Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini was making a name for himself in the lightweight division as 1980 turned into 1981. The spirited 5’5″ brawler from Youngstown ,Ohio was the son of Lenny Mancini, a boxer whose career was cut short because of World War II. Ray fought in part to make his dad proud, and win a title not only for himself but his dad as well.
The fight that really made the boxing public take notice was Ray’s 12 round unanimous decision over tough Mexican Jose Luis Ramirez on July 19th of 1981 to capture the NABF lightweight championship. Ramirez was a very good veteran with 71 victories, and that win for ‘Boom Boom’ made him a legitimate challenger for a major crown. Talks began after the win of Ray taking on the Nicaraguan great Alexis Arguello in the fall. The contrasting styles made for a possibly great fight if they did in fact meet.
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