The Good Son

The Life of Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini

By: Mark Kriegel

Narrated by: Holt McCallany

From the bestselling author of Pistol and Namath, a vivid, revealing, and fast-paced biography of the great boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini.

Frank Sinatra fawned over him. Warren Zevon wrote a tribute song. Sylvester Stallone produced his life story as a movie of the week. In the 1980s, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini wasn’t merely the lightweight champ. An adoring public considered him a national hero, the real Rocky.

But it all came apart on November 13, 1982, in a brutal battle at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Mancini’s obscure Korean challenger, Duk Koo Kim, went down in the fourteenth round and never regained consciousness. Three months later, Kim’s despondent mother took her own life. The deaths would haunt Ray and ruin his carefully crafted image, suddenly transforming boxing’s All-American Boy into a pariah. With the vivid style and deep reporting that have earned him renown as a biographer, Mark Kriegel has written a fast-paced epic. The Good Son is an intimate history, a saga of fathers and fighters, loss and redemption.

Best biography I have ever heard or read!

If you are old enough to remember boom boom mania in the early 80's please listen to this book. It is a beautifully moving and insightful look at a real and honest man who faced his battles with courage and dignity.

Very absorbing

This was a fascinating read about an era in which I was thoroughly involved in pro boxing. The book helped me remember fights like they happened yesterday, and I learned all kinds of things about them I didn't know. Also, learning about Ray's personal life and his broken marriage was quite revealing. If you were a boxing fan during the early 80's, this book is a must!