Boom Boom Ray Mancini boxing Duk Koo Kim on November 13, 1982

On this date: November 13, 1982, a 21-year-old “Boom Boom” Ray Mancini met 23-year-old South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim. The title bout, was at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, it was also  televised live on CBS Sports. It was a fight filled with action, but Mancini had an easy time hitting Kim during the 14 rounds the fight lasted. Kim suffered brain injuries during the fight that led to his death four days later. The week after his death, the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine showed Mancini and Kim battling, under the title “Tragedy in the Ring”.

Mancini went to the funeral in South Korea and he fell into a deep depression afterwards. He has said that the hardest moments came when people approached him and asked if he was the boxer who “killed” Duk Koo Kim. Mancini went through a period of reflection, as he blamed himself for Kim’s death.

Photo: Cover of Sports Illustrated, November 22, 1982

Tags: Boxing