Ricky Hatton vs. Boom Boom Mancini at 139 pounds – The battle of two flawed fighters

By Allen Hmiel: Two marginal boxing champions both limited in ability and talent but huge on heart and desire and even courage. Both Champions in their time even though questionable champions who were protected as much as possible to become champions. Padded boxing records, smart managers, acute financial advisers and boxing records littered with average opponents with lousy reputations. They both seem to be an even match up in punching power speed size strength and extremely hittable.

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Mancini Kim: Remembering Their Tragic Bout

mancini44445.jpgFormer World Boxing Association lightweight champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini (29-5, 23 KOs) will be shown on ESPN next week (Tuesday, November 13th) to highlight the career of Mancini, which will contain information on his tragic championship bout with Deuk-Koo Kim, fought on November 13, 1982, a fight that ended with Kim dying in the hospital following their grueling bout. Kim, only 23, lapsed into a coma after being knocked out in the 14th round by two consecutive right hands by Mancini. If you ask most people about the bout, they wrongly assume that the 21 year-old Mancini had dominated Kim all fight long, and that perhaps the fight should have been stopped sooner. However, they would wrong.

Kim, in fact, was slightly ahead in the fight going into the 14th round, having dominated the first eight rounds of the fight. Kim landed the majority of the power shots going into the 14th round, and had an easy time landing his straight left hand to the wide open Mancini. The most troubling aspect going into the fight, however, was how could Kim be the number #1 challenger for Mancini when he hadn’t beaten any top tier fighters coming into the bout.

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