BOARDMAN, Ohio – Friday Night Fights, a special dinner-show event with an impressive lineup of boxing greats as guests, will take place Jan. 24 at Mr. Anthony’s, 7440 South Ave.

It will include live entertainment by local singer Leanne Binder and will culminate in a five-bout card of local amateur boxing matches.

The event, presented by the Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini Foundation, will raise money to help local veterans.

Mancini, a Youngstown native and boxing champion, wants to make Friday Night Fights an annual event. He was once part of a group of former champions who presented an annual charity boxing event for veterans. That event was discontinued four years ago, but Mancini, through his foundation, wants to bring it back.

The event at Mr. Anthony’s will include appearances by Michael Spinks, Larry Holmes, Gerry Cooney, Kelly Pavlik, Buster Douglas and Micky Ward, the Massachusetts boxer whose career was told in the 2010 film “The Fighter,” starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.

The overarching goal is to help Mahoning Valley veterans. “They desperately need mental, physical and financial assistance and it is our hope to raise much needed funds to support their well-being,” Mancini said in a press release.

All proceeds from the event will go to the Youngstown branch of Veterans’ Outreach.

Mancini has a particularly strong interest in the military; his father, Leonard Mancino, was a promising boxer whose shot at a title fight was denied when he was drafted into the service.

Mancino, who was the original “Boom Boom,” was sent to the front lines in the battle for the French city Metz during World War II. He was hit by shrapnel during the fighting and was hospitalized for a year, effectively ending his boxing aspirations.

Mancini’s interest in helping veterans has a second source.

“A nephew who became a Navy Seal and endured nine trips to Iraq and back has given me a certain passion and incentive to help and aid our military survivors in whatever way I can,” Mancini said.

He hopes that Friday Night Fights will draw attention to helping veterans who have struggled since their return. “We can do more for those called to foreign wars to defend our freedom and democracy,” Mancini said.

Friday Night Fights will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m., entertainment by Binder and her band at 8 p.m. and the fight card at 9 p.m. The evening will also include appearances by world champions and a silent auction.

Tickets are $150 (plus fees) and can be purchased HERE.

Those who just want to attend the boxing can buy a ticket at the door for $25 starting at 8:30 p.m. All veterans with valid ID are invited to attend the fight card portion of the evening for free.

Ringside tables for corporate sponsors are also available. For information or to make a donation or contribute an item for the silent auction, email tinarozzi@yahoo.com.

The Mancini Foundation was founded in 2016 and has given thousands of dollars to local residents in need, with a focus on children and young adults.

Pictured at top: Leonard “Boom Boom” Mancino, father of boxing champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, is shown during his prime with two U.S. Army officers.