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WBA Lightweight Champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini moves up to Jr Welterweight to face Johnny Torres on NBC Sports Boxing
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00:00Kitchen and ration card, the heavyweight champion and American hero, the Brown Bomber, Joe Lewis,
00:05captures the fighting spirit of an entire nation.
00:11The 50s, the Eisenhower years, and the Brockton Bomber.
00:15Rocky Marciano, a symbol of high excellence, a heavyweight champion,
00:19retiring without the blemish of a single defeat.
00:21The unrest of the 60s, the Watergate Plague 7,
00:30an Olympic champion from Kentucky, Cassius Clay, becomes Muhammad Ali,
00:34black Muslim, draft resister, Vietnam protester, eventually ambassador of goodwill
00:39to many the greatest heavyweight champion of all time.
00:44And now the 1980s.
00:47Larry Holmes stands unbeaten, 44 bouts.
00:49But how will his portrait hang among the heavyweight greats?
00:52Next to Marciano is the second champion to hang up his gloves undefeated?
00:56Or will Holmes become just another champion who took one fight too many?
01:00Nevada, that Larry Holmes won the World Heavyweight Championship five and a half years ago.
01:06Tonight, he risks that title for the 17th time.
01:10An inordinately cold Thanksgiving weekend.
01:12It snowed in the foothills this morning,
01:14so tonight's boxing action scheduled for outside has been moved indoors.
01:18The Caesars Sports Pavilion, where the unbeaten Holmes risks his championship
01:23against young, also undefeated, Marvis Frazier.
01:27Hello, everyone.
01:28Dick Enberg, along with Dr. Freddie Pacheco and Marv Albert.
01:31Welcome to NBC's Continued Sports Week.
01:33Over this Thanksgiving holiday tonight,
01:35you're going to see the lightweight champion of the world, Boom Boom Mancini.
01:38Also the heavyweight champion, Larry Holmes, against young Marvis Frazier.
01:41Well, the question, when is a man too old to continue?
01:45Larry Holmes is now 34 years of age.
01:47Some say the last two defenses, he has not been all that impressive.
01:51And history tells us that often the athlete is the last to know when he's too old,
01:55doesn't know when to retire.
01:56And when, 23-year-old Marvis Frazier,
01:59when is a man experienced enough to qualify for a heavyweight championship chance?
02:05Well, Marvis Frazier, if we asked him, he'd probably say,
02:06I'd like another year.
02:07He has only 10 pro fights, all wins.
02:10But his manager, trainer, and consultant
02:11is the former heavyweight champion, his father, Joe Frazier.
02:14Dad says the kid is ready.
02:16He's in there tonight.
02:17And the Fraziers would be quick to point out
02:19that in 1978, in this city, Las Vegas,
02:22the same year that Larry Holmes won his championship year,
02:25there was another heavyweight fight, a 15-rounder,
02:27and maybe one of the great shockers of all time in boxing history.
02:30As a man who had fought only seven times as a pro,
02:33Leon Spinks defeated the great Muhammad Ali.
02:37Well, the bettors say it'll be Holmes by a 4-1 margin,
02:40but how about Holmes' place in boxing history?
02:43Will he be there with the elite when he's finished?
02:45We would guess only if he remains unbeaten.
02:48So tonight against Frazier, Holmes, the champion,
02:50has everything to lose, and other than another good payday,
02:54not much to win.
02:55Now for their expertise, analysis, and commentary,
02:57let's go to ringside, Dr. Ferdie Pacheco and Marv Albert.
03:02Thank you, Dick.
03:03And there are some who believe that Marvus Frazier's best chance lies
03:07that he's more frightened about facing the wrath of his dad,
03:16Joe Frazier, in his quarter between rounds,
03:18as opposed to facing Larry Holmes in the ring tonight.
03:21Well, I'm against fathers in the corner to begin with,
03:23but especially Joe Frazier can be a big disadvantage
03:26because Joe fought in that never-give-up-the-ship style.
03:30And you've got to remember,
03:31this is Marvus Frazier in the middle of the ring,
03:33not Joe Frazier.
03:34He can't fight like Joe Frazier.
03:36That's going to be a factor.
03:37And a bizarre setting here tonight in Las Vegas
03:40in the eyes of the WBC.
03:42Even if Marvus Frazier wins tonight,
03:45he cannot win the title.
03:46Larry Holmes, though, could lose the title
03:48if he loses to Frazier.
03:51Well, in a new development,
03:52Bob Lee of the International Boxing Federation,
03:55a new, yet another world boxing body,
03:57has declared today
03:59that he will recognize the winner of this fight
04:01as the heavyweight champion of the world,
04:03provided the boxer requests it.
04:05That is to say, if Frazier wins, he can request it.
04:07He will be the heavyweight champion of the world for the IBF,
04:09provided they follow their rules,
04:11which are a 15-round title fight,
04:13and they fight an elite contender.
04:15That elite contender should be either Pinklon Thomas or Greg Page.
04:19Be it IBF, WVC, WBA,
04:23whatever happens in the ring tonight,
04:25the public will accept the winner here tonight,
04:28be it Marvus Frazier or Larry Holmes
04:30as the heavyweight champion of the world.
04:33Back in Las Vegas,
04:35Marv Albert with the fight doctor,
04:36Ferdy Pacheco,
04:37and we're set for a scheduled 10-rounder
04:40featuring the lightweight champion,
04:43Ray Boom Boom Mancini in a non-title fight.
04:47In fact, going as a junior welterweight
04:49against Johnny Torres.
04:51And the game plan of Mancini tonight,
04:54he wants to test the waters
04:55as a junior welterweight.
04:57And looking to January
04:59to either Kenny Bogner or Bobby Chacon,
05:02and his manager Dave Wolf
05:03did not want him to go into either of those fights,
05:05suffering from rustiness.
05:07So, Ray Mancini,
05:10the 22-year-old out of Youngstown, Ohio,
05:12record of 27-1,
05:15his only loss,
05:16stopped in round 14 by Alexis Arguello,
05:18going against 25-year-old Johnny Torres
05:22out of Florida.
05:23He's 21-8,
05:25said to have a good right hand,
05:27very aggressive.
05:28And Mancini's people feel that Torres
05:30does have a tendency to lead with his head,
05:33something they are well aware of.
05:35All right, we're set for the introductions.
05:36Let's go to the ring,
05:37and here's Chuck Hall.
05:39Ladies and gentlemen,
05:41the referee for the next bout of the night,
05:42Mr. Davey Pearl.
05:45The next event of the evening,
05:47a featured event,
05:49featuring 10 rounds of boxing
05:51in the lightweight division.
05:54Introducing,
05:55in the blue corner,
05:56fighting out of Homestead, Florida,
05:59weighing in at 137 pounds,
06:02with a professional record of 21 wins,
06:04eight defeats,
06:05with 16 knockouts,
06:08here is Johnny Torres.
06:14And in the red corner,
06:15from Youngstown, Ohio,
06:18weighing in at 136 and three-quarter pounds,
06:22he has a professional record of 27 wins,
06:25one defeat with 21 knockouts.
06:28Ladies and gentlemen,
06:29the WPA lightweight champion of the world,
06:33Ray Boom Boom Mancini.
06:36Let's go, John.
06:42Ray.
06:46Taurus with the decisive height advantage.
06:49And there you see Mancini at 166 and three-quarters,
06:54going up against the junior welterweight,
06:57Johnny Torres.
06:58When I put you in the neutral corner,
06:59don't come out until I tell you to come out.
07:01If you come out too soon,
07:02I'm going to stop the count and send you back.
07:05Watch your low blows,
07:06and watch your holding and hitting.
07:07Remember, when I tell you to break,
07:09I want you to step back and break clean.
07:10Shake hands down.
07:11Good luck.
07:11And under the Nevada rules,
07:18three-knockdown rule in effect,
07:19standing eight count at the discretion of the referee.
07:23Fighter cannot be saved by the belt
07:24except in the final round of the scoring
07:26on the 10-point must,
07:28handled by the three judges,
07:30Lou Covent, Dave Moretti,
07:32and Dolby Shirley.
07:33Underway in round one.
07:35Johnny Torres' biggest win.
07:43Fourth-round knockout
07:44over a highly regarded lightweight Pedro Laza last July.
07:49His reputation is that of a good, strong club fighter,
07:53but when he has stepped up against world-class opposition,
07:56he did not win.
07:58Yes, I've seen a lot of his fights in Miami.
08:00He's the top of the line as far as club fighters.
08:03He's strong.
08:03He's aggressive.
08:04He's very brave.
08:05Right off the bat,
08:06you can see he's got a tremendous height advantage.
08:08Four and a half inches,
08:09almost five inches on boom-boom.
08:11Three-inch reach advantage.
08:13He can bang.
08:16And he's not scared to mix it up.
08:18And Ray Mancini's last foul,
08:21last September,
08:22he stopped Orlando Romero of Peru
08:25in that grueling foul
08:26at Madison Square Garden.
08:28In New York,
08:29he stopped him in the ninth round.
08:31This after sitting out seven months
08:33because of the broken color ball.
08:35That was sustained in training.
08:39Ray needs to work.
08:40He needs to get that ring rust off.
08:44Mancini said yesterday,
08:45I don't seem to ever have an easy fight.
08:47They all become hard when I fight him,
08:51and he has had difficult times
08:52in the last three or four fights.
09:01Ray going for some thunder early in this,
09:03about this is showing not a feeling around
09:05as far as Mancini is concerned.
09:08He's going to sit down and relax.
09:10He needs to fight the music.
09:11He's going to be there.
09:12Yep.
09:17It was one year ago,
09:19last November,
09:21here in Las Vegas,
09:22the tragic 14-round knockout
09:24of Duke Koo Kim.
09:25And since then,
09:27Ray Mancini came up
09:28with that non-title victory
09:29against George Feeney in Italy.
09:32Fight with telecast here on NBC.
09:34He was scheduled to fight
09:36Ken Wagner in South Africa,
09:38but broke the collarbone.
09:39And that bout was postponed.
09:41Then he beat Romero.
09:42And here is Boncini applying pressure
09:46and connecting
09:47with his complete repertoire.
09:50Well, he's certainly not holding anything back
09:52in his first round.
09:53And Torres has got to get over the shakes here.
09:55He's a little too frightened
09:57of boom-boom right now.
09:58He's in awe of them,
09:59and that's when it can be all over.
10:01And he's seen with the right hand
10:04putting Torres down.
10:07Five,
10:08six,
10:09seven,
10:11eight,
10:12nine.
10:13You all right?
10:14Where are we at?
10:15There's the time left
10:16in this first round
10:18as Mancini
10:19looks to end it.
10:22Final seconds.
10:24Davey Pearl
10:24sending Mancini
10:25to the corner,
10:27and Pearl says,
10:28that's it.
10:35Johnny Torres
10:37sent to the canvas
10:39by the Mancini
10:41Mancini right hand
10:41late in the round,
10:43and then Mancini
10:45went right at him.
10:48A first round knockout
10:50for Ray
10:52Boom Boom Mancini.
10:56Merely a light workout.
10:58Ray Mancini
11:00saw Ray Mancini,
11:03who actually
11:05was looking
11:05for more rounds,
11:07putting Johnny
11:09Torres away.
11:11Here it is.
11:12It started with the uppercut,
11:14then the hard right hand
11:16that put
11:17Torres down.
11:20He took the count,
11:21and then seconds later,
11:24and this final seconds
11:26of the opening round,
11:28Ray Mancini ends it.
11:30Davey Pearl
11:31checked it out
11:31and then said,
11:32that's it.
11:38So,
11:38not a mark
11:39on Ray Mancini,
11:41the WBA
11:42lightweight champion,
11:43going as a
11:45junior welterweight
11:46and extending
11:47the record
11:48to 28-1,
11:5022
11:50by knockout.
11:52We'll be talking
11:53with Ray Mancini
11:54in just a moment.
11:55Right here, though,
11:56let's pause
11:56for these.
11:58Ray Mancini
11:59in a brief
12:00workout
12:01here at
12:02Caesars Palace
12:03Pavilion
12:03in Las Vegas
12:04for the official time.
12:06Let's go to the ring.
12:06Ladies and gentlemen,
12:12the time,
12:132 minutes,
12:1458 seconds
12:15of the first round.
12:17Referee Davey Pearl
12:18stops the bout.
12:19The winner
12:20by a TKO,
12:21WBA lightweight champion,
12:23Ray Boom Boom
12:25Mancini.
12:29Ray Boom Boom
12:30Mancini
12:31stopping
12:33Johnny Torres
12:34at 2.58
12:36of round one.
12:37The Boom Boom
12:38Mancini story
12:39well known
12:39out of Youngstown,
12:40Ohio.
12:41His father,
12:42Lenny Boom Boom
12:42Mancini,
12:43a ranked lightweight
12:44fighter in the early 40s
12:45that went into the army,
12:47was wounded in World War II,
12:48so Ray's dad
12:49never did get
12:49a title opportunity.
12:50Ray vowed
12:51he'd get the title
12:52that his dad
12:53never got a shot at.
12:54Turn pro in 79.
12:55He is now
12:56the WBA lightweight champion
12:57and he is alongside
12:59Ferdy Pacheco.
13:00Ray,
13:01an uncharacteristic
13:02short and quick night.
13:04Oh, God bless for that.
13:05First I want to just
13:05thank God Almighty
13:06my Lord and Savior
13:07for the strength,
13:08power,
13:08and the courage
13:08for giving me
13:10the strength for that.
13:11I mean,
13:11I love them type of fights.
13:13First let me just say
13:14a few happy things
13:15given to everybody
13:15in Youngstown.
13:16Thank you to all the people
13:17of Las Cruces
13:17for the hospitality
13:18and to a special friend
13:19of mine back home,
13:20Tony Dapp.
13:20This was for you,
13:21Tony.
13:22Very good.
13:22Now,
13:23most of your fights
13:23you feel them out
13:24and you have to
13:25kind of wear them out.
13:26This time you just
13:26went to them
13:27like you owned them.
13:28Well,
13:28Johnny Torres is
13:29a junior wall
13:30like I said
13:30with a big right hand
13:31and I do have
13:33a potential date
13:34with Bobby Chacon's set.
13:35I don't want anything
13:36to ruin that
13:36and I came in
13:38to get my work done.
13:39You know,
13:39you get paid the same
13:40for one round
13:40or 10 or 15
13:41so it's better
13:42to get the job done
13:43as soon as possible.
13:44You come out of it,
13:44I feel great.
13:46No bruises,
13:46no marks
13:47and God bless.
13:49You know,
13:49I just feel great.
13:50How do you feel
13:51seeing your son
13:52demolish a guy
13:53that fast?
13:54Well,
13:55I'm glad to see that
13:56but I'm just glad
13:57that nobody got hurt.
13:58Very good.
13:59Where do we go
14:00from here,
14:00Mr. Wolfe?
14:01We would like to go
14:02to Bobby Chacon.
14:03We're reworking it
14:04hopefully for January.
14:05If that doesn't work,
14:06we'd like Kenny Bogner
14:07and Chacon after that.
14:09One thing I might add,
14:10this is not uncharacteristic.
14:12He's fought in Las Vegas
14:12five times.
14:13This is the third
14:14first round knockout.
14:15You'll recall
14:16he won the title
14:16here in one round.
14:17That's true.
14:18He did.
14:19I'm used to seeing
14:19him in the last
14:20couple of years
14:20having some
14:2110 round long struggles.
14:23Listen,
14:24we have to go back
14:25to Marv Albert
14:26at ringside
14:27who has some
14:28characteristic comments.
14:31All right,
14:31Ferdy,
14:32and later on
14:32right here on NBC,
14:34it'll be Larry Holmes
14:35and Marvus Frazier.
14:37There is Holmes,
14:38the WBC heavyweight champion,
14:41getting ready
14:41to go up against
14:43Marvus Frazier.
14:45And that fight
14:46will take place
14:46later on
14:47live here on NBC.
14:49But right now,
14:50let's go back
14:50to Dick Enberg.
14:52All right,
14:53Marv,
14:53we had an opportunity
14:54to visit the champion,
14:55Larry Holmes,
14:55in his home
14:56of Eaton,
14:56Pennsylvania.
14:57We'll see his future
14:59after boxing
14:59much more in depth
15:00later.
15:01But many are wondering
15:02why doesn't
15:03this man retire?
15:04His wife has been
15:05outspoken and begging
15:06him to quit
15:07and enjoy the fruits.
15:09Larry Holmes has
15:09his own thoughts,
15:10and we share them
15:12with you now.
15:14You've been saying
15:14that you're about
15:15ready to retire,
15:16that maybe this
15:17will be your last fight.
15:18Can you definitively
15:19say that this is going
15:20to be your last fight?
15:21No,
15:22I can't say that,
15:23but when I do say it,
15:24I'd like to say it
15:25right here on NBC.
15:27I agreed to fight
15:29Greg Page,
15:30you know,
15:30sometime in February
15:31or March of 84.
15:34But,
15:35you know,
15:35I'm thinking about that
15:37not because I'm afraid
15:38of him,
15:38it's just because
15:39I've been champion
15:40for five and a half years,
15:42and I think I should
15:44be compensated
15:45for what I do.
15:46And the dollar amounts
15:47are not right yet
15:48for a Greg Page fight.
15:50You look back
15:51at some great
15:52heavyweight champions.
15:53Joe Lewis fought
15:54a fight or two
15:55too many.
15:55Muhammad Ali,
15:56your friend,
15:57should have quit earlier.
15:58Do you think they'll
15:59say that about Larry Holmes?
16:01Dick,
16:01I feel good.
16:02I feel good.
16:03I feel good because
16:04I've done it all.
16:07I feel good when I train.
16:09I feel good that I can
16:10still make these guys miss,
16:11and I still can get off
16:12on these guys when I want to.
16:14And I control the situation.
16:16That makes me feel good.
16:17And when I no longer
16:18can do that,
16:19I know it's time for me
16:21to get out of boxing.
16:22What if Marvis Frazier
16:23beats Larry Holmes?
16:25Would that be the end?
16:26Would that then convince you
16:27it's time to go?
16:29It's like if I could fly,
16:31I would be Superman.
16:32That if is a long ways away.
16:34But I know there's a possibility
16:36that I get cut or whatever,
16:37but not with Marvis Frazier.
16:38He might luck out
16:39and cut me a little bit,
16:40but he can't whoop me.
16:42Period.
16:42He don't have the experience.
16:43He don't have the ability.
16:45I'm just too strong.
16:46I'm just too big.
16:47I'm just too much experience
16:49for this kid.
16:50And there's no way in the hell
16:51I'm going to let this younger kid
16:52come out and beat me
16:53with 10 fights.
16:54So they just paying
16:56to see an execution.
16:57That's what they're going
16:57to pay to see.
16:58So you beat Frazier.
17:00If you stay around long enough,
17:01somebody get me.
17:02Someone's going to beat you.
17:03Father time.
17:04You can't beat father time.
17:06No way.
17:06Do you want to go out
17:06though beating?
17:07I mean, don't you want to quit
17:08before someone beats you?
17:09You know what it is, Dick?
17:10I'm going to tell you
17:11what people,
17:11a lot of people say,
17:12don't you want to quit?
17:13Do it for the public.
17:14Do it.
17:14But you know what I feel
17:15that people want me,
17:16why they want me to retire?
17:18They're afraid that I'm going
17:19to beat Rocky Marciano's record
17:21because they know
17:22there's no one out there
17:23who can whoop me.
17:24Wouldn't it be a nice trend
17:25though for you
17:26to be able to say,
17:27so long,
17:28I'm the unbeaten champion,
17:30all time unbeaten champion.
17:32All time.
17:33And not wait too long
17:34to do it.
17:35Yeah, that's what's
17:35going to happen.
17:36I'm going to be
17:38the only heavyweight,
17:40black heavyweight fighter
17:41to retire undefeated,
17:45undisputed,
17:47undonably.
17:49Me.
17:50Can you imagine that?
17:51Mind-boggling.
17:53To a lot of people it is,
17:55they're afraid that might happen.
17:57But I know it will.
17:59Blessed.
18:01There's only one of us
18:02every so often.
18:03I hope I won't scare you
18:06with that.
18:06But it's true.
18:10And there at ringside,
18:11happy now,
18:12Larry Holmes' wife,
18:13Diane,
18:14lovely lady.
18:15They have a wonderful
18:15young family.
18:17She wants him to quit.
18:18She has asked him to
18:19for a year or more.
18:20She's hoping with a victory
18:21tonight that he might say,
18:22okay, enough is enough.
18:24And Larry Holmes
18:26putting on his fight face
18:28and saying hello
18:28to mother at home.
18:31It's a quality man.
18:32I really enjoyed
18:33my visit with him.
18:34He's a much different person
18:35than the one that
18:36you have seen on television
18:38or read about.
18:40The kind of guy
18:40you'd like to have
18:41as your next-door neighbor
18:42in more ways than one.
18:43He'd certainly protect you.
18:45Coming up,
18:45we have a very special
18:46fight for you
18:47as we await
18:48Frazier and Holmes.
18:50Juan Roldan,
18:51he is a new name
18:52on the boxing scene
18:53against Frank the Animal
18:54Fletcher Roldan
18:55looking for Marvis Hagler's
18:57title right after
18:58Frank the Animal.
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