune-up bout in which he defeated Johnny Torres by first-round knockout in his return to the Caesar's Palace hotel in Las Vegas, in January 1984, in a bout with former world champion Bobby Chacon, which was broadcast on HBO, Mancini defeated Chacon when referee Richard Steele stopped the fight in the third round with blood dripping from Chacon's left eye at Reno, Nevada.

In June 1984, Mancini, still recovering from the emotional trauma of Kim's death, fought Livingstone Bramble to defend his title in Buffalo, New York. This time however, Mancini came out on the losing end, defeated after 14 rounds. Mancini lost the title, but not before a fierce effort that resulted in an overnight stay at Millard Fillmore Hospital and 71 stitches around one eye.

Mancini returned to the ring twice to attempt to regain his world title. In a rematch with Bramble, Mancini lost the fight by one point on all three judges' scorecards in a 15-round decision. His next attempt came in March 1989, when he lost to Héctor 'Macho' Camacho in a split decision, Mancini had one final fight in April 1992, against former lightweight champion Greg Haugen. Mancini lost when referee Mills Lane stopped the fight in the seventh round.

Retirement and later work
A made-for-television movie based on Mancini's life aired in the 1980s. The former champion was able to keep 75 percent of his $12 million in purse money, which enabled him to pursue a broad range of interests in retirement.

Mancini, who as of 2007 resided in Los Angeles, owns the El Campeon Cigar Company and operates two movie production companies. Mancini appeared in and produced a handful of films. He appeared in the quirky 1994 comedy The Search for One-eye Jimmy, in David Mamet's MMA film Redbelt, and in the 2000 remake Body and Soul. Mancini played Charlie, Frank's retired father, in Bad Frank (2017).

Mancini produced Youngstown: Still Standing in 2010, which premiered at the 34th Cleveland International Film Festival on March 24. The documentary film featured his hometown friend, actor Ed O'Neill, and also included Jim Cummings, Kelly Pavlik, Jay Williams, Andrea Wood, and Mancini himself, among many other Youngstown natives and locals. John Chechitelli – another Youngstown native – directed and edited the 89-minute-long film. It recounts the history of Youngstown, Ohio, from its founding in 1797 to the present.

Mancini has a son also named Ray who appeared in the YouTube reality series SummerBreak, in which Manicini also had a guest role.

Mancini practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and holds a purple belt in the martial art. He became a fight analyst for the Fox reality series Celebrity Boxing.

In popular culture
Warren Zevon included a biographical song about Mancini called "Boom Boom Mancini" on his 1987 album Sentimental Hygiene.
Sun Kil Moon's 2003 album Ghosts of the Great Highway includes the track "Duk Koo Kim" which references the fight between Mancini and Kim.
In 2013, a documentary about Mancini was released called The Good Son: The Life of Ray Boom Boom Mancini.
In 2015, Mancini spoke to Retro Report about the repercussions of his fight with Duk Koo Kim, "Blood and Sport".

Professional boxing record

References

External links

Mancini vs. Kim 30-year anniversary at The New York Times

1961 births
Boxing commentators
American people of Italian descent
Living people
Boxers from Youngstown, Ohio
World Boxing Association champions
American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
American male boxers
World lightweight boxing champions
Light-welterweight boxers
American male actors
International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees
레이 맨시니(Ray Mancini, 1961년 3월 4일 ~ )는 은퇴한 이탈리아계 미국인 복싱선수이다. 그는 1980년대에 2년 동안 세계복싱협회 라이트웨이트 챔피언십을 거머쥐었었다. 맨시니는 복싱을 시킨 그의 아버지, 베테랑 복싱선수 레니 "붐 붐" 맨시니 로부터 그의 특유한 별명 붐 붐을 물려받았다. 그 이름은 젊은 맨시니의 거친, 완벽한 "회오리바람" 싸움 스타일에 어울렸다.

젊은 시절과 가족 
그는 오하이오, 영스타운에서 태어났다. 복싱은 맨시니 가족사에 있어 두드러진 역할을 수행했다. 맨시니의 아버지, 레니 맨시니는 1940년대 동안 최고의 싸움꾼이었으며 미래 세계 챔피언이 될거라 널리 예상되었었다. 그러나, 레니 맨시니의 꿈은 그가 제2차 세계대전 동안 부상당했을 때 내동댕이쳐졌다. 비록 레니 맨시니가 복싱계에 복귀했을지라도, 부상에서 자유로울 수 없었던 그는 복싱을 이전처럼 할 수 없었다.

레니는 복싱 기술을 개발하도록 젊은 레이를 격려했으며 그가 완전히 젊었을 때 체육관에서 훈련하도록 장려했었다. 레이는 화려한 아마추어 경력을 갖고, 1978년에 프로로 도약했다. 그의 회오리바람 펀칭 스타일은 여러 미국 텔레비전 방송망에서 임원들의 관심을 잡았으며, 그는 그들의 스포츠 프로그램 편성에서 단골손님이 되었다. 이 시기 동안 레이 맨시니는 전 미국 챔피언 노만 고인스 (Norman Goins)를 포함한, 우수한 복싱선수들을 패배시켰다.

그의 진심 
레이 맨시니는 영화 배우가 되고 싶어했는데 아버지의 강요로 권투 선수를 한 것이었다. 레니 맨시니는 전쟁에서 입은 부상 때문에 더 이상 권투를 할 수 없게 된 상태였으나 자신의 아들인 레이를 통해서라도 권투선수로서의 꿈을 어떻게든 이루고 싶어했고 레이 맨시니는 그런 아버지의 마음을 이해했기 때문에 자신의 꿈을 일단 뒤로 미뤄두고 아버지의 꿈을 이루기 위해 권투선수가 되었다. 하지만 김득구가 자신의 손에 죽자 이것 때문에 더 이상 권투를 할 수가 없었으며 권투 선수는 사실상 포기상태가 되었다. 결국 뒤늦게나마 자신이 하고 싶었던 영화 배우를 하게 되면서 권투 선수로서는 은퇴했다.

라이트웨이트 챔피언십 
세계 타이틀에 대한 그의 최초의 시도는 그의 세계복싱평의회 라이트웨이트 타이틀을 위하여 그가 전설적인 챔피언 알렉시스 아르게료와 맞붙은 그의 다음 시합에서 찾아왔다. 그 이벤트는 1980년대 가장 눈부신 경기의 하나로(링 매거진과 ESPN을 포함하는) 다수에 의해 선정되었다. 맨시니는 초반에 아르게료를 애먹였으며 점수카드 상에서 우세했지만, 아르게료는 그의 경험을 나중의 라운드에 있어 이점으로 이용했으며 14번째 라운드에서 맨시니를 격퇴시켰다. 맨시니는 그의 최초의 패배를 슬퍼했지만 그의 꿈을 포기하지 않았다.

아르투로 프리아스 
1982년 5월 8일에 라스베이거스에서 열린 경기에서, 그는 새로운 새계복싱협회 라이트웨이트 챔피언, 아르투로 프리아스에게 도전했다.
 경기 시작 15초만에 챔피언은 레프트 훅으로 맨시니의 아래턱을 쳤으며 맨시니는 동요되었다. 또다른 조합이 맨시니의 눈썹에서 피를 흘리게 만들었다. 맨시니는 배후로 돌격했으며 눈부신 조합으로 그 링의 중앙에서 오른쪽으로 그 챔피언을 쓰러뜨렸다. 망연자실하고 놀란, 프리아스는 일어났지만, 맨시니는 쫓아갔으며, 주심이 진행할 것을 말한 순간 프리아스를 로프로 몰아세웠다. 많은 강펀치를 날린 후, 심판은 경기를 멈추었으며, 맨시니가 마침내 세계 챔피언이 되었다.

김득구와 시합 
전 세계 챔피언 어네스토 에스파나와의 맨시니의 최초의 방어는 6번째 라운드에서 맨시니의 녹아웃 승리로 매끄럽게 진행되었다.

다음 경기는 그의 인생의 전환점이 된 2차 방어전이었다. 1982년 11월 13일에, 21세의 맨시니는 27세인 대한민국의 도전자 김득구를 만났다. 김득구는 몸무게를 만들기 위해 경기 전에 몇 파운드를 감량했었다. 라스베이거스에 있는 시저스 팔레스 (Caesars Palace)에서 열린 경기는 태평양 표준시 오후 1시에 생방송으로 방송되었다. 많은 목격자들에 따르면 활발한 싸움이었지만 맨시니가 그 경기가 지속되었던 14 라운드동안 김득구를 쉽게 타격을 가했다라고 전했다. 김득구는 뇌손상을 입고 5일 뒤에 사망했다. 그의 죽음 후 일주일, 스포츠 일러스트레이티드 잡지의 표지는 "링 위의 비극" 이란 제목 아래, 싸우고 있는 맨시니와 김득구를 보여주었다.

맨시니는 대한민국에서의 장례식에 갔지만, 후에 그는 깊은 우울증에 빠졌었다. 그는 가장 어려운 순간은 사람들이 그에게 접근해서 그가 김득구를 "죽인" 복싱선수였냐라고 물어봤을 때라고 말했다. 맨시니는 김득구의 죽음으로 자신을 책망함으로써 반성의 시기를 겪게 되었다. 추가하여, 맨시니 자신은 얼마 못가 타이틀을 빼앗기고 복싱을 그만둔 후 영화배우가 되었다.

이 승부의 결과로서, 세계복싱평의회는 선수들의 안전을 위해 복싱 풀 라운드를 15라운드에서 12라운드로 단축하는 단계를 밟았다. 세계복싱협회와 세계복싱기구는 1988년에 뒤를 따랐으며 국제복싱연맹은 1989년에 시행했다. 추가로 하계 올림픽 복싱 종목에서도 3/4위전을 폐지하고 준결승에서 패하면 무조건 동메달을 수상하도록 규정을 변경했다.

각주

외부 링크 
 
 
 레이 맨시니와 김득구 경기 동영상

1961년 출생
살아있는 사람
미국의 권투 선수
WBA 챔피언
이탈리아계 미국인
라이트급 권투 세계 챔피언
라이트웰터급 권투 선수