RAY “BOOM BOOM” MANCINI, the fan-friendly former lightweight player, has a new job. Mancini has been an actor and film producer since retiring and following a 29-5 professional career that culminated in his reign as WBA belt holder from 1982 to 1984.
Now 61 years old, Mancini, who has successfully defended the title four times, has taken on the job of organizing concerts for Excelsior Sports Club in the UK. The venture was the idea of Midlands businessman Scott Murray.
He is known for bringing many former champions to his Bar Sport venue in Cannock and last year he reunited Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney on a UK tour to mark 40order celebrate their heavyweight title clash in Las Vegas.
Murray has now withdrawn his advertising license and founded Excelsior Sports Club, describing his new business as “an exclusive club that will provide members with a night of top-quality entertainment.” head.”
The first of four shows Murray has signed up for this year is at Bar Sport on Thursday, March 30.
Steve Bunce and Richie Woodhall will be at every gig, along with Mancini, promising a special guest and four pro matches.
Murray said: “I was in Miami last year when Daniel Dubois was playing Trevor Bryan and (the promoter) Don King invited Ray to host that night.
“I think he’s really good and I’ve become a good friend of Ray’s because I’ve taken him to our location many times and all over the UK.”
Murray said Mancini intends to use his connections to bring boxers from the United States to fight in his shows.
Murray plans to host black-tie nights around the country after making Bar Sport the base for his ‘Legendary Nights’ and amateur performances. There were five amateur club shows held at the Staffordshire venue in March and in the past Bar Sport has hosted international matches.
Adam Azim, Sam Hickey and Ioan Croft all boxed there and in November 2019, Delicious Orie overtook Nick Campbell in an England vs Scotland match.
Now, the 55-year-old father of four, Murray, whose sons George, Henry and Charles play for Wolverhampton ABC, has had 108 amateur matches between the ages of 14 and 28, many of them in the division. super heavy.
“I hit the box three times in a week,” he said, “and even three times in the same night. That’s how it was in those days.
Murray highlights include a pair of wins over ABA finalist Dean Redmond and his seven fights with the Ledington twins, Andy and Darren, from Wednesbury ABC. Both twins fought in boxing – and Murray beat them both.
Murray made headlines on Boxing News after one of his best wins was controversially removed from the record books.
“At that time Bran Summers knocked everyone down,” Murray recalls, “and everyone thought he was going to beat me for sure.
“I was a few minutes late to weigh in, but no one said anything. Because we’re super heavyweights, we don’t need to gain weight, so it doesn’t matter and the fight goes on.
“I boxed his head. I gave him a real boxing lesson and then when I was back in the locker room I was told: ‘You’re late to the weigh-in, so the results aren’t stable, you won’t make it through. ‘.
“’It’s on the back page of Boxing News. They said it was a disgrace.”
The pros wanted Murray, but he said, “I want to win the ABA first. Every year, I join the ABA thinking: ‘I’m going to win this and then go pro.’
“But really, I’ve had too many boxing breaks – and too many distractions.”
His late father, Alan, opened the Snoopy nightclub, later renamed Silks, and he said: “Dad made us work there since we were kids.”
Murray came up with the idea for a bar of his own while training in the United States. “Frank Tate was training at the Stafford Town Amateur Boxing Club when he came to defend his boxing. [IBF] middleweight title before Tony Sibson (in 1988), he recalls.
“I met him there and they invited me to Houston to train with them. (Hall of Fame Coach) Jesse Reid is the coach and he has world champions Orlando Canizales, Calvin Grove and Freddie Pendleton in the gym.
“We train in the morning, rehearse in the afternoon and play in the evening.
“One night I went out for a beer and saw a sports bar. That gave me an idea. The idea is to open a sports bar with multiple screens so you can watch sports any time of day. We were one of the first to open our doors in this country.”
It was 1998 and Murray had also invited former champions to Bar Sports to share memories with the audience over dinner.
“(Former WBC lightweight champion) Jim Watt was first,” Murray said, “and then Henry Cooper, John Conteh, etc.”
More recently, Floyd Mayweather Jnr was a guest. “He was late,” says Murray, who sees Ron Gray as a mentor and still sees him weekly. “But he is fine. It was the people he brought with him that mattered. They are a nasty crowd.”
More interesting was the night Tyson Fury went to Bar Sport in 2018 – and revealed a secret.
Murray said: “Tyson just got back into action and told us he’s going to play Deontay Wilder in December. “We don’t believe him!”
