Councilor to get in celebrity ring

Date: 2/17/2010

Feb. 17, 2010.

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



WEST SPRINGFIELD -- Town Councilor Robert Mancini is preparing to fight for West Springfield -- not in the Council Chambers but in the ring.

Mancini, a Democrat, will take on Agawam Republican Kevin Dejoinville as the opening act of Celebrity Boxing 18 in Enfield, Conn., on March 6. The winner of the fight will face Michael Lohan, father of actress Lindsay Lohan, later this year.

"I'm going to knock him out," Mancini told Reminder Publications, adding that Dejoinville "is not going to be able to handle my hand speed and boxing ability."

"I'm just looking to knock this kid out. It's not everyday you get to beat up a Republican and a kid from Agawam," he said.

The two will fight for the Celebrity Boxing Federations New England Title.

Mancini explained he's been training diligently; however, his athleticism isn't what it was 20 years ago.

"I haven't been in the ring for 24 years," he said. "I'm 40 years old and it's friggin' hard. I'm not 16 [any] more."

Mancini said he used to fight on the local circuit in Holyoke and also in Rhode Island in the 1980s and '90s.

Damon Feldman, president of the Celebrity Boxing Federation, said he's eager to see how the match-up plays out. He added the winner would fight Lohan, a regular celebrity boxer, in May or June.

When asked why he chose to put Mancini on the card, Feldman replied, "He seemed like a good [local] personality."

Mancini said with about two weeks left until the fight, he's anxious for the day to arrive. "You get a once in a lifetime opportunity to fight a guy for the title, I can't blow this opportunity," he added.

Celebrity Boxing 18 will take place on March 6 at 8:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza, 1 Bright Meadow Blvd., Enfield, Conn.

For tickets, call (484) 318-6133 or visit www.CelebrityBoxing.tv.