‘Boom Boom’ gets his bobblehead

August 10, 2014 at 12:08a.m.

NILES

Baseball was the one sport that former world lightweight champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini was able to hold on to while prepping for a championship boxing career.

On the Mahoning Valley Scrappers’ bobblehead night Saturday in his honor at Eastwood Field, Mancini was hoping that his presence and first pitch might add a little punch to their lineup against Staten Island’s Yankees.

“I had a pretty good Connie Mack tournament in 1979 and the Toronto Blue Jays even offered me a contract, but I knew that I wanted to box and that was the end of that,” said Mancini, who played for Campbell A.C. in the Class B League.

Mancini greeted 125 fans during a meet-and-greet prior to the game.

“This is my very first bobblehead and I must tell you that I am thrilled and humbled,” he said. “My biggest concern was that I was going to bounce the pitch to the plate. If I had to, I would just lob it in because I didn’t want to look like 50 Cent and have the ball end up somewhere where it shouldn’t.”

Twins Darlene Bartholomew and Marlene Pavlik (no relation to former middleweight champion, Kelly), said their brother, Eddie “The Golden Glove” Grajcar was a boxer who shared stories about the local champion.

“We followed Ray’s career and the opportunity to finally meet the man and put those stories to the face was too good for us to pass up,” Darlene, of Hermitage, said.

Added Marlene, of Greenville (Pa.), “I have never met a champion and Boom Boom is everything they advertised. I would not have missed this opportunity for anything.”

Scott Hansen, the Scrappers’ scoreboard operator who is now in his 14th season with the club, said it was a thrill telling Mancini on behalf of friend Jimmy Stevens (who was unable to attend) how special he is to the Mahoning Valley.

“Jimmy knows Boom Boom’s career as well as Boom Boom does,” Hansen said. “It’s really fantastic to have such a humble champion return to the area. He’s such a gracious person.”

On the outside of his bobblehead box, it states that Mancini’s career record was 29-5. Mancini still refuses to acknowledge his split decision loss to Hector Camacho, which happened 25 years ago this past March.

“When I sign anything now, I simply put 30-4 and not 29-5,” Mancini said with a smile.

Shawn Tisher of Warren is a collector of Sports Illustrated covers and has over 600 in his collection. In addition to the Aug. 2, 1982 SI cover that featured Mancini, he also had the champ autograph the program from his fight versus Ernesto Espana at Mollenkopf Stadium on July 24, 1982.

Tisher’s friend, Chad Simpson, had Mancini autograph a 16 inch by 20 inch color photo of his fight with Bobby Chacon in 1984.

Jay Johnson of Streetsboro had Mancini autograph a hat from the Boxing Hall of Fame in Conestoga, N.Y.; a hat that also featured penmanship from Jimmy Ellis, Ken Norton and former world lightweight champion, Ken Buchanan.

Noreen Moderalli, a Campbell Memorial graduate who serves as YSU’s Alumni Society president, called Mancini the hometown hero who always takes the time to project Youngstown in a positive light.

“Akron has LeBron James and we have Ray Mancini. Both are very positive role models for the Northeastern Ohio area,” she said.