Staff photo / Dan Hiner
Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini speaks during a meet and greet on Thursday at Sunrise Inn in Warren.
WARREN — The clanking of cutlery hitting the plate and lighthearted conversations filled the air.
Making his visits to various tables, which continued even after he got his food, was Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, greeting guests and sharing stories.
Mancini made a stop at Sunrise Inn in Warren on Thursday. The banquet room was near capacity with guests who wanted to meet and talk to the local boxing celebrity.
“Showcasing my lifestyle products,” Mancini said. “Had me come and host a dinner, and you tell them stories from the corner, tell them stories from Hollywood, tell them stories from the boxing world. It was a wonderful night. It’s just a get-together. We try to do it once a quarter, and people seem to enjoy it. … I enjoy it.
“I haven’t done one in Trumbull County in a while. Coming into Warren, it’s wonderful to see a lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time. It reminded me of when they were at the fights in Packard and Mollenkoff.”
After dinner, the former lightweight champ shared stories such as his day sparring with Bob Dylan in 1992, his relationship with Mike Tyson and going on a four-city tour with Mohammed Ali.
“It’s always been an interesting time for me,” Mancini said during his speech. “I’m very blessed.”
Following his speech, he took questions from the audience, with each answer filled with the charisma that has drawn fans for decades.
As soon as Mancini was done taking questions, Dino Prassinos got up and made his way to the front of the room. He wanted to pass along a message after hearing the guests’ questions about Mancini’s life.
“My father taught me to be humble,” Prassinos said. “That man, Ray, taught me humility in practice.”
Prassinos knew Mancini’s parents, and he made a promise to the boxer’s mother that he would keep an eye on Mancini when he moved to New York. He helped Mancini with his contracts during his career.
“Touched my heart, especially since he has such high affection for my mother and father,” Mancini said of Prassinos’ speech. “Dino, when he talked about that, it brought back memories. Dino’s one of my oldest and dearest friends, so I love him to death. The fact that he’s even here tonight, I can’t thank him enough.”
In January, Mancini brought several boxing legends to Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman. He held a fight night to support military veterans, which filled the banquet hall. He hoped that it was enough of a draw to do it again in 2026, and he wanted to raise funds for another group.
The fight night is coming back to Mr. Anthony’s on Jan. 23. The next event will benefit first responders, and similar to last January, several boxing legends will attend.
In addition to the standard fight card, there will be two “Battle of the Badges.” Those fights will see a pair of firefighters square off with a couple of police officers.
“The people buy into it, which you’re trying to do,” Mancini said. “The people understand. Veterans are the forgotten sector, first responders are the underappreciated sector – policemen, firemen and EMTs.
“We were trying to figure out what we can do with the money. So they have a wellness center in Boardman, Ohio – I’ve been to it, it’s spectacular. People from Trumbull to Columbiana can go there. It’s a spot for them.”