Emile Griffith
Emile Griffith | |
---|---|
![]() Griffith in 2010 | |
Statistics | |
Real name | Emile Alphonse Griffith |
Weight class | Welterweight Light middleweight Middleweight |
Weight(s) | 160 lb (73 kg) |
Height | 5 ft 6.5 in (169 cm) |
Nationality | American |
Born | February 3, 1938 Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands |
Died | July 23, 2013 Hempstead, New York, U.S. | (aged 75)
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 112 |
Wins | 85 |
Wins by KO | 23 |
Losses | 24 |
Draws | 2 |
No contests | 1 |
Emile Alphonse Griffith (February 3, 1938 – July 23, 2013) was a professional boxer from the U.S. Virgin Islands who became a World Champion in the welterweight,[1] junior middleweight[2] and middleweight[3] classes. His best known contest was a 1962 title match with Benny Paret. At the weigh in, Paret infuriated Griffith, a bisexual man, by touching his buttocks and making a homophobic slur. Griffith won the bout by knockout; Paret never recovered consciousness and died in the hospital 10 days later.[4]
In 1963 and 1964, Griffith was voted Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. In 2002, he was listed #33 on Ring Magazine's list of 80 greatest fighters of the past 80 years.[5] Griffith currently ranks #127 in BoxRec's ranking of the greatest pound for pound boxers of all time.[6] He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.[7]
Career[]
Amateur[]
As a teen he was working at a hat factory on a steamy day when his boss, the factory owner, agreed to Griffith's request to work shirtless. When the owner, a former amateur boxer, noticed his frame he took Griffith to trainer Gil Clancy's gym.[8]
Griffith won the 1958 New York Golden Gloves 147 lb Open Championship. Griffith defeated Osvaldo Marcano of the Police Athletic Leagues Lynch Center in the finals to win the Championship. In 1957 Griffith advanced to the finals of the 147 lb Sub-Novice division and was defeated by Charles Wormley of the Salem Crescent Athletic Club. Griffith trained at the West 28th Street Parks Department Gym in New York City.[citation needed]
Professional[]
Griffith turned professional in 1958 and fought frequently in New York City. He captured the Welterweight title from Cuban Benny "The Kid" Paret by knocking him out in the 13th round on April 1, 1961. Six months later Griffith lost the title to Paret in a narrow split decision. Griffith regained the title from Paret on March 24, 1962 in the controversial bout after which Paret died, see below.
Griffith waged a classic three-fight series with Luis Rodríguez, losing the first and winning the other two. He defeated middleweight contender Holly Mims but was knocked out in one round by Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Three years later, on April 25, 1966, he faced middleweight champion Dick Tiger and won a 15-round unanimous decision and the middleweight title. He also lost, regained and then lost the middleweight crown in three classic fights with Nino Benvenuti.
But many boxing fans[9] believed he was never quite the same fighter after Paret's death. From the Paret bout to his retirement in 1977, Griffith fought 80 bouts but only scored twelve knockouts. He later admitted to being gentler with his opponents and relying on his superior boxing skills, because he was terrified of killing someone else in the ring. Many thought that Griffith fought past his prime,[9] only winning nine of his last twenty three fights. Other boxers whom he fought in his career included world champions American Denny Moyer, Cuban Luis Rodríguez, Argentine Carlos Monzón, Cuban José Nápoles, and in his last title try, German Eckhard Dagge. After 18 years as a professional boxer, Griffith retired with a record of 85 wins (25 by knockout), 24 losses and 2 draws.
Benny Paret[]
Griffith and Paret's third fight, which was nationally televised by ABC, occurred on March 24, 1962 at Madison Square Garden. Griffith had been incensed by an anti-gay slur directed at him by Paret during the weigh-in. Paret touched Griffith's buttocks and whispered into his opponent's ear "maricón, maricón", Spanish slang for "faggot".[8][9] Griffith had worked in a women's hat factory, and at the time designed hats.[10] Griffith had to be restrained from attacking Paret on the spot. The media at the time either ignored the slur or used euphemisms such as "anti-man". Griffith's girlfriend asked him about the incident saying "I didn't know about you being that way."
In the sixth round Paret came close to stopping Griffith with a multi punch combination but Griffith was saved by the bell.[11] After the sixth round Griffith's trainer, Gil Clancy, later said he told him, "when you go inside I want you to keep punching until Paret holds you or the referee breaks you! But you keep punching until he does that!".[8]
In round 12 Griffith trapped Paret in a corner. Stunned after taking hard blows to the head, Paret stopped punching back and slumped to the side against the ropes although his upper body was through them and partly out of the ring. Griffith held his opponent's shoulder keeping him in position while using his free hand to hit Paret, who was no longer trying to protect himself by head movement or an arm guard. Griffith repeatedly landed right uppercuts on Paret's head. Many watching were shocked, and there were calls from ringside for the referee to halt the bout; Norman Mailer said it was the hardest he had ever seen one man hit by another. Paret then lolled back and was hit with a combination.[citation needed]
At this point Ruby Goldstein stepped in, thereby awarding Griffith a win by technical knockout. Immediately after the referee intervened, Paret, who had remained on his feet throughout, slowly slid to the floor. He was carried from the ring on a stretcher and died ten days later in hospital without regaining consciousness. Goldstein had a reputation as a tender-minded referee who stopped bouts at an early stage; admirers said he may have been suffering after-effects from a heart attack. Paret's manager was also criticized for not retiring his boxer with a timely throwing in of the towel during the beating.[citation needed]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Griffith_-_El_Gr%C3%A1fico_2711.jpg/220px-Griffith_-_El_Gr%C3%A1fico_2711.jpg)
Griffith told a television interviewer "I'm very proud to be the welterweight champion again. I hope Paret is feeling very good." When the seriousness of the situation become known, Griffith went to the hospital where Paret was being treated and unsuccessfully attempted for several hours to gain entry to Paret's room. Following that he ran through the streets while being insulted by passers-by. He would later receive hate mail from Paret supporters who were convinced Griffith intentionally killed Paret.[8]
New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller created a seven-man commission to investigate the incident and the sport.[8] Griffith reportedly felt guilt over Paret's death and suffered nightmares about Paret for 40 years.[8]
The fight, and the widespread publicity and criticism of boxing which accompanied it, became the basis of the 2005 documentary Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story.
Trainer[]
Griffith trained other boxers, including Wilfred Benítez and Juan Laporte of Puerto Rico. Both won world championships. Griffith, Monzon, Benvenuti, Rodriguez, Tiger, Nápoles and Benítez are members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1979–80, he was in Denmark serving as the coach of the Danish Olympic boxing team.[12]
Personal life[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Luis_Rodrigo_Griffith.jpg/220px-Luis_Rodrigo_Griffith.jpg)
In 1971, two months after they met, Griffith married another Virgin Islander Mercedes "Sadie" Donastorg, who was then a member of the dance troupe "Prince Rupert and the Slave Girls".[13] Griffith adopted Donastorg's daughter, but the marriage only lasted a few months.[9] After retiring from boxing, Griffith worked as a corrections officer at the Secaucus, New Jersey Juvenile Detention Facility.[8]
In 1992, Griffith was viciously beaten and almost killed on a New York City street after leaving a gay bar near the Port Authority Bus Terminal. He was in the hospital for four months after the assault. It was not clear if the violence was motivated by homophobia.[9]
Griffith was most likely bisexual quoted in Sports Illustrated as saying "I like men and women both. But I don't like that word: homosexual, gay or faggot. I don't know what I am. I love men and women the same, but if you ask me which is better ... I like women."[8]
Death[]
A longtime resident of Weehawken, New Jersey,[14] Griffith died July 23, 2013, at a care facility in Hempstead, New York. In his final years, he required full-time care and suffered from dementia pugilistica. His adopted son,[9] Luis Rodrigo Griffith, was his primary caregiver.[15] He was buried in St. Michael's Cemetery, Queens, New York City.[citation needed]
Media representations[]
![]() | This section does not cite any sources. (March 2018) |
- In January 2005, filmmakers Dan Klores and Ron Berger premiered their documentary Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. It was broadcast on television on USA Network.
- Griffith's December 20, 1963 bout with Rubin Carter (which Griffith lost) is depicted in the opening scene of the 1999 motion picture The Hurricane. Griffith is portrayed by former boxer Terry Claybon, while actor Denzel Washington stars as Carter.
- In May 2012 it was announced that trumpeter Terence Blanchard and playwright Michael Cristofer were working on the opera Champion, based on Griffith's story. It premiered at Opera Theatre of St. Louis on June 15, 2013.
- Irish director Lenny Abrahamson is working on a biopic focusing on Griffith's rivalry with Paret to be released in 2019.[16][17]
- A stage play based on Griffith's story, titled Brown Girl in the Ring, premiered on September 26, 2016 in Chicago. It was commissioned and produced by the Court Theatre.
- A stage play based on Griffith's story, titled Man in the Ring, premiered on November 16, 2018 at the Huntington Theater in Boston.[18]
Professional boxing record[]
112 fights | 85 wins | 24 losses |
By knockout | 23 | 2 |
By decision | 62 | 21 |
By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
Draws | 2 | |
No contests | 1 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
112 | Loss | 85–24–2 (1) | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Jul 30, 1977 | ![]() |
|
111 | Loss | 85–23–2 (1) | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Jul 16, 1977 | ![]() |
|
110 | Loss | 85–22–2 (1) | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Apr 15, 1977 | ![]() |
|
109 | Win | 85–21–2 (1) | ![]() |
MD | 10 | Feb 2, 1977 | ![]() |
|
108 | Win | 84–21–2 (1) | ![]() |
TKO | 10 (10) | Dec 4, 1976 | ![]() |
|
107 | Win | 83–21–2 (1) | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (10) | Oct 24, 1976 | ![]() |
|
106 | Loss | 82–21–2 (1) | ![]() |
MD | 15 | Sep 18, 1976 | ![]() |
For WBC light-middleweight title |
105 | Draw | 82–20–2 (1) | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Jun 26, 1976 | ![]() |
|
104 | Loss | 82–20–1 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Feb 9, 1976 | ![]() |
|
103 | Win | 82–19–1 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Nov 7, 1975 | ![]() |
|
102 | Loss | 81–19–1 (1) | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Aug 9, 1975 | ![]() |
|
101 | Win | 81–18–1 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jul 23, 1975 | ![]() |
|
100 | Loss | 80–18–1 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | May 31, 1974 | ![]() |
|
99 | Win | 80–17–1 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Dec 10, 1974 | ![]() |
|
98 | Loss | 79–17–1 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Nov 22, 1974 | ![]() |
|
97 | Win | 79–16–1 (1) | ![]() |
MD | 10 | Oct 9, 1974 | ![]() |
|
96 | Win | 78–16–1 (1) | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | May 25, 1974 | ![]() |
|
95 | Loss | 77–16–1 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Feb 5, 1974 | ![]() |
For WBC–NABF middleweight title |
94 | Loss | 77–15–1 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Nov 19, 1973 | ![]() |
|
93 | Win | 77–14–1 (1) | ![]() |
MD | 10 | Nov 1, 1973 | ![]() |
|
92 | Loss | 76–14–1 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Jun 2, 1973 | ![]() |
For WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
91 | Draw | 76–13–1 (1) | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Mar 12, 1973 | ![]() |
|
90 | Loss | 76–13 (1) | ![]() |
DQ | 7 (10) | Dec 18, 1972 | ![]() |
Griffith was disqualified for a low blow |
89 | Win | 76–12 (1) | ![]() |
SD | 12 | Oct 11, 1972 | ![]() |
|
88 | Win | 75–12 (1) | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Sep 16, 1972 | ![]() |
|
87 | Win | 74–12 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Mar 30, 1972 | ![]() |
|
86 | Win | 73–12 (1) | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Feb 21, 1972 | ![]() |
|
85 | Win | 72–12 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jan 31, 1972 | ![]() |
|
84 | Win | 71–12 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Dec 10, 1971 | ![]() |
|
83 | Loss | 70–12 (1) | ![]() |
TKO | 14 (15), 2:32 | Sep 25, 1971 | ![]() |
For WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
82 | Win | 70–11 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jul 26, 1971 | ![]() |
|
81 | Win | 69–11 (1) | ![]() |
MD | 10 | May 3, 1971 | ![]() |
|
80 | Win | 68–11 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Mar 23, 1971 | ![]() |
|
79 | Win | 67–11 (1) | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (10) | Mar 5, 1971 | ![]() |
|
78 | Win | 66–11 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Nov 10, 1970 | ![]() |
|
77 | Win | 65–11 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Oct 17, 1970 | ![]() |
|
76 | Win | 64–11 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jul 15, 1970 | ![]() |
|
75 | Win | 63–11 (1) | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Jun 4, 1970 | ![]() |
|
74 | Win | 62–11 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Mar 11, 1970 | ![]() |
|
73 | Win | 61–11 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jan 28, 1970 | ![]() |
|
72 | Loss | 60–11 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Oct 17, 1969 | ![]() |
For NYSAC, WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
71 | Win | 60–10 (1) | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Aug 15, 1969 | ![]() |
|
70 | Win | 59–10 (1) | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (10), 1:28 | Jul 11, 1969 | ![]() |
|
69 | Win | 58–10 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 12 | May 12, 1969 | ![]() |
|
68 | Win | 57–10 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Feb 3, 1969 | ![]() |
|
67 | Loss | 56–10 (1) | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Oct 29, 1968 | ![]() |
|
66 | Win | 56–9 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Aug 6, 1968 | ![]() |
|
65 | Win | 55–9 (1) | ![]() |
MD | 12 | Jun 11, 1968 | ![]() |
|
64 | Loss | 54–9 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Mar 4, 1968 | ![]() |
Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
63 | Win | 54–8 (1) | ![]() |
TKO | 6 (10) | Dec 15, 1967 | ![]() |
|
62 | Win | 53–8 (1) | ![]() |
MD | 15 | Sep 29, 1967 | ![]() |
Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
61 | Loss | 52–8 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Apr 17, 1967 | ![]() |
Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
60 | Win | 52–7 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Jan 23, 1967 | ![]() |
Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
59 | Win | 51–7 (1) | ![]() |
MD | 15 | Jul 13, 1966 | ![]() |
Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
58 | Win | 50–7 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Apr 25, 1966 | ![]() |
Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
57 | Win | 49–7 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Feb 3, 1966 | ![]() |
|
56 | Win | 48–7 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Dec 10, 1965 | ![]() |
Retained NYSAC, WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
55 | Win | 47–7 (1) | ![]() |
RTD | 7 (10) | Oct 4, 1965 | ![]() |
|
54 | Win | 46–7 (1) | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (10), 2:45 | Sep 14, 1965 | ![]() |
|
53 | Loss | 45–7 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Aug 19, 1965 | ![]() |
For WBA American middleweight title |
52 | Win | 45–6 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jun 14, 1965 | ![]() |
|
51 | Win | 44–6 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Mar 30, 1965 | ![]() |
Retained NYSAC, WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
50 | Loss | 43–6 (1) | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Jan 26, 1965 | ![]() |
|
49 | Win | 43–5 (1) | ![]() |
TKO | 9 (10), 1:56 | Dec 1, 1965 | ![]() |
Retained NYSAC, WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
48 | Win | 42–5 (1) | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Sep 22, 1964 | ![]() |
Retained NYSAC, WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
47 | Win | 41–5 (1) | ![]() |
SD | 15 | Jun 12, 1964 | ![]() |
Retained NYSAC, WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
46 | Win | 40–5 (1) | ![]() |
KO | 4 (10), 1:40 | Apr 14, 1964 | ![]() |
|
45 | NC | 39–5 (1) | ![]() |
NC | 7 (10) | Mar 11, 1964 | ![]() |
The bout was halted when fans began throwing bottles and oranges in to the ring, because they wanted more action |
44 | Win | 39–5 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (12) | Feb 10, 1964 | ![]() |
|
43 | Loss | 38–5 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (10), 2:13 | Dec 20, 1963 | ![]() |
|
42 | Win | 38–4 | ![]() |
MD | 10 | Oct 5, 1963 | ![]() |
|
41 | Win | 37–4 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Aug 10, 1963 | ![]() |
|
40 | Win | 36–4 | ![]() |
SD | 15 | Jun 8, 1963 | ![]() |
Won NYSAC, WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
39 | Loss | 35–4 | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Mar 21, 1963 | ![]() |
Lost NYSAC, WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
38 | Win | 35–3 | ![]() |
TKO | 9 (15) | Feb 3, 1963 | ![]() |
Retained world light-middleweight title; Recognized by the Austrian Boxing Board of Control |
37 | Win | 34–3 | ![]() |
TKO | 9 (15) | Dec 8, 1962 | ![]() |
Retained NYSAC, WBA, and The Ring welterweight titles |
36 | Win | 33–3 | ![]() |
PTS | 15 | Oct 17, 1962 | ![]() |
Won inaugural world light-middleweight title; Recognized by the Austrian Boxing Board of Control, but by no other agencies |
35 | Win | 32–3 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Oct 6, 1962 | ![]() |
|
34 | Win | 31–3 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Aug 18, 1962 | ![]() |
|
33 | Win | 30–3 | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Jul 13, 1962 | ![]() |
Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles |
32 | Win | 29–3 | ![]() |
TKO | 12 (15), 2:09 | Mar 24, 1962 | ![]() |
Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles; Paret died on Apr 3, 1962, from injuries sustained in the fight[19] |
31 | Win | 28–3 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Feb 3, 1962 | ![]() |
|
30 | Win | 27–3 | ![]() |
MD | 10 | Dec 23, 1961 | ![]() |
|
29 | Win | 26–3 | ![]() |
KO | 4 (10), 2:35 | Nov 4, 1961 | ![]() |
|
28 | Loss | 25–3 | ![]() |
SD | 15 | Sep 30, 1961 | ![]() |
Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles |
27 | Win | 25–2 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jul 29, 1961 | ![]() |
|
26 | Win | 24–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 12 (15), 0:48 | Jun 3, 1961 | ![]() |
Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles |
25 | Win | 23–2 | ![]() |
KO | 13 (15), 1:11 | Apr 1, 1961 | ![]() |
Won NYSAC, NBA, The Ring welterweight titles |
24 | Win | 22–2 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Dec 17, 1960 | ![]() |
|
23 | Win | 21–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 8 (10), 3:00 | Oct 22, 1960 | ![]() |
|
22 | Win | 20–2 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Aug 25, 1960 | ![]() |
|
21 | Win | 19–2 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jul 25, 1960 | ![]() |
|
20 | Win | 18–2 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Jun 3, 1960 | ![]() |
|
19 | Loss | 17–2 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Apr 26, 1960 | ![]() |
|
18 | Win | 17–1 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Mar 11, 1960 | ![]() |
|
17 | Win | 16–1 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Feb 12, 1960 | ![]() |
|
16 | Win | 15–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jan 8, 1960 | ![]() |
|
15 | Win | 14–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (10), 1:44 | Nov 23, 1959 | ![]() |
|
14 | Loss | 13–1 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Oct 26, 1959 | ![]() |
|
13 | Win | 13–0 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Aug 7, 1959 | ![]() |
|
12 | Win | 12–0 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | May 25, 1959 | ![]() |
|
11 | Win | 11–0 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Apr 27, 1959 | ![]() |
|
10 | Win | 10–0 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Mar 23, 1959 | ![]() |
|
9 | Win | 9–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (10), 2:44 | Feb 23, 1959 | ![]() |
|
8 | Win | 8–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (6), 1:52 | Feb 9, 1959 | ![]() |
|
7 | Win | 7–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (6), 1:46 | Jan 26, 1959 | ![]() |
|
6 | Win | 6–0 | ![]() |
KO | 5 (6), 2:17 | Dec 15, 1958 | ![]() |
|
5 | Win | 5–0 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (6), 1:01 | Nov 17, 1958 | ![]() |
|
4 | Win | 4–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 6 | Oct 6, 1958 | ![]() |
|
3 | Win | 3–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 4 | Jul 21, 1958 | ![]() |
|
2 | Win | 2–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 4 | Jun 23, 1958 | ![]() |
|
1 | Win | 1–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 4 | Jun 2, 1958 | ![]() |
Honors[]
- Named The Ring Fighter of the Year for 1964.
- A park has been named in Griffith's honor in his native US Virgin Islands.
See also[]
- List of welterweight boxing champions
- List of light middleweight boxing champions
- List of middleweight boxing champions
- List of WBC world champions
- List of WBA world champions
- List of undisputed boxing champions
- List of boxing triple champions
References[]
- ^ "The Lineal Welterweight Champs". Cyber Boxing Zone.
- ^ "The Lineal Junior Middleweight Champions". Cyber Boxing Zone.
- ^ "The Lineal Middleweight Champions". Cyber Boxing Zone.
- ^ "The night boxer Emile Griffith answered gay taunts with a deadly cortege of punches", theguardian.com; accessed January 30, 2016.
- ^ "Are These Really the 80 Best Boxers Ever?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "BoxRec: Ratings". boxrec.com.
- ^ "Boxing Hall of Fame names first inductees".
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Smith, Gary "The Shadow Boxer", Sports Illustrated, April 18, 2005.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Klores, Dan (March 31, 2012). "Emile Griffith, Benny Paret and the Fatal Fight". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ I've Got a Secret episode (April 12, 1961) in which Irene and Lorraine Berlin displayed hats designed by Griffith, youtube.com; accessed January 30, 2016.
- ^ The Great Rivalries Archived August 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, CBSSports.com; accessed January 30, 2016.
- ^ "Emile Griffith dies at 75; champion boxer struggled with his sexuality". Los Angeles Times. July 24, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- ^ Griffith with wife Mercedes & best man Joe Frazier JET, May 27, 1971 pg 39
- ^ "The passing of a champion; Boxing Great Griffith, Who Called Hudson County Home For Years, Dies At 75", The Hudson Reporter, July 28, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2020. "During his boxing heyday, when he won both the world welterweight and middleweight championships, Emile Griffith was proud to call Hudson County home. For almost 30 years, Griffith lived on Boulevard East in Weehawken."
- ^ "Former boxing champion Emile Griffith dies at 75". Fox News. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
- ^ Lynch, Ryan (January 3, 2018). "Bisexual Boxer from 1960s to be Subject of Feature Film". South Florida Gay News.
- ^ Regan, Jarlath (March 5, 2016). "Lenny Abrahamson". An Irishman Abroad (Podcast) (129 ed.). SoundCloud. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ^ "Huntington Schedule 2018-2019". Huntington Theater. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Benny (Kid) Paret - BoxRec".
Further reading[]
- Lance Pugmire, "Emile Griffith dies at 75; champion boxer struggled with his sexuality" "LA Times", July 23, 2013
- Ron Ross, ""Nine...Ten...and Out! The Two Worlds of Emile Griffith" 2008
- Donald McRae, "The Night Boxer Emile Griffith Answered Gay Taunts with a Deadly Cortege of Punches," The Guardian, September 10, 2015.
External links[]
- Ring Memorabilia
- 'Ring of Fire' Connects With True Story of A Fatal Blow Washington Post article April 20, 2005
- Emile Griffith – CBZ Profile
- World Boxing Association History
- National Boxing Association's Quarterly Ratings: 1961 - BoxRec
- National Boxing Association's Quarterly Ratings: 1962 - BoxRec
- NYSAC World Welterweight Title (Boxing)
- 1938 births
- 2013 deaths
- Neurological disease deaths in New York (state)
- Deaths from dementia
- International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees
- Middleweight boxers
- People from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
- People from Weehawken, New Jersey
- United States Virgin Islands male boxers
- Welterweight boxers
- World boxing champions
- African-American boxers
- American male boxers
- Sportspeople with chronic traumatic encephalopathy
- LGBT African Americans
- LGBT sportspeople from the United States
- Bisexual men
- Bisexual sportspeople
- LGBT boxers