Emile Griffith facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Emile Griffith
Griffith in 2010
Statistics
Real name	Emile Alphonse Griffith
Rated at	160 lb
Height	5 ft 6.5 in
Nationality	American (Virgin Islander)
Born	February 3, 1938 Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Died	July 23, 2013(2013-07-23) (aged 75) Hempstead, New York, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	112
Wins	85
Wins by KO	23
Losses	24
Draws	2
No contests	1

Emile Alphonse Griffith (born February 3, 1938 – died July 23, 2013) was a professional boxer from the U.S. Virgin Islands. He was a very successful boxer. He won world titles in three different weight classes. These were the light middleweight, welterweight, and middleweight titles.

One of his most famous fights was in 1962 against Benny Paret. Griffith won this fight by knockout. Sadly, Paret never woke up after the fight and passed away in the hospital ten days later. Griffith felt very sad about this event for many years.

Emile Griffith was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine. This happened in both 1963 and 1964. He also received the Sugar Ray Robinson Award. In 2002, The Ring magazine listed him as one of the 80 greatest fighters of the past 80 years. He is also a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1990.

Boxing Career
Later Life
- Passing Away
Emile Griffith in Media
Boxing Record
Honors and Recognition
See also

Boxing Career

Starting as an Amateur

When Emile was a teenager, he worked in a hat factory. One hot day, his boss saw how strong he looked. His boss, who used to be a boxer, took Emile to a boxing gym. There, Emile met trainer Gil Clancy.

Emile Griffith became an amateur boxer. In 1958, he won the New York Golden Gloves championship. He won the 147-pound weight class. He beat Osvaldo Marcano in the final match. Emile trained at a gym in New York City.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Emile Griffith in 1971

Emile Griffith started his professional boxing career in 1958. He fought many times in New York City. On April 1, 1961, he won the Welterweight title. He knocked out Benny "The Kid" Paret in the 13th round.

Six months later, Griffith lost his title back to Paret. This was a very close fight. Griffith then fought Paret again on March 24, 1962. Griffith won the title back in this fight. After this match, Paret sadly passed away. This event led to a special group being formed to look into boxing safety. Griffith felt very bad about what happened. He had nightmares about it for many years.

The story of this fight was made into a documentary film in 2005. It was called Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story.

Griffith had several famous fights. He fought Luis Rodríguez four times. Griffith won three of those four fights. He also beat middleweight boxer Holly Mims. However, he lost a fight to Rubin "Hurricane" Carter very quickly.

On April 25, 1966, Griffith fought Dick Tiger. He won this fight and became the middleweight champion. He also fought Nino Benvenuti three times for the middleweight title. He lost it, won it back, and then lost it again.

Many people thought Griffith changed after Paret's death. He fought 80 more times but had fewer knockouts. He later said he was more careful with his opponents. He was afraid of hurting anyone else badly. Some people also felt he kept fighting for too long. He only won 9 of his last 23 fights.

Emile Griffith fought many other champions. These included Denny Moyer, Luis Rodríguez, Carlos Monzón, José Nápoles, and Eckhard Dagge. After 18 years, Griffith retired from boxing. His final record was 85 wins, 24 losses, and 2 draws. He had 25 wins by knockout.

Life as a Trainer

After retiring from fighting, Griffith became a boxing trainer. He helped train other boxers to become champions. Two of his students, Wilfred Benítez and Juan Laporte, won world championships.

Many of the boxers Griffith fought or trained are now in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. From 1979 to 1980, he worked as a coach for the Danish Olympic boxing team.

Later Life

Luis Rodrigo Griffith, Emile's adopted son and caretaker, at the premiere of the opera Champion in 2013.

In 1971, Emile Griffith married Mercedes "Sadie" Donastorg. She was also from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Griffith adopted her daughter. However, their marriage only lasted a few months.

After his boxing career, Griffith worked as a corrections officer. He worked at a center for young people in New Jersey.

Passing Away

Emile Griffith lived in New Jersey for a long time. He passed away on July 23, 2013. He was at a care facility in New York. In his last years, he needed full-time care. His adopted son, Luis Rodrigo Griffith, took care of him. Emile Griffith was buried in St. Michael's Cemetery in New York City.

Emile Griffith in Media

In 2005, a documentary film about Emile Griffith was released. It was called Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story. It was shown at the Sundance Film Festival.
A scene from Griffith's 1963 fight with Rubin Carter is in the movie The Hurricane. Former boxer Terry Claybon played Griffith in the film.
An opera based on Griffith's life was created. It is called Champion. The music was by Terence Blanchard. It first showed in 2013.
A play about Griffith's story, called Brown Girl in the Ring, started in Chicago in 2016.
Another play, Man in the Ring, premiered in Boston in 2018.

Boxing Record

Professional record summary
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)	Alan Minter	PTS	10	Jul 30, 1977	Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monaco
111	Loss	85–23–2 (1)	Mayfield Pennington	SD	10	Jul 16, 1977	Commonwealth Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
110	Loss	85–22–2 (1)	Joel Bonnetaz	PTS	10	Apr 15, 1977	Périgueux, Dordogne, France
109	Win	84–21–2 (1)	Christy Elliott	MD	10	Feb 2, 1977	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
108	Win	83–21–2 (1)	Frank Reiche	TKO	10 (10)	Dec 4, 1976	Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg, West Germany
107	Win	82–21–2 (1)	Dino Del Cid	TKO	4 (10)	Oct 24, 1976	Cartagena, Colombia
106	Loss	82–21–2 (1)	Eckhard Dagge	MD	15	Sep 18, 1976	Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Berlin, West Germany	For WBC light-middleweight title
105	Draw	82–20–2 (1)	Bennie Briscoe	PTS	10	Jun 26, 1976	Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monaco
104	Loss	82–20–1 (1)	Loucif Hamani	UD	10	Feb 9, 1976	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France
103	Win	82–19–1 (1)	Jose Roberto Chirino	UD	10	Nov 7, 1975	Coliseum Theatre, Latham, New York, U.S.
102	Loss	81–19–1 (1)	Elijah Makathini	PTS	10	Aug 9, 1975	Orlando Stadium, Soweto, Transvaal, South Africa
101	Win	81–18–1 (1)	Leo Saenz	UD	10	Jul 23, 1975	Capitol Centre, Largo, Maryland, U.S.
100	Loss	80–18–1 (1)	Jose Luis Duran	UD	10	May 31, 1974	Coliseo El Pueblo, Cali, Colombia
99	Win	80–17–1 (1)	Donato Paduano	UD	10	Dec 10, 1974	Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
98	Loss	79–17–1 (1)	Vito Antuofermo	UD	10	Nov 22, 1974	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
97	Win	79–16–1 (1)	Bennie Briscoe	MD	10	Oct 9, 1974	The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
96	Win	78–16–1 (1)	Renato Garcia	PTS	10	May 25, 1974	Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monaco
95	Loss	77–16–1 (1)	Tony Licata	UD	12	Feb 5, 1974	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	For WBC–NABF middleweight title
94	Loss	77–15–1 (1)	Tony Mundine	UD	12	Nov 19, 1973	Palais des Sports Porte de Versailles, Paris XV, Paris, France
93	Win	77–14–1 (1)	Manuel González	MD	10	Nov 1, 1973	Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
92	Loss	76–14–1 (1)	Carlos Monzón	UD	15	Jun 2, 1973	Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monaco	For WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
91	Draw	76–13–1 (1)	Nessim Max Cohen	PTS	10	Mar 12, 1973	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France
90	Loss	76–13 (1)	Jean-Claude Bouttier	DQ	7 (10)	Dec 18, 1972	Parc des Expositions, Paris, Paris, France	Griffith was disqualified for a low blow
89	Win	76–12 (1)	Joe DeNucci	SD	12	Oct 11, 1972	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
88	Win	75–12 (1)	Joe DeNucci	SD	10	Sep 16, 1972	Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
87	Win	74–12 (1)	Ernie Lopez	UD	10	Mar 30, 1972	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
86	Win	73–12 (1)	Jacques Kechichian	PTS	10	Feb 21, 1972	Paris, Paris, France
85	Win	72–12 (1)	Armando Muñíz	UD	10	Jan 31, 1972	Convention Center, Anaheim, California, U.S.
84	Win	71–12 (1)	Danny McAloon	UD	10	Dec 10, 1971	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
83	Loss	70–12 (1)	Carlos Monzón	TKO	14 (15), 2:32	Sep 25, 1971	Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina	For WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
82	Win	70–11 (1)	Nessim Max Cohen	UD	10	Jul 26, 1971	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
81	Win	69–11 (1)	Ernie Lopez	MD	10	May 3, 1971	Nevada Sports Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
80	Win	68–11 (1)	Rafael Gutierrez	UD	10	Mar 23, 1971	Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.
79	Win	67–11 (1)	Juan Ramos	TKO	7 (10)	Mar 5, 1971	Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
78	Win	66–11 (1)	Nate Collins	UD	10	Nov 10, 1970	Cow Palace, Daly City, California, U.S.
77	Win	65–11 (1)	Danny Perez	UD	12	Oct 17, 1970	Lionel Roberts Stadium, Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
76	Win	64–11 (1)	Dick Tiger	UD	10	Jul 15, 1970	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
75	Win	63–11 (1)	Tom Bogs	PTS	10	Jun 4, 1970	Valby Idraetspark, Valby, Denmark
74	Win	62–11 (1)	Carlos Marks	UD	12	Mar 11, 1970	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
73	Win	61–11 (1)	Doyle Baird	UD	10	Jan 28, 1970	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
72	Loss	60–11 (1)	José Nápoles	UD	15	Oct 17, 1969	Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.	For WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
71	Win	60–10 (1)	Art Hernandez	SD	10	Aug 15, 1969	Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S.
70	Win	59–10 (1)	Dick DiVeronica	TKO	7 (10), 1:28	Jul 11, 1969	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, U.S.
69	Win	58–10 (1)	Stanley Hayward	UD	12	May 12, 1969	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
68	Win	57–10 (1)	Andy Heilman	UD	10	Feb 3, 1969	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
67	Loss	56–10 (1)	Stanley Hayward	SD	10	Oct 29, 1968	The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
66	Win	56–9 (1)	Gypsy Joe Harris	UD	12	Aug 6, 1968	The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
65	Win	55–9 (1)	Andy Heilman	MD	12	Jun 11, 1968	Oakland Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
64	Loss	54–9 (1)	Nino Benvenuti	UD	15	Mar 4, 1968	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
63	Win	54–8 (1)	Remo Golfarini	TKO	6 (10)	Dec 15, 1967	Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Lazio, Italy
62	Win	53–8 (1)	Nino Benvenuti	MD	15	Sep 29, 1967	Shea Stadium, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
61	Loss	52–8 (1)	Nino Benvenuti	UD	15	Apr 17, 1967	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
60	Win	52–7 (1)	Joey Archer	UD	15	Jan 23, 1967	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
59	Win	51–7 (1)	Joey Archer	MD	15	Jul 13, 1966	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
58	Win	50–7 (1)	Dick Tiger	UD	15	Apr 25, 1966	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
57	Win	49–7 (1)	Johnny Brooks	UD	10	Feb 3, 1966	Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
56	Win	48–7 (1)	Manuel González	UD	15	Dec 10, 1965	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Retained WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
55	Win	47–7 (1)	Harry Scott	RTD	7 (10)	Oct 4, 1965	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K.
54	Win	46–7 (1)	Gabe Terronez	TKO	4 (10), 2:45	Sep 14, 1965	Kearney Bowl, Fresno, California, U.S.
53	Loss	45–7 (1)	Don Fullmer	UD	12	Aug 19, 1965	Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.	For WBA American middleweight title
52	Win	45–6 (1)	Eddie Pace	UD	10	Jun 14, 1965	Hawaii International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
51	Win	44–6 (1)	Jose Stable	UD	15	Mar 30, 1965	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Retained WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
50	Loss	43–6 (1)	Manuel González	SD	10	Jan 26, 1965	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, U.S.
49	Win	43–5 (1)	Dave Charnley	TKO	9 (10), 1:56	Dec 1, 1965	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.	Retained WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
48	Win	42–5 (1)	Brian Curvis	UD	15	Sep 22, 1964	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.	Retained WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
47	Win	41–5 (1)	Luis Manuel Rodríguez	SD	15	Jun 12, 1964	Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	Retained WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
46	Win	40–5 (1)	Stan Harrington	KO	4 (10), 1:40	Apr 14, 1964	Hawaii International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
45	NC	39–5 (1)	Juan Carlo Duran	NC	7 (10)	Mar 11, 1964	Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Lazio, Italy	The bout was halted when fans began throwing bottles and oranges in to the ring, because they wanted more action
44	Win	39–5	Ralph Dupas	KO	3 (12)	Feb 10, 1964	Sydney Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
43	Loss	38–5	Rubin Carter	TKO	1 (10), 2:13	Dec 20, 1963	Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
42	Win	38–4	Jose Monon Gonzalez	MD	10	Oct 5, 1963	Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
41	Win	37–4	Holly Mims	UD	10	Aug 10, 1963	Convention Center, Saratoga Springs, New York, U.S.
40	Win	36–4	Luis Manuel Rodríguez	SD	15	Jun 8, 1963	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
39	Loss	35–4	Luis Manuel Rodríguez	UD	15	Mar 21, 1963	Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Lost WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
38	Win	35–3	Christian Christensen	TKO	9 (15)	Feb 3, 1963	Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark	Retained world light-middleweight title; Recognized by the Austrian Boxing Board of Control
37	Win	34–3	Jorge Fernandez	TKO	9 (15)	Dec 8, 1962	Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	Retained NYSAC, WBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
36	Win	33–3	Ted Wright	PTS	15	Oct 17, 1962	Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria	Won inaugural world light-middleweight title; Recognized by the Austrian Boxing Board of Control, but by no other agencies
35	Win	32–3	Don Fullmer	UD	10	Oct 6, 1962	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
34	Win	31–3	Denny Moyer	SD	10	Aug 18, 1962	Sports Arena, Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
33	Win	30–3	Ralph Dupas	UD	15	Jul 13, 1962	Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
32	Win	29–3	Benny Paret	TKO	12 (15), 2:09	Mar 24, 1962	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles; Paret died on Apr 3, 1962, from injuries sustained in the fight
31	Win	28–3	Johnny Torres	UD	10	Feb 3, 1962	Lionel Roberts Stadium, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
30	Win	27–3	Isaac Logart	MD	10	Dec 23, 1961	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
29	Win	26–3	Stanford Bulla	KO	4 (10), 2:35	Nov 4, 1961	Hamilton, Bermuda
28	Loss	25–3	Benny Paret	SD	15	Sep 30, 1961	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
27	Win	25–2	Yama Bahama	UD	10	Jul 29, 1961	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
26	Win	24–2	Gaspar Ortega	TKO	12 (15), 0:48	Jun 3, 1961	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
25	Win	23–2	Benny Paret	KO	13 (15), 1:11	Apr 1, 1961	Miami Beach Convention Hall, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.	Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
24	Win	22–2	Luis Manuel Rodríguez	SD	10	Dec 17, 1960	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
23	Win	21–2	Willie Toweel	TKO	8 (10), 3:00	Oct 22, 1960	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
22	Win	20–2	Florentino Fernández	UD	10	Aug 25, 1960	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
21	Win	19–2	Jorge Fernandez	UD	10	Jul 25, 1960	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
20	Win	18–2	Jorge Fernandez	SD	10	Jun 3, 1960	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
19	Loss	17–2	Denny Moyer	SD	10	Apr 26, 1960	Pacific Livestock Pavilion, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
18	Win	17–1	Denny Moyer	SD	10	Mar 11, 1960	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
17	Win	16–1	Gaspar Ortega	SD	10	Feb 12, 1960	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
16	Win	15–1	Roberto Peña	UD	10	Jan 8, 1960	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
15	Win	14–1	Ray Lancaster	TKO	7 (10), 1:44	Nov 23, 1959	Academy of Music, New York City, New York, U.S.
14	Loss	13–1	Randy Sandy	SD	10	Oct 26, 1959	Academy of Music, New York City, New York, U.S.
13	Win	13–0	Kid Fichique	UD	10	Aug 7, 1959	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Willie Stevenson	UD	10	May 25, 1959	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Mel Barker	UD	10	Apr 27, 1959	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Bobby Shell	UD	10	Mar 23, 1959	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Barry Allison	TKO	5 (10), 2:44	Feb 23, 1959	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Willie Joe Johnson	TKO	5 (6), 1:52	Feb 9, 1959	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Gaylord Barnes	TKO	5 (6), 1:46	Jan 26, 1959	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Larry Jones	KO	5 (6), 2:17	Dec 15, 1958	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Sergio Rios	KO	3 (6), 1:01	Nov 17, 1958	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Artie Cunningham	PTS	6	Oct 6, 1958	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Tommy Leaks	PTS	4	Jul 21, 1958	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Bruce Gibson	PTS	4	Jun 23, 1958	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Joe Parham	PTS	4	Jun 2, 1958	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.

Honors and Recognition

Emile Griffith was named The Ring Fighter of the Year in 1964.
A park in his home, the U.S. Virgin Islands, is named after him.