Mancini Brings Redemptive “Good Son” To The Hollywood

By Thomas Leturgey

Ray Mancini bounds into Dormont’s Hollywood Theater with exuberance. Dressed in an impeccable gray suit, pink shirt, orange with red and blue striped necktie, and brown loafers, the 52-year-old former Lightweight Boxing Champion of the World still cuts an impressive figure. He immediately becomes the life of the lobby.

“Boom Boom” Mancini was in Pittsburgh Thursday Night for a preview showing of the documentary which chronicles his life and career. “The Good Son” is a 90-minute exploration of Mancini’s young existence, his relationship with his father Lenny (the original boxing “Boom Boom”) and two major tragedies that helped define his later life. The first was the still-unsolved shooting death of his brother Lenny (who like his namesake was a boxer); however, the second was the historic in-ring demise of Lightweight Challenger Duk Koo Kim.

The Youngstown, Ohio native is making one-night stops on a 10-city tour to promote the film in advance of a hoped-for August release to more locations. According to Mancini, the goal of the circuit is to generate enough buzz for an Academy Award nod next Oscar season. “I was in Boston, then Cleveland and now Pittsburgh,” continued Mancini to an interested crowd of about 60. Other showings are scheduled in Philadelphia and Miami, among other bigger towns. He’s already previewed the movie in his hometown and plans to go back again. The movie coincides with a biographical book of the same name by Mark Kriegel. In addition to the book on Mancini, Kriegel has penned tomes on “Pistol” Pete Maravich and Joe Namath.

In true Mancini style, “Boom Boom” didn’t avoid any questions before or after the viewing. Fans eagerly asked for autographs and Mancini was only too accommodating. When one fan requested an autographed boxing glove, Mancini took several minutes signing the leather and drawing an intricate design. Later he signed three books of “The Good Son,” all with special messages for friends.

Mancini introduced the film as being the first full-length filmmaking foray for Jesse James Miller. The film details his family’s immigration from Italy to Youngstown. Ray’s father Lenny Mancini was a tough but only serviceable pugilist. Brother Lenny was “better than me,” said Ray Mancini. The difference, the second-generation “Boom Boom” continues, “Was my discipline.”

Mancini took that drive to the ring. From 1979 to his last hurrah in 1992, “Boom Boom” fought between 130-135 pounds. In May 1982 Mancini won the World Boxing Association Lightweight Title. After one successful defense, 21-year-old Mancini faced Kim on November 13, 1982. Mancini admits to be being surprised with the resilient Kim, who despite a 17-1-1 record, was not considered by many boxing observers to be a fantastic fighter. Kim was ranked #1 by the WBA; however, some claim—including Kriegel—that was an inflated ranking. Nevertheless, the fight lasted 14 rounds before Mancini caught Kim with a punch that would knock him out cold. Kim would never emerge from a coma die in a Las Vegas hospital four days later. Kim was 23.

The film explores Mancini grasping with answers following Kim’s death, as well as the suspicious details about brother Lenny’s mysterious death or murder—he either accidentally shot himself behind the ear or was ambushed according to Kriegel—in Youngstown. That case has never been solved.

In the climax of the movie, Mancini gets to meet Kim’s fiancée Lee who was two months pregnant with son Chi Wan Kim at the time of the boxer’s passing. Mancini says what you see on film was real. “I told the director there wasn’t going to be a second take.” The powerful scene was captured with three cameras, added Mancini.

Mancini says his faith is what helped him get through the guilt and depression associated with Kim’s death and its fall-out. “Faith is everything.”

Lynn Dudish of Washington, D.C.-based Saint Sophia Productions, which assists in marketing and distributing the film, was along with Mancini. She said that response to the film has been tremendous. “Our goal is a 10-day run starting in August.”

Rich Dalzotto, Vice President of the Hollywood Theater, said he was pleased with the turnout, seeing that Mancini’s appearance was only confirmed a few days before the viewing. “Ray has been quite accommodating to all his fans.”

After Mancini’s retirement in 1982 he has tried his hand at acting and entrepreneurship. He has a movie production company and he hopes to bring a film to Youngstown in the near future, and “I have three new wines with my wine company.” When asked about the advantages of retiring from the squared circle at 24, Mancini said, “I can still spell ‘fight.’ A lot of guys can’t.”