Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini: the interview

A Sports Legends dinner wouldn’t be complete without a boxer, and who better than former World Boxing Association lightweight champion, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini to be featured? He spoke with us at the Buoniconti dinner to tell us how it felt to be honored that night, his thoughts on the war in Iraq, and the election. And although he didn’t let out who his official endorsement is, Mancini did tell us “Whoever it may be. I’m a staunch Democrat. So I’m going with him. I hope if the other gets it, he brings that [hope].” CGG: What brings you out here tonight? Ray Mancini: I’m very fortunate to be honored here tonight for the Buoniconti Paralysis project and I’m very honored and very flattered to be one of the guests tonight. CGG: Do you have any friends or family members personally affected by paralysis? RM: No, no family, but I do have friends. It affects my life because it affects them. It affects you to see how debilitating it can be. But with projects like the Buoniconti paralysis project and research that they’re doing, it’s tremendous the strides they’ve made over the last ten years, twenty years. So I believe that soon enough, they keep doing it, these people will be able to live very fulfilling lives. CGG: What do you hope will be the outcome of this night? RM: To make enough money for research that could be the one cure. CGG: What other causes are you passionate about? RM: I’m involved with a lot of children’s groups. I’m on the board of the National Veteran’s Foundation. I think too many of our guys, gave themselves for this country and when they came back out country abandoned them. I’m very passionate about that and also anything to do with children. Children, whether it be juvenile diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis. These kids have the same debilitating effects of an 70-80 year old person and they’re young kids. Organizations like that I do a lot of work with. CGG: Why kids, why is it important to be involved with kids? RM: Two organizations I’m involved with. Anything with youth, because they’re our future. And two, I’m big with hospice too for the elderly, I do a lot with the elderly because my father said ‘Don’t ever forget the old people because some day that’s gonna be you’ And I’ve come to learn, don’t forget the elderly because they will not forget you. CGG: Do you hope that the war is over soon? RM: It’s got to. Yes, my nephew is a navy seal. He’s been over there working with an independent group, eight times. We don’t need anymore John Waynes. Come home. I think there’s too many people, children, who lost family members as a result of this war. As we’ve seen, we don’t need to be there and now we’ve become the ugly Americans. To the rest of the world, we’re the ugly Americans. So we’ve lost our credibility with the rest of the world. We’ve got to get that back. So I hope this election, whoever wins, will come in and bring our troops back. CGG: What do you hope is going to happen in the White House in 08? RM: We need a person who brings back hope and brings that American, proud-to-be-an American, that feeling about America. That hope, once again, we lost it. People now have lost hope in our democracy and our government. We have to get somebody to resurrect that hope. CGG: By hope, do you mean Obama? RM: Whoever it may be. I’m a staunch Democrat. So I’m going with him. I hope if the other guy gets it, he brings that. CGG: What advice do you have for young people to make change in the world? RM: Gotta have home, gotta have dreams and to be great, you gotta challenge greatness. To make it a great country, a great world, you gotta challenge greatness. Bring in new hope, new ideas, new passion CGG: What’s the biggest life lesson you learned in the boxing ring? RM: Things aren’t always gonna be sunny but you gotta weather the storm – most often you’ll come out victorious.