Ray Mancini moves from the boxing ring to the movie studio

By John Bassetti

Did you ever picture Ray Mancini as a pitchman?

The former World Boxing Association lightweight champion gave that impression recently while explaining the operation of his two companies: Mancini Pictures International and Boom Boom Productions.

Although the Youngstown native didn’t retire until losing to Greg Haugen in 1992, he’s an example of someone who used his head for something other than a target.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 1985, Mancini has made wise choices with his boxing earnings.

Ray enjoys talking about his work, which involves corporate combat in a conference room with business executives and studio heads.

Mancini Pictures is a new company he started with Manhattan Investment Partners, a Wall Street investment bank, backing it.

“What we [MIP] do is offer the most comprehensive business model out there right now,” he said of the appeal of an equity partner to a studio.

“We’ve been talking with studios because every studio is looking for an equity partner. There’s no financial institutional in the world offering what we’re offering.”

Mancini contends that entertainment is recession-proof, but he doesn’t deny the reality of today’s financial abyss.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.