Bermuda999
2008-11-13 08:12:54 UTC
November 13, 1982
Ray Mancini wins TKO over South Korean Duk Koo Kim on live television
in a special arena in front of Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
Almost immediately after the fight, Kim collapses on live TV. He is
removed by stretcher. He falls into a coma, and dies 4 days later,
November 17, 1982 after life support is terminated*.
Kim's grief-stricken mother commits suicide several months later
The fight's referee, Richard Green, commits suicide July 1, 1983, at
age 46.
Ray Mancini attends Kim's funeral in South Korea, and enters a deep
depression. Many consider him not to be the same fighter after the Kim
bout, except for occasional dramatic flashes. He retires in 1992 (with
a record of 29-5, with 23 knockouts).
Warren Zevon releases "Boom Boom Mancini" in 1987.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Sports Illustrated, after the fight but before Kim's death:
"Kim then underwent 2½ hours of brain surgery, performed by Dr. Lonnie
Hammargren, a local neurosurgeon, who removed a 100-cc. blood clot
from the right side of Kim's brain. The clot, Dr. Hammargren said, was
the result of a broken blood vessel and "due, in all probability, to
one tremendous punch to the head." Had the punch been part of the 39-
blow bombardment Mancini had delivered in the opening 50 seconds of
the 13th round? Was it the first of the final two rights in the 14th?
Or the second? Or could the damage have been done not by Mancini's
fists but by Kim's head hitting the canvas after the final blow? Could
Kim's brain have been damaged before the fight? "The hemorrhage was
quite fresh," the neurosurgeon said on Saturday night. "The trauma was
caused by one punch."
Dr. Hammargren had previously performed two similar operations, one on
a Japanese kick boxer, the other on another fighter. "Both men wound
up normal, but this outcome will be much worse. Mr. Kim had a right
subdural hematoma," said Dr. Hammargren two hours after the surgery
was completed. "He's very critical, with terminal brain damage. There
is severe brain swelling. The pressure will go up and up, and that
will be it. He'll die. His pupils have been fixed since he arrived. We
have him on the respirator now. His body responds slightly to painful
stimulus, and that is the only real sign of life we've had. They tell
me he fought like a lion in the 13th round. Well, nobody could fight
like that with a blood clot on his brain."
Ray Mancini wins TKO over South Korean Duk Koo Kim on live television
in a special arena in front of Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
Almost immediately after the fight, Kim collapses on live TV. He is
removed by stretcher. He falls into a coma, and dies 4 days later,
November 17, 1982 after life support is terminated*.
Kim's grief-stricken mother commits suicide several months later
The fight's referee, Richard Green, commits suicide July 1, 1983, at
age 46.
Ray Mancini attends Kim's funeral in South Korea, and enters a deep
depression. Many consider him not to be the same fighter after the Kim
bout, except for occasional dramatic flashes. He retires in 1992 (with
a record of 29-5, with 23 knockouts).
Warren Zevon releases "Boom Boom Mancini" in 1987.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Sports Illustrated, after the fight but before Kim's death:
"Kim then underwent 2½ hours of brain surgery, performed by Dr. Lonnie
Hammargren, a local neurosurgeon, who removed a 100-cc. blood clot
from the right side of Kim's brain. The clot, Dr. Hammargren said, was
the result of a broken blood vessel and "due, in all probability, to
one tremendous punch to the head." Had the punch been part of the 39-
blow bombardment Mancini had delivered in the opening 50 seconds of
the 13th round? Was it the first of the final two rights in the 14th?
Or the second? Or could the damage have been done not by Mancini's
fists but by Kim's head hitting the canvas after the final blow? Could
Kim's brain have been damaged before the fight? "The hemorrhage was
quite fresh," the neurosurgeon said on Saturday night. "The trauma was
caused by one punch."
Dr. Hammargren had previously performed two similar operations, one on
a Japanese kick boxer, the other on another fighter. "Both men wound
up normal, but this outcome will be much worse. Mr. Kim had a right
subdural hematoma," said Dr. Hammargren two hours after the surgery
was completed. "He's very critical, with terminal brain damage. There
is severe brain swelling. The pressure will go up and up, and that
will be it. He'll die. His pupils have been fixed since he arrived. We
have him on the respirator now. His body responds slightly to painful
stimulus, and that is the only real sign of life we've had. They tell
me he fought like a lion in the 13th round. Well, nobody could fight
like that with a blood clot on his brain."