“One Fateful Night That Changed Boxing Forever”

One pundit described this fight as a ‘harrowing war that didn’t end in the ring…’

Heading in to his second WBA lightweight title defense, Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini was carving his path through boxing greatness. Having just defeated Ernesto Espana by TKO, Mancini was 24-1 as a pro and just 21 years old.

Matched with tough Korean prospect Kim Duk-koo. Known for being incredibly durable and hard to beat, Kim had lost just one of his 19 fights, and on points. Marking the first time either man had fought in a big venue, the bout was etched for November 13, 1982, at the famous Caesers Palace, Las Vegas.

Sadly, this date would go down in boxing history for all the wrong reasons.

Tragedy

When Mancini and Kim fought, title bouts were still 15 rounds long. Much like the old-time bareknuckle boxing bouts, this meant gruelling battles of attrition were very commonplace in boxing.

During that fateful night in Nevada, ‘Boom Boom’ and Kim fought deep in the trenches. Exchanging brutal blow after brutal blow until one man dropped. Rocking Kim with a flurry to the body, then going to the head with a devastating straight right, Mancini defended his title.

It was a combination of punches that Kim would never wake up from, but the tragic circumstances of this fight were far from over.

Death of Mrs. Kim, Referee

Four days after the fight, Kim was pronounced dead at the Desert Springs Hospital in Nevada. Never the same fighter afterwards, Mancini officially retired in 1985 aged just 24. He would return for a number of ill advised bouts, ending his career on four straight losses.

The impact of this shattering event was not limited to Mancini, as Kim’s mother was so stricken with grief she committed suicide by drinking poison. Referee Richard Green was also so wounded by Kim’s death that he committed suicide too.

Change

By the end of the 1980’s, as a direct result of the Mancini vs. Kim tragedy, all major boxing bodies reduced title fights to 12 rounds in length.