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 (February 3, 1938 – July 23, 2013) was a professional boxer from the U.S. Virgin Islands who won world titles in three weight divisions. He held the world light middleweight, undisputed welterweight, and middleweight titles. His best-known contest was a 1962 title match with Benny Paret. Griffith won the bout by knockout; Paret never recovered consciousness and died in the hospital 10 days later.

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. Griffith currently ranks #127 in BoxRec's ranking of the greatest pound for pound boxers of all time. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.

Career
Personal life
- Death
Media representations
Professional boxing record
Honors
See also

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.

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.

Professional

Emile Griffith - 1971

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. New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller created a seven-man commission to investigate the incident and the sport. Griffith reportedly felt guilt over Paret's death and suffered nightmares about Paret for 40 years.

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.

Griffith waged a classic four-fight series with Luis Rodríguez, losing their second fight and winning the other three. 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 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, 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.

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.

Personal life

Luis Rodrigo Griffith, Emile's adopted son and caretaker, at the after party of the world premiere of Terence Blanchard's opera Champion on June 15, 2013.

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". Griffith adopted Donastorg's daughter, but the marriage only lasted a few months. After retiring from boxing, Griffith worked as a corrections officer at the Secaucus, New Jersey Juvenile Detention Facility.

Death

A long-time resident of Weehawken, New Jersey, 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, Luis Rodrigo Griffith, was his primary caregiver. He was buried in St. Michael's Cemetery, Queens, New York City.

Media representations

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.
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.

Professional 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	85–21–2 (1)	Christy Elliott	MD	10	Feb 2, 1977	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
108	Win	84–21–2 (1)	Frank Reiche	TKO	10 (10)	Dec 4, 1976	Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg, West Germany
107	Win	83–21–2 (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

Named The Ring Fighter of the Year for 1964.
A park has been named in Griffith's honor in his native US Virgin Islands.