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Emile Griffith
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Emile Alphonse Griffith is a former boxer who was the first fighter from the U.S. Virgin Islands ever to become a world champion. He is perhaps best known for his controversial third fight with Benny Paret
Benny Paret
Benny "the Kid" Paret, born Bernardo Paret , born in Santa Clara, Cuba, was a Cuban welterweight boxer. Paret won the world welterweight title twice in the early 1960s and died in 1962 following an unsuccessful attempt to defend the crown in what is considered to be the first ring death witnessed...

 in 1962 for the welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...

 world championship. Griffith later won the world middleweight title and claimed an early version of the junior middleweight world championship, a claim that has not been universally recognized although some consider Griffith a three-division champion fighter.

Amateur

Griffith as a youth never dreamed of becoming a boxer and was discovered by accident. 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
Gil Clancy
Gilbert Thomas "Gil" Clancy was a Hall of Fame boxing trainer and one of the most noted boxing commentators of the 1980s and 1990s. He worked with such famous boxers as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman, as well as Gerry Cooney in his fight with Foreman. In the 1990s, he worked with...

's gym.

Griffith won the 1958 New York Golden Gloves
New York Golden Gloves
The New York Golden Gloves is a boxing tournament considered by many boxing aficionados as one of the three most elite Golden Gloves titles, along with the Chicago 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

Griffith turned professional in 1958 and fought frequently in New York City.

Griffith captured the Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...

 title from Cuban Benny "The Kid" Paret
Benny Paret
Benny "the Kid" Paret, born Bernardo Paret , born in Santa Clara, Cuba, was a Cuban welterweight boxer. Paret won the world welterweight title twice in the early 1960s and died in 1962 following an unsuccessful attempt to defend the crown in what is considered to be the first ring death witnessed...

 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 detailed below.

Griffith waged a classic three-fight series with Luis Rodriguez
Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Luis Manuel Rodríguez was a professional boxing champion. Known as "El Feo", Rodriguez began his career in pre-Castro Havana. In Cuba, Rodriguez twice defeated the ill-fated future welterweight champion Benny Kid Paret.After the Cuban Revolution, Rodríguez campaigned in the United States...

, losing the first and winning the other two. He defeated middleweight contender Holly Mims but was knocked out in one round by Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. Three years later, on February 3, 1966, he faced middleweight champion Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger CBE was a boxer from Ubahu village, Amaigbo, Nigeria, who emigrated to Liverpool and later to the United States of America. Tiger was a member of the Igbo ethnic group...

 and won a ten-round 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. Like so many other fighters, Griffith fought well past his prime. He won only nine of his last twenty three fights.

Other boxers he fought in his career were the world champions American Denny Moyer
Denny Moyer
Denny Moyer was an American boxer who held the world light middleweight title between 1962 and 1963. He finished his career with a 97–38–4 record.-Early life:...

, Cuban Luis Rodríguez
Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Luis Manuel Rodríguez was a professional boxing champion. Known as "El Feo", Rodriguez began his career in pre-Castro Havana. In Cuba, Rodriguez twice defeated the ill-fated future welterweight champion Benny Kid Paret.After the Cuban Revolution, Rodríguez campaigned in the United States...

, Argentinian Carlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight title for 7 years, during which he successfully defended the title 14 times....

, Nigerian Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger CBE was a boxer from Ubahu village, Amaigbo, Nigeria, who emigrated to Liverpool and later to the United States of America. Tiger was a member of the Igbo ethnic group...

, Mexican José Nápoles
José Napoles
José Ángel Nápoles, nicknamed Mantequilla , is a Cuban-Mexican boxer and former world welterweight champion, who is frequently ranked as one of the greatest fighters of all time in that division...

 and in his last title try, German Eckhard Dagge
Eckhard Dagge
Eckhard Dagge , was a professional boxer in the super welterweight division....

. After 18 years as a professional boxer, Griffith retired with a record of 85 wins (25 by knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

), 24 losses and 2 draws.

Controversial third fight with Benny Paret

The bout which was nationally televised by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 occurred on March 24, 1962 at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

. In the sixth round Paret nearly knocked out Griffith with a multi punch combination but Griffith was saved by the bell. After the round his trainer Gil Clancy
Gil Clancy
Gilbert Thomas "Gil" Clancy was a Hall of Fame boxing trainer and one of the most noted boxing commentators of the 1980s and 1990s. He worked with such famous boxers as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman, as well as Gerry Cooney in his fight with Foreman. In the 1990s, he worked with...

 got into his face and 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!". In round twelve Griffith knocked Paret unconscious yet Paret stood, still propped up against the ropes while Griffith struck Paret repeatedly over the next several seconds before referee Ruby Goldstein
Ruby Goldstein
"Ruby" Goldstein , the "Jewel Of The Ghetto," was an American boxer and prize fight referee.-Boxing career:Before he became a referee, Goldstein boxed professionally from 1925 to 1937...

 stopped the fight. Paret never regained consciousness, and he died ten days later.

Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

 reported in its April 18, 2005, edition that Griffith's rage may have been fueled by an anti-gay
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...

 slur directed at him by Paret during the weigh-in. Paret reportedly called his opponent a maricón, the Spanish equivalent of "faggot"; Griffith nearly went after him on the spot and had to be restrained. The media at the time either ignored the slur or used euphemisms such as "anti-man". The 2005 article pointed out that it would have been career suicide for an athlete or any other celebrity during the 1960s to admit that he was gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

.

While Paret was lying on the floor being attended to Griffith told a television interviewer "I'm very proud to be the welterweight champion again...and 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 passers-by. He would later receive hate mail from Paret's supporters who were convinced Griffith purposely killed Paret.

This incident, 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. New York Governor
Governor (United States)
In the United States, the title governor refers to the chief executive of each state or insular territory, not directly subordinate to the federal authorities, but the political and ceremonial head of the state.-Role and powers:...

 Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...

 created a seven man commission to investigate the incident and the sport. NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

, which televised the fatal bout, ended its boxing broadcasts and other U.S. networks followed; the sport would not return to free television until the 1970s. Goldstein, the referee for this fight, would never again referee a fight.

Griffith reportedly still feels guilt over Paret's death, and has suffered nightmares about Paret for forty years. In the last scene of Ring of Fire, Griffith was introduced to Benny Paret's son. The son embraced the elderly fighter and told him he was forgiven. However, Paret's widow Lucy could not bring herself to meet him and died in 2004.

Trainer

He has trained other boxers including Wilfred Benítez
Wilfred Benitez
Wilfred Benítez , is a Puerto Rican boxer. He is remembered best as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities who won world championships in three separate weight divisions, and was the youngest world champion in boxing history at the age of 17...

 and Juan Laporte
Juan Laporte
Juan Laporte is a former boxer who was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico.-Amateur career:Juan Laporte won the 1976 112 lb New York Golden Gloves Sub-Novice Championship. He defeated Long Island's Ricky Brown in the finals. Laporte was defeated by Joseph Nieto of the Police Athletic Leagues Lynch...

, of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. Both have won world championships. Griffith, Monzon, Benvenuti, Rodriguez, Tiger, Nápoles and Benítez are members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...

. From 1979-1980 he worked in Denmark as coach of the Danish olympic amateur boxing team.

Personal life

In 1971 Griffith married Mercedes (Sadie) who was a member of the dance troupe Prince Rupert and the Slave Girls at the time two months after meeting her. Griffith adopted Donastorg's daughter.

After retiring from boxing, Griffith worked as a corrections officer at the Secaucus Juvenile Dentention Facility.

In 1992, Griffith was viciously beaten and almost killed on a New York City street, after leaving a gay bar.

Griffith was quoted in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

 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."

Today, Griffith requires full time care and suffers from pugilistic dementia
Dementia pugilistica
Dementia pugilistica is a type of neurodegenerative disease or dementia, which may affect amateur or professional boxers as well as athletes in other sports who suffer concussions...

. Griffith currently lives in an apartment in Hempstead, New York
Hempstead (village), New York
Hempstead is a village located in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 53,891 at the 2010 census.Hofstra University is located on the border between Hempstead and Uniondale.-Foundation:...

. He is a frequent visitor of the Winters Brothers Boxing Club on Post Avenue in Westbury, New York.

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
    Sundance Film Festival
    The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...

     in Utah
    Utah
    Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

    . It was subsequently broadcast on television on USA Network
    USA Network
    USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...

    .

  • Griffith's December 20, 1963 bout with Rubin Carter
    Rubin Carter
    Rubin "Hurricane" Carter fought professionally as a middleweight boxer from 1961 to 1966. In 1966, he was arrested for a triple homicide in the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey...

     (which Griffith lost) is depicted in the opening scene of the 1999 motion picture The Hurricane
    The Hurricane (1999 film)
    The Hurricane is a 1999 biographical film directed by Norman Jewison, and starring Denzel Washington. The script was adapted by Armyan Bernstein and Dan Gordon from the books Lazarus and the Hurricane by Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton and The Sixteenth Round by Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.The film...

    . Griffith is portrayed by former boxer Terry Claybon, while actor Denzel Washington
    Denzel Washington
    Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...

     stars as Carter.

Professional boxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|85 Wins (23 Knockouts), 24 Defeats (2 Knockouts), 2 Draws, 1 No Contest
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res.
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes
|- align=center
|Loss
|85-24-2
|align=left| Kingdom of England Alan Minter
Alan Minter
Alan Minter is a former middleweight world champion boxer.-Amateur career:Minter was the 1971 ABA Middleweight Champion. He won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|85-23-2
|align=left| United States Mayfield Pennington
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|85-22-2
|align=left| Early Modern France Joel Bonnetaz
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|85-21-2
|align=left| Republic of Ireland Christy Elliott
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|84-21-2
|align=left| Germany Frank Reiche
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|83-21-2
|align=left| Panama Dino Del Cid
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|82-21-2
|align=left| Germany Eckhard Dagge
Eckhard Dagge
Eckhard Dagge , was a professional boxer in the super welterweight division....


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw
|82-20-2
|align=left| United States Bennie Briscoe
Bennie Briscoe
"Bad" Bennie Briscoe was the quintessential Philadelphia boxer."Bad" Bennie fought from 1962 to 1982, and retired with a career record of 66 wins 24 losses and 5 draws. Briscoe was a top-rated Middleweight contender during the 1970s, unsuccessfully challenging for the World Title on three...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|82-20-1
|align=left| Algeria Loucif Hamani
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|82-19-1
|align=left| Argentina Jose Roberto Chirino
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|81-19-1
|align=left| South Africa Elijah Makathini
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|81-18-1
|align=left| United States Leo Saenz
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|81-18-1
|align=left| Argentina Jose Luis Duran
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|80-17-1
|align=left| Canada Donato Paduano
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|79-17-1
|align=left| Italy Vito Antuofermo
Vito Antuofermo
Vito Antuofermo is an Italian-American actor who is also a former world Middleweight boxing champion.-Background:Antuofermo was born in Italy, in the town of Palo del Colle, which is located about 15 km inland from the city of Bari. but his family moved to the United States when he was 17...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|79-16-1
|align=left| United States Bennie Briscoe
Bennie Briscoe
"Bad" Bennie Briscoe was the quintessential Philadelphia boxer."Bad" Bennie fought from 1962 to 1982, and retired with a career record of 66 wins 24 losses and 5 draws. Briscoe was a top-rated Middleweight contender during the 1970s, unsuccessfully challenging for the World Title on three...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|78-16-1
|align=left| Chile Renato Garcia
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|77-16-1
|align=left| United States Tony Licata
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|77-15-1
|align=left| Australia Tony Mundine
Tony Mundine (boxer)
Anthony "Tony" William Mundine OAM is one of Australia's boxing legends and one of the greatest Indigenous fighters. He held the Australian middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight titles and Commonwealth middleweight and Light heavyweight titles and is the only Australian...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|77-14-1
|align=left| United States Manuel Gonzalez
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|76-14-1
|align=left| Argentina Carlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight title for 7 years, during which he successfully defended the title 14 times....


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw
|76-13-1
|align=left| Early Modern France Nessim Max Cohen
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|76-13
|align=left| Early Modern France Jean-Claude Bouttier
Jean-Claude Bouttier
Jean-Claude Bouttier is a French actor and former European boxing champion. He has appeared in 7 films, beginning in 1981.-External links:* at IMdB...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|76-12
|align=left| United States Joe DeNucci
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|75-12
|align=left| United States Joe DeNucci
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|74-12
|align=left| United States Ernie Lopez
Ernie Lopez
Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez , was an American professional boxer. He twice fought for the world welterweight boxing title, losing title bouts to José Nápoles in 1970 and 1973...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|73-12
|align=left| Early Modern France Jacques Kechichian
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|72-12
|align=left| Mexico Armando Muñíz
Armando Muñíz
Cruz Armando Muñíz Hurtado is a retired Mexican professional boxer and the former NABF Welterweight Champion. Muñíz is a member and current president of the World Boxing Hall of Fame.-Amateur career:...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|71-12
|align=left| United States Danny McAloon
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|70-12
|align=left| Argentina Carlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight title for 7 years, during which he successfully defended the title 14 times....


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|70-11
|align=left| Early Modern France Nessim Max Cohen
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|69-11
|align=left| United States Ernie Lopez
Ernie Lopez
Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez , was an American professional boxer. He twice fought for the world welterweight boxing title, losing title bouts to José Nápoles in 1970 and 1973...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|68-11
|align=left| Mexico Rafael Gutierrez
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|67-11
|align=left| United States Juan Ramos
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|66-11
|align=left| United States Nate Collins
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|65-11
|align=left| United States Danny Perez
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|64-11
|align=left| Nigeria Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger CBE was a boxer from Ubahu village, Amaigbo, Nigeria, who emigrated to Liverpool and later to the United States of America. Tiger was a member of the Igbo ethnic group...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|63-11
|align=left| Denmark Tom Bogs
Tom Bogs
Tom Bogs is a retired Danish middleweight boxer.Bogs competed for Denmark at the 1964 Summer Olympics in the light-middleweight division and reached the quarter-finals, where he lost to Nojim Maiyegun of Nigeria. Bogs turned professional shortly after the games and was active during the 1960s and...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|62-11
|align=left| Trinidad and Tobago Carlos Marks
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|61-11
|align=left| United States Doyle Baird
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|60-11
|align=left| Cuba José Nápoles
José Napoles
José Ángel Nápoles, nicknamed Mantequilla , is a Cuban-Mexican boxer and former world welterweight champion, who is frequently ranked as one of the greatest fighters of all time in that division...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|60-10
|align=left| United States Art Hernandez
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|59-10
|align=left| United States Dick DiVeronica
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|58-10
|align=left| United States Stanley Hayward
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|57-10
|align=left| United States Andy Heilman
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|56-10
|align=left| United States Stanley Hayward
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|56-9
|align=left| United States Gypsy Joe Harris
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|55-9
|align=left| United States Andy Heilman
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|54-9
|align=left| Italy Nino Benvenuti
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|54-8
|align=left| United States Remo Golfarini
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|53-8
|align=left| Italy Nino Benvenuti
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|52-8
|align=left| Italy Nino Benvenuti
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|52-7
|align=left| United States Joey Archer
Joey Archer
Joey Archer, , is a retired boxer. Archer defeated Sugar Ray Robinson in Robinson's final fight in 1965 , and fought Hall of Fame boxers such as Emile Griffith and Dick Tiger....


|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|51-7
|align=left| United States Joey Archer
Joey Archer
Joey Archer, , is a retired boxer. Archer defeated Sugar Ray Robinson in Robinson's final fight in 1965 , and fought Hall of Fame boxers such as Emile Griffith and Dick Tiger....


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|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|50-7
|align=left| Nigeria Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger CBE was a boxer from Ubahu village, Amaigbo, Nigeria, who emigrated to Liverpool and later to the United States of America. Tiger was a member of the Igbo ethnic group...


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|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|49-7
|align=left| United States Johnny Brooks
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|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|48-7
|align=left| United States Manuel Gonzalez
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|47-7
|align=left| Kingdom of England Harry Scott
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|46-7
|align=left| United States Gabe Terronez
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|45-7
|align=left| United States Don Fullmer
Don Fullmer
Don Fullmer is a former boxer and brother of former world middleweight champion Gene Fullmer.Eight years younger than his more famous brother, Don followed Gene into the gym in West Jordan, Utah, to learn how to box. He fought as an amateur for four years and did not lose in sixty-five fights...


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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|45-6
|align=left| United States Eddie Pace
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|44-6
|align=left| Cuba Jose Stable
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|43-6
|align=left| United States Manuel Gonzalez
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|43-5
|align=left| Kingdom of England Dave Charnley
Dave Charnley
Dave Charnley was an English lightweight boxer considered to be one of the greatest British fighters in his weight class...


|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|42-5
|align=left| Wales Brian Curvis
Brian Curvis
Brian Nancurvis , who fought under the name Brian Curvis as a professional, was a boxer from Swansea, Wales who was active from 1959 to 1966. He fought as a Welterweight, becoming British welterweight champion in 1960. He retired as undefeated champion and is the only welterweight to have won two...


|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|41-5
|align=left| Cuba Luis Manuel Rodríguez
Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Luis Manuel Rodríguez was a professional boxing champion. Known as "El Feo", Rodriguez began his career in pre-Castro Havana. In Cuba, Rodriguez twice defeated the ill-fated future welterweight champion Benny Kid Paret.After the Cuban Revolution, Rodríguez campaigned in the United States...


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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|40-5
|align=left| United States Stan Harrington
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|style="background: #DDDDDD"|NC
|39-5
|align=left| Italy Juan Carlo Duran
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|39-5
|align=left| United States Ralph Dupas
Ralph Dupas
Ralph Dupas was a boxer from New Orleans who won the world light middleweight championship.-Early boxing career:...


|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|38-5
|align=left| United States Rubin Carter
Rubin Carter
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter fought professionally as a middleweight boxer from 1961 to 1966. In 1966, he was arrested for a triple homicide in the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|38-4
|align=left| Puerto Rico Jose Monon Gonzalez
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|37-4
|align=left| United States Holly Mims
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|36-4
|align=left| Cuba Luis Manuel Rodríguez
Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Luis Manuel Rodríguez was a professional boxing champion. Known as "El Feo", Rodriguez began his career in pre-Castro Havana. In Cuba, Rodriguez twice defeated the ill-fated future welterweight champion Benny Kid Paret.After the Cuban Revolution, Rodríguez campaigned in the United States...
|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|35-4
|align=left| Cuba Luis Manuel Rodríguez
Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Luis Manuel Rodríguez was a professional boxing champion. Known as "El Feo", Rodriguez began his career in pre-Castro Havana. In Cuba, Rodriguez twice defeated the ill-fated future welterweight champion Benny Kid Paret.After the Cuban Revolution, Rodríguez campaigned in the United States...
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|35-3
|align=left| Denmark Christian Christensen
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|34-3
|align=left| Argentina Jorge Fernandez
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|33-3
|align=left| United States Ted Wright
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|32-3
|align=left| United States Don Fullmer
Don Fullmer
Don Fullmer is a former boxer and brother of former world middleweight champion Gene Fullmer.Eight years younger than his more famous brother, Don followed Gene into the gym in West Jordan, Utah, to learn how to box. He fought as an amateur for four years and did not lose in sixty-five fights...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|31-3
|align=left| United States Denny Moyer
Denny Moyer
Denny Moyer was an American boxer who held the world light middleweight title between 1962 and 1963. He finished his career with a 97–38–4 record.-Early life:...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|30-3
|align=left| United States Ralph Dupas
Ralph Dupas
Ralph Dupas was a boxer from New Orleans who won the world light middleweight championship.-Early boxing career:...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|29-3
|align=left| Cuba Benny Paret
Benny Paret
Benny "the Kid" Paret, born Bernardo Paret , born in Santa Clara, Cuba, was a Cuban welterweight boxer. Paret won the world welterweight title twice in the early 1960s and died in 1962 following an unsuccessful attempt to defend the crown in what is considered to be the first ring death witnessed...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|28-3
|align=left| United States Johnny Torres
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|27-3
|align=left| Cuba Isaac Logart
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|26-3
|align=left| United States Stanford Bulla
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|25-3
|align=left| Cuba Benny Paret
Benny Paret
Benny "the Kid" Paret, born Bernardo Paret , born in Santa Clara, Cuba, was a Cuban welterweight boxer. Paret won the world welterweight title twice in the early 1960s and died in 1962 following an unsuccessful attempt to defend the crown in what is considered to be the first ring death witnessed...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|25-2
|align=left| The Bahamas Yama Bahama
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|24-2
|align=left| Mexico Gaspar Ortega
Gaspar Ortega
Gaspar Ortega was a Mexican professional boxer and is considered one of the best Welterweight boxer's from Mexico.-Pro career:...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|23-2
|align=left| Cuba Benny Paret
Benny Paret
Benny "the Kid" Paret, born Bernardo Paret , born in Santa Clara, Cuba, was a Cuban welterweight boxer. Paret won the world welterweight title twice in the early 1960s and died in 1962 following an unsuccessful attempt to defend the crown in what is considered to be the first ring death witnessed...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|22-2
|align=left| Cuba Luis Manuel Rodríguez
Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Luis Manuel Rodríguez was a professional boxing champion. Known as "El Feo", Rodriguez began his career in pre-Castro Havana. In Cuba, Rodriguez twice defeated the ill-fated future welterweight champion Benny Kid Paret.After the Cuban Revolution, Rodríguez campaigned in the United States...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|21-2
|align=left| South Africa Willie Toweel
Willie Toweel
Willie Michael Toweel is a former boxer from South Africa, who won the bronze medal in the flyweight division at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.-Personal:...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|20-2
|align=left| Cuba Florentino Fernández
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|19-2
|align=left| Argentina Jorge Fernandez
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|18-2
|align=left| Argentina Jorge Fernandez
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|17-2
|align=left| United States Denny Moyer
Denny Moyer
Denny Moyer was an American boxer who held the world light middleweight title between 1962 and 1963. He finished his career with a 97–38–4 record.-Early life:...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|17-1
|align=left| United States Denny Moyer
Denny Moyer
Denny Moyer was an American boxer who held the world light middleweight title between 1962 and 1963. He finished his career with a 97–38–4 record.-Early life:...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|16-1
|align=left| Mexico Gaspar Ortega
Gaspar Ortega
Gaspar Ortega was a Mexican professional boxer and is considered one of the best Welterweight boxer's from Mexico.-Pro career:...


|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|15-1
|align=left| Mexico Roberto Pena
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|14-1
|align=left| United States Ray Lancaster
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|13-1
|align=left| United States Randy Sandy
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|13-0
|align=left| Cuba Kid Fichique
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|12-0
|align=left| United States Willie Stevenson
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|11-0
|align=left| United States Mel Barker
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|10-0
|align=left| United States Bobby Shell
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|9-0
|align=left| United States Barry Allison
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|

Honors

Named The Ring
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...

 Fighter of the Year for 1964.

Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...

 in its initial year (1990) and the World Boxing Hall of Fame
World Boxing Hall of Fame
The World Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Riverside, California, United States, in Southern California. The WBHF is one of two recognized international boxing halls of fame with the other being the International Boxing Hall of Fame , with the IBHOF being the more widely recognized...

.

A park has been named in Griffith's honor in his native Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...

.

See also


External links


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