emile griffith--down for the count

dead man walking · Post by **dead man walking** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:00 pm

Emile Griffith, the former world champion whose career was overshadowed by the fatal beating he gave Bennie Paret in a 1962 title bout, died Tuesday. He was 75.

baffled · Post by **baffled** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:04 pm

Saw this earlier on ESPN's boxing page.

I guess he was more or less a vegetable for the past few years. Between all his fights and taking a beating coming out of a gay bar a while back... the mind was gone.

RIP, champ.

dead man walking · Post by **dead man walking** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:08 pm

Griffith was 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."

baffled · Post by **baffled** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:12 pm

Yeah, he was an interesting person. Openly bisexual.

dead man walking · Post by **dead man walking** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:19 pm

i saw the paret fight on a black and white tv. i was 15. i thought griffith was the man. i had no idea at the time about griffith's proclivities and paret's whispered insult "maricon."

someone described paret as "illiterate in two languages."

baffled · Post by **baffled** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:37 pm

Yeah, from the little I know about Paret, he wasn't a real sharp dude.

He'd also taken a pretty bad beating from Gene Fullmer, IIRC, in his previous fight and some were concerned with whether he should have been fighting again so soon against Griffith.

Seems like Griffith was just a real, straight forward kind of guy. An article I read earlier said he'd go in the front entrance to gay bars, not a side or, no pun intended, back entrance. Just put himself out there and lived his life how he wanted. A dude here, a chick there, whatever worked.

T200 · Post by **T200** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:49 pm

Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story was a great doc from a few years ago.

RIP

TomFurman · Post by **TomFurman** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:59 pm

He and Robert Conrad did a boxing tour for the military I believe. Life is made up of interesting people.
RIP

baffled · Post by **baffled** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 11:51 pm

T200 wrote:Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story was a great doc from a few years ago.

RIP

Excellent call. Ring Of Fire is one of the best sports docs I've watched. Followed closely by the doc on Luis Resto. After those two (and I'm biased as a boxing guy).... Hoop Dreams, motherfuckers.

IGX

emile griffith--down for the count

emile griffith--down for the count

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