Emile Griffith
Name: Emile Griffith
Birth Name: Emile Alphonse Griffith
Born: 1938-02-03
Birthplace: Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands (US)
Nationality: Virgin Islands (US)
Hometown: New York, New York, USA
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 5′ 7½″ / 171cm
Reach: 72″ / 183cm
Boxing Record: click
Trainer: Gil Clancy
Managers: Howard Albert and Gil Clancy
Emile Griffith Gallery
Contents |
Amateur Career
Griffith was born on St. Thomas, an island of the U.S. Virgin Islands. He moved to New York at the age of nineteen and worked as a stock boy at a millinery owned by Howard Albert. Through his encouragement, Griffith began boxing under Gil Clancy at the West 28th Street Parks Department Gym.
In 1958 Griffith won the Open New York Daily News Golden Gloves Championship vs.Osvaldo Marcano, the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions and the Intercity Golden Gloves' championship vs. Dave Holman, all at welterweight.
| Preceded by: William Pickett |
New York Daily News Golden Gloves Open Welterweight Champion 1958 |
Succeeded by: Kenneth Suhovsky |
| Preceded by: Jimmy Chavis |
New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions Welterweight Champion 1958 |
Succeeded by: Kenneth Suhovsky |
| Preceded by: Joe Shaw |
Intercity Golden Gloves Welterweight Champion 1958 |
Succeeded by: Ossie Marcano |
Griffith vs. Paret III
On March 24, 1962, in front of a national television audience, Griffith fought bitter rival Benny (Kid) Paret at Madison Square Garden. Griffith won by way of a brutal 12th round TKO to regain the World Welterweight Championship. Paret slipped into a coma and died ten days later. Regarding Paret's death, Griffith was later quoted:
"People spit at me in the street. We stayed in a hotel. Every time there was a knock on the door, I would run into the next room. I was so scared. I was never the same fighter after that. After that fight, I did enough to win. I would use my jab all the time. I never wanted to hurt the other guy ... I would have quit but I didn't know how to do anything else but fight." - June 19, 1993, Associated Press
The events surrounding the third Griffith-Paret bout are detailed in the bio-documentary "Ring of Fire."
Awards & Recognition
- Named The Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year for 1964.
- Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1985 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, its initial year.
Trainer
Trains / Trained:
External Link
| Preceded by: Benny (Kid) Paret |
World Welterweight Champion 1961 Apr 1 – 1961 Sep 30 |
Succeeded by: Benny (Kid) Paret |
| Preceded by: Benny (Kid) Paret |
World Welterweight Champion 1962 Mar 24 – 1962 Dec 8 |
Succeeded by: Emile Griffith |
| Preceded by: World Welterweight Champion Emile Griffith |
WBA Welterweight Champion 1962 Dec 8 – 1963 Mar 21 |
Succeeded by: Luis Manuel Rodriguez |
| Preceded by: Inaugural Champion |
WBC Welterweight Champion 1963 Feb 14 – 1963 Mar 21 |
Succeeded by: Luis Manuel Rodriguez |
| Preceded by: Luis Manuel Rodriguez |
WBA Welterweight Champion WBC Welterweight Champion 1963 Jun 8 – 1966 Apr 25 Vacated |
Succeeded by: Curtis Cokes |
| Preceded by: Dick Tiger |
WBA Middleweight Champion WBC Middleweight Champion 1966 Apr 25 – 1967 Apr 17 |
Succeeded by: Nino Benvenuti |
| Preceded by: Nino Benvenuti |
WBA Middleweight Champion WBC Middleweight Champion 1967 Sep 29 – 1968 Mar 4 |
Succeeded by: Nino Benvenuti |
