Editing Ray Mancini (section)

==Early life and amateur career==
Mancini, an American of Italian descent, was born Raymond Michael Mancino in [[Youngstown, Ohio]] on March 4, 1961. Boxing played a prominent role in the Mancini family history. Mancini's father, [[Lenny Mancini]] (the original "Boom Boom"), was a top-ranked contender during the 1940s. Lenny Mancini's dream, however, was dashed when he was wounded during World War II. Although Lenny Mancini returned to boxing, limitations resulting from his injuries prevented him from fulfilling his potential.<ref name="vindy-11-17-82">{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1CFAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eVgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3215%2C471040| title = Ray Mancini Uncertain About His Ring Future | newspaper = Youngstown Vindicator | date = November 17, 1982}}</ref> He was a childhood friend and neighbor to future [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma Sooners]] football head coach [[Bob Stoops]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 19, 2013|title=Collected Wisdom: Ray 'Boom, Boom' Mancini, former world champion boxer|url=https://oklahoman.com/article/3747524/collected-wisdom-ray-boom-boom-mancini-former-world-champion-boxer/|access-date=December 26, 2021|website=Oklahoman.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

Lenny inspired Ray to develop his boxing skills and encouraged him to train at a gym when he was quite young.  Thus, Ray then began his quest to win the world title for his father.