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Emile Alphonse Griffith (February 3, 1938 – July 23, 2013) was an American
"The Shadow Boxer"
Sports Illustrated, April 18, 2005. Griffith had to be restrained from attacking Paret on the spot. The media at the time either ignored the slur or used
, CBSSports.com; accessed January 30, 2016. 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!". 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 passersby. He would later receive hate mail from Paret supporters who were convinced Griffith intentionally killed Paret. New York
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.
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
"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.
Washington Post article April 20, 2005
World Boxing Association History
National Boxing Association's Quarterly Ratings: 1961 – BoxRec
National Boxing Association's Quarterly Ratings: 1962 – BoxRec
, - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, Emile 1938 births 2013 deaths Deaths from dementia in New York (state) International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Middleweight boxers Sportspeople 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 Boxers with chronic traumatic encephalopathy African-American LGBTQ people American bisexual sportspeople American bisexual men Bisexual sportsmen LGBTQ boxers 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen American LGBTQ sportsmen
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
who won world titles in three weight divisions. He held the world light middleweight
Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports.
Boxing
The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the Intern ...
, undisputed welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
, and middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .
Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...
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
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing punches at each other for a ...
. 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
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopedia of boxing.
The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
's ranking of the greatest pound for pound
Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, adjusted to compensate for weight class. As fighters in different weight classes do not compete directly, determining the best fighter pound for ...
boxers of all time. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, right next to exit 34 of the New York State Thruway, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected on ballots cre ...
in the inaugural class of 1990.
Career
Amateur
Griffith was born on February 3, 1938. 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 1958New York Golden Gloves
The New York Golden Gloves is an amateur boxing tournament. It has long been considered by many boxing aficionados as one of the most elite Golden Gloves titles, along with the Chicago Golden Gloves. Named for the small golden Boxing glove, gloves ...
147 lb Open Championship, defeating Osvaldo Marcano of the Police Athletic Leagues Lynch Center in the final. 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
Griffith turned professional in 1958 and fought frequently in New York City. He captured theWelterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
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 four-fight series with Luis Rodríguez, losing their second fight and winning the other three. He defeated middleweight contender Holley 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
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...
), 24 losses and 2 draws.
Benny Paret
Griffith and Paret's third fight, which was nationally televised by ABC, occurred on March 24, 1962, atMadison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
. 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
''Faggot'', often shortened to ''fag'', is a Pejorative, slur in the English language that was used to refer to gay men but its meaning has expanded to other members of the queer community. In American youth culture around the turn of the 21s ...
".Smith, Gar"The Shadow Boxer"
Sports Illustrated, April 18, 2005. Griffith had to be restrained from attacking Paret on the spot. The media at the time either ignored the slur or used
euphemism
A euphemism ( ) is when an expression that could offend or imply something unpleasant is replaced with one that is agreeable or inoffensive. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the u ...
s 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.The Great Rivalries, CBSSports.com; accessed January 30, 2016. 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!". 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 passersby. He would later receive hate mail from Paret supporters who were convinced Griffith intentionally killed Paret. New York
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...
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''.
Trainer
Griffith trained other boxers, includingWilfred Benítez
Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight division ...
and Juan Laporte of Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
. Both won world championships. Griffith is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame
The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, right next to exit 34 of the New York State Thruway, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected on ballots cre ...
. In 1979–80, he was in Denmark serving as the coach of the Danish Olympic boxing team.
Personal life
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.
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
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
.
Griffith was bisexual
Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
. He was quoted in ''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' 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."
Death
A long-time resident ofWeehawken, New Jersey
Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the Hudson Waterfront and Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's po ...
, Griffith died July 23, 2013, at a care facility in Hempstead, New York. In his final years, he suffered from dementia pugilistica
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse ...
and required full-time care. His lover, whom he had adopted as a 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 theSundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023.
The festival has acted ...
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
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
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
Leonard Ian Abrahamson (born 30 November 1966) is an Irish film and television director. He is best known for directing independent films ''Adam & Paul'' (2004), ''Garage (film), Garage'' (2007), ''What Richard Did'' (2012), ''Frank (film), Fra ...
is working on a biopic focusing on Griffith's rivalry with Paret, originally intended to be released in 2019 but subsequently delayed.
* 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
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" , - ! !Result !Record !Opponent !Type !Round, time !Date !Location !Notes , - , 112 , Loss , 85–24–2 , align=left, Alan Minter , PTS , 10 , Jul 30, 1977 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 111 , Loss , 85–23–2 , align=left, Mayfield Pennington , SD , 10 , Jul 16, 1977 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 110 , Loss , 85–22–2 , align=left, Joel Bonnetaz , PTS , 10 , Apr 15, 1977 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 109 , Win , 85–21–2 , align=left, Christy Elliott , MD , 10 , Feb 2, 1977 , style="text-align:left;", , align=left, , - align=center , 108 , Win , 84–21–2 , align=left, Frank Reiche , TKO , 10 (10) , Dec 4, 1976 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 107 , Win , 83–21–2 , align=left, Dino Del Cid , TKO , 4 (10) , Oct 24, 1976 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 106 , Loss , 82–21–2 , align=left, Eckhard Dagge , MD , 15 , Sep 18, 1976 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 105 , Draw , 82–20–2 , align=left, Bennie Briscoe , PTS , 10 , Jun 26, 1976 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 104 , Loss , 82–20–1 , align=left, Loucif Hamani , UD , 10 , Feb 9, 1976 , style="text-align:left;", , align=left, , - align=center , 103 , Win , 82–19–1 , align=left, Jose Roberto Chirino , UD , 10 , Nov 7, 1975 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 102 , Loss , 81–19–1 , align=left, Elijah Makathini , PTS , 10 , Aug 9, 1975 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 101 , Win , 81–18–1 , align=left, Leo Saenz , UD , 10 , Jul 23, 1975 , style="text-align:left;", , align=left, , - align=center , 100 , Loss , 80–18–1 , align=left, Jose Luis Duran , UD , 10 , May 31, 1974 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 99 , Win , 80–17–1 , align=left, Donato Paduano , UD , 10 , Dec 10, 1974 , style="text-align:left;", , align=left, , - align=center , 98 , Loss , 79–17–1 , align=left, Vito Antuofermo , UD , 10 , Nov 22, 1974 , style="text-align:left;", , align=left, , - align=center , 97 , Win , 79–16–1 , align=left, Bennie Briscoe , MD , 10 , Oct 9, 1974 , style="text-align:left;", , align=left, , - align=center , 96 , Win , 78–16–1 , align=left, Renato Garcia , PTS , 10 , May 25, 1974 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 95 , Loss , 77–16–1 , align=left, Tony Licata , UD , 12 , Feb 5, 1974 , style="text-align:left;", , align=left, , - align=center , 94 , Loss , 77–15–1 , align=left, Tony Mundine , UD , 12 , Nov 19, 1973 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 93 , Win , 77–14–1 , align=left, Manuel González , MD , 10 , Nov 1, 1973 , style="text-align:left;", , align=left, , - align=center , 92 , Loss , 76–14–1 , align=left, Carlos Monzón , UD , 15 , Jun 2, 1973 , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , 91 , Draw , 76–13–1 , align=left, Nessim Max Cohen , PTS , 10 , Mar 12, 1973 , style="text-align:left;", , align=left, , - align=center , 90 , Loss , 76–13 , align=left,Jean-Claude Bouttier
Jean-Claude Bouttier (13 October 1944 – 3 August 2019) was a French actor and professional boxer. During his boxing career, which spanned from 1965 to 1974, he won 64 out of 72 bouts, 43 of them by knockout. In June 1971 he won the European B ...
, DQ
, 7 (10)
, Dec 18, 1972
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
, - align=center
, 89
, Win
, 76–12
, align=left, Joe DeNucci
, SD
, 12
, Oct 11, 1972
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 88
, Win
, 75–12
, align=left, Joe DeNucci
, SD
, 10
, Sep 16, 1972
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 87
, Win
, 74–12
, align=left, Ernie Lopez
, UD
, 10
, Mar 30, 1972
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 86
, Win
, 73–12
, align=left, Jacques Kechichian
, PTS
, 10
, Feb 21, 1972
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 85
, Win
, 72–12
, align=left, Armando Muñíz
, UD
, 10
, Jan 31, 1972
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 84
, Win
, 71–12
, align=left, Danny McAloon
, UD
, 10
, Dec 10, 1971
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 83
, Loss
, 70–12
, align=left, Carlos Monzón
, TKO
, 14 (15), 2:32
, Sep 25, 1971
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 82
, Win
, 70–11
, align=left, Nessim Max Cohen
, UD
, 10
, Jul 26, 1971
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 81
, Win
, 69–11
, align=left, Ernie Lopez
, MD
, 10
, May 3, 1971
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 80
, Win
, 68–11
, align=left, Rafael Gutierrez
, UD
, 10
, Mar 23, 1971
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 79
, Win
, 67–11
, align=left, Juan Ramos
, TKO
, 7 (10)
, Mar 5, 1971
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 78
, Win
, 66–11
, align=left, Nate Collins
, UD
, 10
, Nov 10, 1970
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 77
, Win
, 65–11
, align=left, Danny Perez
, UD
, 12
, Oct 17, 1970
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 76
, Win
, 64–11
, align=left, Dick Tiger
, UD
, 10
, Jul 15, 1970
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 75
, Win
, 63–11
, align=left, Tom Bogs
, PTS
, 10
, Jun 4, 1970
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 74
, Win
, 62–11
, align=left, Carlos Marks
, UD
, 12
, Mar 11, 1970
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 73
, Win
, 61–11
, align=left, Doyle Baird
, UD
, 10
, Jan 28, 1970
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 72
, Loss
, 60–11
, align=left, José Nápoles
, UD
, 15
, Oct 17, 1969
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 71
, Win
, 60–10
, align=left, Art Hernandez
, SD
, 10
, Aug 15, 1969
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 70
, Win
, 59–10
, align=left, Dick DiVeronica
, TKO
, 7 (10), 1:28
, Jul 11, 1969
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 69
, Win
, 58–10
, align=left, Stanley Hayward
, UD
, 12
, May 12, 1969
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 68
, Win
, 57–10
, align=left, Andy Heilman
, UD
, 10
, Feb 3, 1969
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 67
, Loss
, 56–10
, align=left, Stanley Hayward
, SD
, 10
, Oct 29, 1968
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 66
, Win
, 56–9
, align=left, Gypsy Joe Harris
, UD
, 12
, Aug 6, 1968
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 65
, Win
, 55–9
, align=left, Andy Heilman
, MD
, 12
, Jun 11, 1968
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 64
, Loss
, 54–9
, align=left, Nino Benvenuti
, UD
, 15
, Mar 4, 1968
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 63
, Win
, 54–8
, align=left, Remo Golfarini
, TKO
, 6 (10)
, Dec 15, 1967
, style="text-align:left;",
,
, - align=center
, 62
, Win
, 53–8
, align=left, Nino Benvenuti
, MD
, 15
, Sep 29, 1967
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 61
, Loss
, 52–8
, align=left, Nino Benvenuti
, UD
, 15
, Apr 17, 1967
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 60
, Win
, 52–7
, align=left, Joey Archer
, UD
, 15
, Jan 23, 1967
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 59
, Win
, 51–7
, align=left, Joey Archer
, MD
, 15
, Jul 13, 1966
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 58
, Win
, 50–7
, align=left, Dick Tiger
, UD
, 15
, Apr 25, 1966
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 57
, Win
, 49–7
, align=left, Johnny Brooks
, UD
, 10
, Feb 3, 1966
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 56
, Win
, 48–7
, align=left, Manuel González
, UD
, 15
, Dec 10, 1965
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 55
, Win
, 47–7
, align=left, Harry Scott
, RTD
, 7 (10)
, Oct 4, 1965
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 54
, Win
, 46–7
, align=left, Gabe Terronez
, TKO
, 4 (10), 2:45
, Sep 14, 1965
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 53
, Loss
, 45–7
, align=left, Don Fullmer
, UD
, 12
, Aug 19, 1965
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
, - align=center
, 52
, Win
, 45–6
, align=left, Eddie Pace
, UD
, 10
, Jun 14, 1965
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 51
, Win
, 44–6
, align=left, Jose Stable
, UD
, 15
, Mar 30, 1965
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 50
, Loss
, 43–6
, align=left, Manuel González
, SD
, 10
, Jan 26, 1965
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 49
, Win
, 43–5
, align=left, Dave Charnley
, TKO
, 9 (10), 1:56
, Dec 1, 1965
, style="text-align:left;",
,
, - align=center
, 48
, Win
, 42–5
, align=left, Brian Curvis
, UD
, 15
, Sep 22, 1964
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 47
, Win
, 41–5
, align=left, Luis Manuel Rodríguez
, SD
, 15
, Jun 12, 1964
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 46
, Win
, 40–5
, align=left, Stan Harrington
, KO
, 4 (10), 1:40
, Apr 14, 1964
, style="text-align:left;",
,
, - align=center
, 45
, style="background: #DDD", NC
, 39–5
, align=left, Juan Carlo Duran
, NC
, 7 (10)
, Mar 11, 1964
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
, - align=center
, 44
, Win
, 39–5
, align=left, Ralph Dupas
, KO
, 3 (12)
, Feb 10, 1964
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 43
, Loss
, 38–5
, align=left, Rubin Carter
, TKO
, 1 (10), 2:13
, Dec 20, 1963
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 42
, Win
, 38–4
, align=left, Jose Monon Gonzalez
, MD
, 10
, Oct 5, 1963
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 41
, Win
, 37–4
, align=left, Holly Mims
, UD
, 10
, Aug 10, 1963
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 40
, Win
, 36–4
, align=left, Luis Manuel Rodríguez
, SD
, 15
, Jun 8, 1963
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 39
, Loss
, 35–4
, align=left, Luis Manuel Rodríguez
, UD
, 15
, Mar 21, 1963
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 38
, Win
, 35–3
, align=left, Christian Christensen
, TKO
, 9 (15)
, Feb 3, 1963
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 37
, Win
, 34–3
, align=left, Jorge Fernandez
, TKO
, 9 (15)
, Dec 8, 1962
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 36
, Win
, 33–3
, align=left, Ted Wright
, PTS
, 15
, Oct 17, 1962
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 35
, Win
, 32–3
, align=left, Don Fullmer
, UD
, 10
, Oct 6, 1962
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 34
, Win
, 31–3
, align=left, Denny Moyer
, SD
, 10
, Aug 18, 1962
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 33
, Win
, 30–3
, align=left, Ralph Dupas
, UD
, 15
, Jul 13, 1962
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 32
, Win
, 29–3
, align=left, Benny Paret
, TKO
, 12 (15), 2:09
, Mar 24, 1962
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 31
, Win
, 28–3
, align=left, Johnny Torres
, UD
, 10
, Feb 3, 1962
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 30
, Win
, 27–3
, align=left, Isaac Logart
, MD
, 10
, Dec 23, 1961
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 29
, Win
, 26–3
, align=left, Stanford Bulla
, KO
, 4 (10), 2:35
, Nov 4, 1961
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 28
, Loss
, 25–3
, align=left, Benny Paret
, SD
, 15
, Sep 30, 1961
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 27
, Win
, 25–2
, align=left, Yama Bahama
, UD
, 10
, Jul 29, 1961
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 26
, Win
, 24–2
, align=left, Gaspar Ortega
, TKO
, 12 (15), 0:48
, Jun 3, 1961
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 25
, Win
, 23–2
, align=left, Benny Paret
, KO
, 13 (15), 1:11
, Apr 1, 1961
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 24
, Win
, 22–2
, align=left, Luis Manuel Rodríguez
, SD
, 10
, Dec 17, 1960
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 23
, Win
, 21–2
, align=left, Willie Toweel
, TKO
, 8 (10), 3:00
, Oct 22, 1960
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 22
, Win
, 20–2
, align=left, Florentino Fernández
, UD
, 10
, Aug 25, 1960
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 21
, Win
, 19–2
, align=left, Jorge Fernandez
, UD
, 10
, Jul 25, 1960
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 20
, Win
, 18–2
, align=left, Jorge Fernandez
, SD
, 10
, Jun 3, 1960
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 19
, Loss
, 17–2
, align=left, Denny Moyer
, SD
, 10
, Apr 26, 1960
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 18
, Win
, 17–1
, align=left, Denny Moyer
, SD
, 10
, Mar 11, 1960
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 17
, Win
, 16–1
, align=left, Gaspar Ortega
, SD
, 10
, Feb 12, 1960
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 16
, Win
, 15–1
, align=left, Roberto Peña
, UD
, 10
, Jan 8, 1960
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 15
, Win
, 14–1
, align=left, Ray Lancaster
, TKO
, 7 (10), 1:44
, Nov 23, 1959
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, -
, 14
, Loss
, 13–1
, align=left, Randy Sandy
, SD
, 10
, Oct 26, 1959
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 13
, Win
, 13–0
, align=left, Kid Fichique
, UD
, 10
, Aug 7, 1959
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 12
, Win
, 12–0
, align=left, Willie Stevenson
, UD
, 10
, May 25, 1959
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 11
, Win
, 11–0
, align=left, Mel Barker
, UD
, 10
, Apr 27, 1959
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 10
, Win
, 10–0
, align=left, Bobby Shell
, UD
, 10
, Mar 23, 1959
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 9
, Win
, 9–0
, align=left, Barry Allison
, TKO
, 5 (10), 2:44
, Feb 23, 1959
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 8
, Win
, 8–0
, align=left, Willie Joe Johnson
, TKO
, 5 (6), 1:52
, Feb 9, 1959
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 7
, Win
, 7–0
, align=left, Gaylord Barnes
, TKO
, 5 (6), 1:46
, Jan 26, 1959
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 6
, Win
, 6–0
, align=left, Larry Jones
, KO
, 5 (6), 2:17
, Dec 15, 1958
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 5
, Win
, 5–0
, align=left, Sergio Rios
, KO
, 3 (6), 1:01
, Nov 17, 1958
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 4
, Win
, 4–0
, align=left, Artie Cunningham
, PTS
, 6
, Oct 6, 1958
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 3
, Win
, 3–0
, align=left, Tommy Leaks
, PTS
, 4
, Jul 21, 1958
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 2
, Win
, 2–0
, align=left, Bruce Gibson
, PTS
, 4
, Jun 23, 1958
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
, - align=center
, 1
, Win
, 1–0
, align=left, Joe Parham
, PTS
, 4
, Jun 2, 1958
, style="text-align:left;",
, align=left,
Titles in boxing
Major world titles
* NYSACwelterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
champion (147 lbs) (3×)
* NBA (WBA) welterweight champion (147 lbs) (3×)
* WBC welterweight champion (147 lbs) (2×)
* WBA middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2×)
* WBC middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2×)
''The Ring'' magazine titles
* ''The Ring'' welterweight champion (147 lbs) (3×) * ''The Ring'' middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2×)Undisputed titles
* Undisputed welterweight champion (3×) * Undisputed middleweight championHonorary titles
* Austrian Boxing Board of Control World light middleweight champion (154 lbs)Honors
* Named '' The Ring'' Fighter of the Year for 1964. * A park has been named in Griffith's honor in his nativeUS Virgin Islands
The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a Territories of the United States, territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Isl ...
.
Recording artist
Emile Griffiths had a brief career as a recording artist between 1966 and 1969. He recorded two 45s released on theColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American reco ...
and 'Going, Going Gone' , a moderately successful record for Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
' Tangerine label.
See also
*List of welterweight boxing champions
Beginning with Mysterious Billy Smith to Harry Lewis, the welterweight world champions listed below are more widely recognized in the United States and are not as widely sanctioned as the boxers that follow. Beginning with boxer Pat Bradley, is a ...
* List of light middleweight boxing champions
* List of middleweight boxing champions
* List of WBC world champions
This is a list of WBC world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the World Boxing Council (WBC). The WBC is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and certifies world champions in 18 different weight cla ...
* List of WBA world champions
This is a list of WBA world champions, showing every world champion certified by the World Boxing Association (WBA). The list also includes champions certified by the National Boxing Association (NBA), the predecessor to the WBA.
Boxers who won t ...
* List of undisputed boxing champions
This is a list of Undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champions in professional boxing. Eras that are not listed do not have any undisputed champions.
Championship recognition
Titles have been awarded by:
*New York State Athletic Com ...
* List of boxing triple champions
Notes and references
Notes
References
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
* * *Washington Post article April 20, 2005
World Boxing Association History
National Boxing Association's Quarterly Ratings: 1961 – BoxRec
National Boxing Association's Quarterly Ratings: 1962 – BoxRec
, - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, Emile 1938 births 2013 deaths Deaths from dementia in New York (state) International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Middleweight boxers Sportspeople 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 Boxers with chronic traumatic encephalopathy African-American LGBTQ people American bisexual sportspeople American bisexual men Bisexual sportsmen LGBTQ boxers 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen American LGBTQ sportsmen