It was a pleasure to have the great Ray Boom Boom Mancini in the gym this week. He was on his way to do a personal appearance with Joe Calzaghe in Cannock.
Mancini was one the most popular Italian American fighters of my generation. We were born only six days apart and our careers ran in parallel. I met him for the first time in 1983 at Madison Square Garden at the Press conference for Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran.
He was standing with Jake La Motta and his ex-wife, the very glamorous Vicky La Motta. I had been sparring in Gleeson’s gym. I went straight up to him and introduced myself. He already knew who I was. I was the Irish guy, he was the Italian guy at a time when identity and heritage had huge resonance in the United States. We were both fighting on terrestrial TV, which made us household names.
Mancini could really fight. I had huge respect for him. And we both shared the tragic experience of opponents dying after our fights. He is still in great shape now, maybe ten pounds over his fighting weight. The kids in the gym sparred better just because he was there. It gave the sessions a real edge and buzz.
They loved his stories. For fighters to be connected with the past like that means a great deal to me. It was arguably the greatest era in the history of boxing with the likes of Ray Leonard, Duran, Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Alexis Arguello all active.
Ray Snr was a fighter before the war but was injured in battle and never fought again. Ray Jnr was in a sense fighting for his father. His fight with Arguello for the WBC lightweight title in 1981 was epic.
All his fights were epic. He was ahead after ten rounds then got tired and lost in the 14 th . The way he tells it he was lining up a right hand and thought he had him. But instead of Arguello, it was Mancini on the floor, which was the genius of the ‘Thin Man’.
Seven months and three fights later he knocked out Arturo Frias for the WBA version of the title. After losing his title to Livingstone Bramble he didn’t fight for four years then came back to lose to Hector Camacho on a split decision.
He walked away again for three years before losing to Greg Haugen. There would be no comeback after that. Like me he didn’t have boxing matches he had fights. That’s why he is in the hall of fame and can still draw a crowd wherever he appears.
- Follow Barry on Twitter at @ClonesCyclone @McGuigans_Gym
