EMILE GRIFFITH

Words: Donald McRae

INSIDE FIGHTER

Emile Griffith was a gay boxer, hailed as one of the sport’s greatest 20th century champions, but from family disownment to a tragic murder, details of his turbulent life are largely unknown. Now, in a new book A Man’s World, his legacy receives the closer look it deserves.

On 24 April 1962 the boxer and his boyfriend sat together on a swaying train which hurtled along the New York subway. Emile Griffith had pulled a hat down over his eyes. He was not in the mood to make eye contact with anyone. Emile was about to weigh-in for his latest world championship fight that night at Madison Square Garden. It would be the third time he’d face his bitter rival Benny Paret in the ring.

Emile had lost his world welterweight title to Paret seven months previously. The Cuban had upset Emile at the weigh-in to that fight by taunting him as a maricón [Spanish for ‘faggot’]. In boxing’s macho world there could be no greater insult.

Emile got off at 42nd Street. Before battle he wanted the comfort of walking along the familiar streets of Times Square. Just before 11 am on a Saturday morning, and on the day of the biggest fight of his life, men, women, drag-queens, hookers, junkies and shop-owners called out to him – wishing him good luck and giving him the name ‘champ’ he loved. Normally, he would stop and offer his hand, while yakking away to whoever wanted to talk to him. But, then, Emile just raised his fist to his people and walked on. He would be fighting for them too.

The story of Emile Griffith, a five-time world champion boxer, has been obscured for too long. In terms of the ring his renown is secured. No other boxer in history fought as many as the 337 world championship rounds which Emile racked up in a career stretching from 1958 to 1977. He fought 69 more world title rounds than Muhammad Ali. To most respected fight historians he is one of the finest welterweights in history.