Comments Thread For: On Ray Mancini and The Good Son

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

By Thomas Gerbasi - A born and bred New Yorker, Mark Kriegel may not have been living in the Big Apple when he approached former world lightweight champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini about writing his biography, but sunny California hadn’t dulled his no nonsense pitch in the slightest.

“You have no control over the manuscript, I can’t pay you, you’re not going to get rich unless they make your life into a movie, and I promise you that I will go to all the places that you least want to talk about: (Duk Koo) Kim, the divorce, and the death of your brother,” said Kriegel. “But if you want a book about fathers and sons, I’m the guy to write this.”

Mancini paused to think the offer over. It wasn’t the first time he had been approached about doing a book. When he was fighting there were inquiries, and they picked up when he walked away from the sport for the first time at the age of 24. He had no interest at either juncture, simply because he didn’t feel that there was anything worth saying that hadn’t already been said.

But when Kriegel, who had already written best-selling biographies of NFL great Joe Namath and basketball legend Pete Maravich, talked about fathers and sons, Mancini knew this wasn’t going to be a typical book. [Click Here To Read More]

[Belowthe belt]

Ray mancini was the 80's ricky Hatton

Mancini and Hatton two peas same pod. Both fan friendly fighters with big hearts and little boxing skills who entertained fans greatly. Mancini was nothing more than a human punching bag against the great fighters but he had heart and gave it his all. Nice kid who saved his earnings smartly. No one will buy the book though just too boring of a story.

[nycsmooth]

Fans like him cuz of his boxing shortcomings & head 1st style...he was average, no more...1 sees his 2nd bout w/Ramble often....but it was the 1st ,2 me, that was the better of the 2...took way 2 many blows...if it wasn't 4 poor Kim he wouldn't b remebered...picture him vs Floyd....2 me he was most like Gatti...

[Belowthe belt]

Aaron Pryor would have KO's Mancini

The Pryor fight never happened because Mancini would have been utterly destroyed and KO'd violently maybe seriously. Ray was protected and matched carefully not to expose his lack of ability and talent. Mancini was game though and tried hard. Like Hatton.

[nycsmooth]

The Pryor fight never happened because Mancini would have been utterly destroyed and KO'd violently maybe seriously. Ray was protected and matched carefully not to expose his lack of ability and talent. Mancini was game though and tried hard. Like Hatton.

Very good point...ever think in that same time period why Duran never fought Aaron or when Aaron announced he was going to '47 to challenge Leonard, Ray went 2 '54...I have the article.

[Alpha & Omega]

You guys don't know ****. Mancini was a good fighter and was thrown to the wolves early and into the ring with a legend like Arguello and fought him on even terms until the very end. Mancini was a vicious body puncher and his brutality is what caused championship fights to go from 15 rounds to 12 rounds. He is a great human being and has a good story behind him. Yes maybe Pryor would have destroyed him, but Pryor ALSO destroyed the great Arguello twice. So that means what exactly? Idiots.

Bad thing about boxingscene is most on here are jackasses who don't know what they are talking about.

[TBear]

I would bet many of the guys here talking bad about Mancini are in their twenties. So they do not know much about the fighter he was.

[TBear]

BTW BPP, thanks for this!

[ocelot]

Very good fighter. Tremendous heart. Appeared limited against ATGs, but who doesn't. Best line of article: go back to 15 round fights and same day weigh-in. That is Gospel.

[liuj88]

Very good fighter. Tremendous heart. Appeared limited against ATGs, but who doesn't. Best line of article: go back to 15 round fights and same day weigh-in. That is Gospel.

Agreed!

Good article.