Ray Mancini: “Pacquiao is a bad style for Mayweather because Manny doesn’t fight like a traditional southpaw”

I had a chance to speak with legendary lightweight boxer, Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini. Ray was a former WBA champ and fought the likes of Alexis Arguello, Livingstone Bramble and Hector Camacho in his career a a pro. Topics discussed in this interview include, dealing with the aftermath of the Duk Koo Kim fight, Ray’s second fight with Livingstone Bramble, retiring from the sport, and sharing this views on Mayweather vs. Pacquio. Here is what Ray Mancini had to say in part two of his interview.

Robert Brown: After the death of Duk Koo Kim, you had to deal with the death of Kim’s mother and the death of referee Richard Green. Were you hoping that the residual damage of the Kim fight would just end?

Ray Mancini: It was a very painful time emotionally for me but you have to understand, I’ve talked to Richard’s family, Richard suffered from depression. There’s nothing that says that the fight itself caused him to take his life, there’s no proof of that — in fact his children had said he had made peace with it.

He did his job, there was nothing he could be held responsible for, absolutely nothing. I think he understood that. He made peace with it like I did, I just think he suffered from depression and for whatever reason it got the best of him. The same thing with Kim’s mother, the fact that she killed herself over the way the family was fighting over the inheritance of Kim, over his purse. That’s what the fighting was about, it was over the money.

I think his mother was so distraught over the family fighting over money that she just said, “That’s it,” and she killed herself. She was definitely affected by his death — obviously — and I’m not saying Richard wasn’t affected by it because nobody wants to see something like that and be part of that but I don’t think that had a direct reason for him doing what he did.

Robert Brown: I’d like to now get your thoughts on your rematch with Livingstone Bramble. The fight was a close and questionable decision, looking back at it, do you think you should have gotten the decision?

Ray Mancini: I do. Every fighter thinks they win a close fight, I understand that, but I out punched him and I think the statistics prove that. I was bleeding so bad, and I understand the human nature when we see blood we think you must be getting killed.

There was an American writer from New York City named, Dick Young from the New York Daily News and Dick Young was one of one of the toughest critics. He was one of my toughest critics, he never gave me anything. But in that fight he said, “I didn’t know that blood scored fights, I thought it was punches and if that’s the case then Ray Mancini won this fight because he out punched Bramble. He outworked Bramble, he dictated the pace of the fight.” I always appreciated that because I thought, “That’s a great compliment.”

I thought I won the fight but that was a great validity to me that I won that fight. I think a lot of people understand that, I just think I outworked him. He fought a terrific fight the first time as well as the second time and unfortunately he got the decision but I was very happy with the way it played out for me. I was very happy how it worked out because I was going to retire either way after that fight, I knew that was gonna be my last fight. I thought I went out a winner no matter what.

Robert Brown: Did you retire so young because of the way you fought? Were you just burned out?

Ray Mancini: Right, I lost the passion for it, I had no love for the game. I lost the love for the game after the Kim fight. Everyone knows that when I fought, I fought for righteous reasons. I fought for the love of the game, for the honor of my father, the honor of my city. I fought for a lot of good reasons but after that fight, there was nothing good about it, it took all the passion, it took all the love away from me.

I continued to fight because I had just won the title and I wanted it to pay off, I wanted to get a chance to acquire my future. When my business manager told me I had made enough money and I could live a good life, I started to look for the door. I knew after the second Bramble fight, that was going to be it. Win, lose or draw, I was going to retire.

Robert Brown: What was the reason for the comeback?

Ray Mancini: With Hector Camacho it was personal because we should have fought at the time it should have happened, in 1983 or 1984 and we basically came to an agreement and then the WBA said, “If you don’t make him defend the title against Bramble, we’re gonna walk away.” The WBA said, “Look you gotta defend it against Bramble or else we’ll have to strip you of the title.”

If I didn’t fight Bramble, they would have stripped me and without a title, the fight against Camacho didn’t mean as much. Now it doesn’t matter, you can fight with no title, if the fans want to see it, they want to see it. At that time the title meant everything so that’s why I fought Bramble. That’s why it didn’t happen when it should have, so after that fight I said I knew I was gonna retire and I was satisfied with my career. It didn’t happen with Camacho but what are you gonna do?

I was young enough and it was brought to me in 1988 and I was still feeling good, I worked out consistently and they offered it to me, and I didn’t want to live with a “what if?” I don’t want to live with that, I’d rather live with the result, plus I knew Camacho was no world beater, Camacho was no puncher. If it was somebody who was a puncher, then you’d think differently but I knew Camacho wasn’t. So I said, “Yeah, I’ll come back, I can do it. My body is in shape and I can do it mentally, I can get back in shape.” I accepted it and obviously it was a good decision because I beat Camacho, I beat him good. After Camacho, I was satisfied, I moved on.

Robert Brown: In recent news Ray, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is set to happen May 2nd. What are your thoughts on this fight finally coming together?

Ray Mancini: It’s the same thoughts I had six years ago, when it should of happened, and Mayweather held it up then and thank God he did not hold it up anymore. I don’t know if people know but Pacquiao signed for this fight over a month ago, he signed the contract over a month ago.

It’s almost like Mayweather wants everything in place, like he doesn’t believe he can win against Pacquiao without having everything in order. Ray Leonard wasn’t worried about things like this, Marvin Hagler was not worried about stuff like this, Duran and Hearns, they get in there and say, “Let’s just make the fight, just make it happen!” But this guy wants everything, when he gets announced, he enters the ring second, he gets announced second, it’s a Mayweather promotion. That’s what I get a kick out of.

Pacquiao don’t care, he signed a month ago. You want more more, he said “I don’t care, let’s just do it.” I’m not so sure this fight would have happened if Pacquiao hadn’t of went against his nature. He’s very quiet, he just a nice nice person. He had to call Mayweather out. I’m sure this is part of his people, Arum and Top Rank telling him you got to go out in social media and call Mayweather out. Which he did.

When he was in Miami for the All-Star game – people said that was planned, but I don’t think it was as from my understanding Pacquiao just showed up. When he did, he surprised Mayweather and obviously they talked. That’s when things moved along. But basically he called Mayweather out, so what was Mayweather going to do?

Robert Brown: Who are you favoring to win that bout?

Ray Mancini: The fight should have happened a long time ago but the same thing I said would happen six years ago I think will happen, I think Mayweather beats him. They’re both special fighters but Mayweather is bigger, faster and stronger, that’s a trifecta in boxing.

The other side of it is, Pacquiao is a bad style for Mayweather because Mayweather likes to lean to his right and Pacquiao doesn’t fight like a traditional southpaw, he does things backwards. Pacquiao moves to his left and so is his straight left hand. Mayweather bends his body right in line for a left hand. It will be an interesting fight, I think Pacquiao will make him fight right from the jump and it will be interesting to see what happens.

Robert Brown: What’s your prediction for the fight?

Ray Mancini: I think Mayweather beats him by decision. Not stoppage, decision.

Robert Brown: Do you think that would have been the same five or six years ago?

Ray Mancini: Yes, I think he would have beat him by decision, because he’s bigger, faster and stronger, that’s all.