Who recognized Emile Griffith as the Jr. Middleweight Champ?

scartissue · Post by **scartissue** » 20 Nov 2006, 18:22

That's quite true, with the inauguration of the Jr. Middle division set with Denny Moyer and Joey Giambra ready to go at it, the EBU sanctions their own version of the Jr. Middleweight championship with Emile Griffith going against Teddy Wright in Austria of all places, with Griffith winning a 15 round decision. And get this, this fight took place 3 days before Moyer-Giambra. Griffith was still welter champ but defended the Jr. Middleweight tile once stopping Chris Christensen in Denmark but never defended it again. I don't know the reasoning behind it but it just went into disuse.

Scartissue

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 21 Nov 2006, 03:34

....emile griffith challenged edvard dagge for the jr. middleweight title and lost.....though i saw the fight ion tv and thought he won and was impressed with how good he was at out jabbong a taller opponent. i don't know how dagge won the title or who from.....

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 21 Nov 2006, 14:10

...oops...i should have added that it was the wbc title that griffith challenged dagge for.

that division didn't have the "prestige" it has now.

(i put prestige in quotes because i give it very little myself)

elmersalsa · Post by **elmersalsa** » 21 Nov 2006, 14:23

I believe that Griffith was a triple crown champ and the first champion of the 154 pound division in 1962.

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 24 Nov 2006, 03:40

...my 1980 edition of the ring record bok and encyclopedia shows emile griffith as engagning in only one junior middleweight title fight, and that's the one he challenged and lost against edvard dagge, as i previously posted.

i can't find any recognition of him as champion anywhere....not saying that somebody somewhere sometime didn't consider him such....just don't know who, when or why.

elmersalsa · Post by **elmersalsa** » 01 Dec 2006, 14:19

Decagon wrote:Recognized by whom?

I will give you the answer tomorrow

Martin Sosa Cameron · Post by **Martin Sosa Cameron** » 02 Dec 2006, 12:31

In the 1981 edition of TRRB, are two bouts of Emile Griffith advertised for the Jr Middle "World Title" before the fight of 1976 between Griffith and Eckhart Dagge; curiously, all this bouts were in Europe:

1962 October 17-- E. Griffith beat Ted Wright, 15, Vienna ("vacant")
1963 February 2-- E. Griffith stopped Chris Christensen, 9, Copenhagen

Few days after this second bout, Griffith renounced this title. Meanwhile, in a short difference of days, on October 20, 1962, Denny Moyer beat Joey Giambra, 15, in Portland, for another "vacant" version, and on February 19, 1963, Moyer outpointed Stan Harrington, 15, in Honolulu. This are the only facts I have, and I don't know what organization recognized Griffith as "Champion", but, as today a lot of boys in a lot of versions and a lot of weights are named as "World Champions", I thinks that Griffith had all the height of an authentic World Champion in whatever weight

KSTAT124 · Post by **KSTAT124** » 02 Dec 2006, 15:31

The progression of "recognition" or "acceptance" of the junior middleweight division (as well as the other "junior" divisions) can be seen when comparing the The Ring Boxing Encyclopedia and Record Book- 1979 edition and The Ring 1980 Record Book.

In the 1979 edition, there was one section (Section Three) which lumped together all "Junior Champions and Title Claimants in All Divisions, Retired" and "Junior Middleweight Champions Begin with 1974". (It should be noted that The Ring did not include rankings for the junior middleweight division prior to 1974.)

The 1980 Record Book was the first to have sections for each of the "junior" divisions. The junior middleweight division history listed there began with the October 20, 1962 bout between Denny Moyer and Joey Giambra.

The Ring 1981 Record Book and Boxing Encyclopedia, although showing Moyer-Giambra as the first 154-lb. limit title bout in the junior middleweight section, was the first to include the notation "Advertised For the Junior Middleweight Title" below both Emile Griffith's October 17, 1962 win over Teddy Wright in Vienna and his February 3, 1963 win over Chris Christensen in Copenhagen.

It wasn't until the publication of The Ring 1986-1987 Record Book and Boxing Encyclopedia that the Griffith-Wright and Griffith-Christiansen bouts were listed in the junior middleweight division's history and notated that they were for the EBU world junior middleweight title.