What if Mancini quits on his stool after the 8th against Deuk Koo Kim?

Two words for you: PRESIDENT Mancini

 

We would still have 15-rounders today....

 

I have always thought the broadcast networks had something to do with it, since a 12 round fight can fit a bit more neatly on a television schedule compared to a 15 round fight. Just my intuition I admit. Boxing is such a dangerous sport that a tragedy of this scale was inevitable. I think a cut to 12 rounds would have occured eventually even without this particular case.

 

I agree. Likewise the switch to having weigh-ins 48 hours before the fight, which was also influenced by other events like the cancelled Michael Spinks-Mustafa Muhammad rematch.

 

I think Kim could've dominated the division quite plausibly. He was a beast and Mancini showed a hell of a chin and heart to take what Kim threw at him. Awesome, though tragic, fight.

 

Kim loses the WBA title quickly and Mancini retires. The WBC title is rightly considered the more legitimate title and is controlled by Edwin Rosario.

 

Just...no. Kim was all heart but Mancini made him look great.

No way Kim dominates the division.

 

This sums it up. Mancini was a modest talent with power and heart. Nothing beyond that. Kim who never fought outside Korea had no business being in the ring with him and would have lost his next real championship fight had Mancini retired.

There's been too much talk about the ring tragedy and reduction of 15 to 12 rounds. Boxing never talks about the human aftermath. Mancini much later in life traveled to South Korea to meet Kim's finance and son. The son never had the chance to meet his father. He was forgiven.

 

Kim had well documented problems making weight for Mancini fight and would
have lost in 1st defense most likely a rematch with Mancini.
However the real tragedy was the effect this fight had on the people involved.
Kim mum and the referee committed sucicide.

 

He may have said it but Mancini had no quit in him. Unfortunately neither did Kim

 

Below is a link to Du Koo Kim (red trunks) fighting the undefeated prospect Hyong Kyoo Lim about a year and a half before facing Mancini.

Kim was an exciting fighter. Most boxing fans in the West didn't know him before he fought Mancini, and Kim died, so the story is he had no business fighting for a title. But, in the fight where he won the Oriental Pacific title before facing Mancini, Kim beat Kwang Min Kim, who had gone to a 15-round split decision in a title fight with Antonio Cervantes three years earlier.

I think Kim was a good fighter. Had Mancini quit, Kim would've been a hero in his country and would've received the respect Livingstone Bramble received when he beat Mancini.

Also, keep in mind there weren't a lot of good lightweights floating around. With his style, I could see Kim successfully defending against any number of lightweight contenders in that era, including guys like Roberto Elizondo, Tyrone Cawley, Robin Blake, Melvin Paul, Charlie Brown (White Lightning and Choo Choo, either one), etc. Most of the lightweight contenders were just "okay" at that time. There were a number of boxers in that era Kim could've made a good number of defenses against.

Especially if he had a TKO win over Mancini. That would've been a huge win.

Kim vs. Lim

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The 15 round fight would have gone away without Mancini-Kim. I remember those times very well. There was significant movement toward the change, and critics were looking for reasons to move to 12 rounds. I really miss the old "championship rounds" (12-15).

As for Kim, he fought beyond all expectations in the Mancini fight. I think he would have been competitive against other top lightweights. But it's a stretch for me to say he would have held the title for very long. My opinion has been that he looked good against Mancini because of styles. I doubt that he would have beaten the better technical boxers of his time.

 

12-round title bouts fitting more neatly on a television schedule was one of the reasons given at the time in early 1983 for a 12-round championship distance, along with supposed safety issues.

I haven't watched Mancini-Kim since it aired. But I'm wondering when Kim's injury occurred. Even if Mancini had quit and Kim got the victory, would he have, say, collapsed in his dressing room and still passed away? Or would he have had to retire for his own safety, a la Joe Mesi?