Sometimes when you’re 12 years old things happen that are forever burned into your memory. That happened for me on March 24, 1962. It didn’t start out to be all that special, just a family gathering. After dinner “the men”, my father, uncle, grandfather and I, gathered around the old black and white television set at my grandparent’s home in Shawano, Wisconsin to watch the championship fight. It promised to be a good bout. The two contestants had fought twice before, each winning once.
In 1961, Emile Griffith had knocked out Benny “The Kid” Paret in the 13th round for the welterweight crown to become the first fighter from the U. S. Virgin Islands to win a championship. Five months later, Paret reclaimed the title in a rematch. What we didn’t know was that, before the third fight, Paret, at the weigh in, had referred to Griffith by a gay slur.
In the 12th round, Griffith backed Paret into a corner where he began to pummel him. The referee let the beating go on. He would never officiate another fight. It looked to me, through 12 year old eyes, like Griffith was not letting Paret fall, holding him in the corner to hit him again…and again…and again…and again. Paret was carried from the ring in a coma. He would die 10 days later from massive head trauma.
Griffith reported being spat upon in the streets after the fight. He received so many death threats that he reportedly would hide in the corner if someone knocked on his hotel room door. Except for that one night, Emile Griffith was known as a gentleman of the sport, always eager to greet a fan and making annual appearances at the Hall of Fame. He continued to fight, but never again went for a knockout, preferring to win on points. He would later tell an interviewer that he would have quit boxing but didn’t know another way to make a living.
The State of New York would investigate the fight. NBC would stop broadcasting live prize fights. America would never feel the same about boxing. Over the years, Emile Griffith would alternately say that he was straight, say that he was gay or claim that he was bisexual. He would eventually be diagnosed with pugilistic dementia and be moved to an extended care facility. Today the dementia that resulted from the many blows to his head took his life at 75.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.