Cypher Avenue Rating: 3 of 5      

“He Called Me A Faggot and I Ain’t Nobodies Faggot”

Ring Of Fire is a documentary that tells the story Emile Griffith’s rise to stardom and eventually becoming a welterweight and middleweight champion boxer.  Much of the film takes place in the early 60’s during the rise of broadcast televised boxing matches. There is an underlying dialogue concerning anti-homosexual sentiments of that time and Griffith’s own sexuality.  There are parts of the film where it feels like it takes place in our current day and time. It’s an open, unspoken secret that is not tackled head on…and it should be.

 
It’s hard not to be fond of Emile Griffith; handsome, charismatic, sensitive, happy and joyful.  Speaking with a beautiful accent, there’s a humbling free spirited playfulness about his personality. Born in St. Thomas in 1938, he came to the US and worked in a hat factory in New York. On a hot day, he asked his boss could he work with his shirt off.  His boss agreed and once he saw Griffith’s bare torso, he decided to take Griffith to Gil Clancy’s gym and have him train as a boxer.

 

Soon, the young Griffith won the 1958 New York Golden Gloves 147 lb Open Championship which was the start of his professional career.  He never dreamed or wanted to be a boxer, he was simply good at it.  He won the Welterweight title from Cuban Benny “Kid” Paret by knocking him out in the 13th round on April 1, 1961. Six months later Griffith lost the title to Paret in a split decision.
 
Griffith’s life changed forever when he faced Paret for the third time and regained the title on March 24, 1962.  
 
Maricón means Faggot

In 1960’s society, homosexuality was taboo for many Black, Latin, and ethnic communities.  Just as it is today, back then it was almost viewed as an oxymoron that a masculine male athlete can be gay or bisexual.  Also just as it is today, men or celebrities like Griffith, felt the need to or have to hide their sexuality in order to be accepted.  Their sexuality must be hidden because the sports community and communities as a whole have trouble mentally processing that a masculine male athlete can be something other than heterosexual in physically aggressive sports like football, basketball or boxing. It was a known secret amongst the trainers and boxers that Griffith was at least bisexual. They spoke about it amongst each other but no one ever said it a loud. Benny Paret gave this known secret public life.

 

September 30th 1961 Griffith and Paret would fight for the second time. At the weigh in, Benny “limp”ed his wrist and called Griffith “maricón” (Spanish for faggot) in front of the reporters, photographers, and trainers.  Griffith was furious. That same night, Paret defeated Griffith in the ring and the feud began.
 
Their third time facing each other was March 24, 1962.  The fight was being broadcast live from Madison Square Garden.  At the weight in before the fight, Griffith is on the scale. Benny comes up behind him and says “Hey, maricón, I’m going to get you and your husband“, while thrusting his pelvis.

During this era, seemingly the world stops as award shows like the Academy Awards and sporting events are broadcasted via the still relatively new and expensive television sets.  That night, Griffith is knocked to the canvas in the 6th round.  In the 12th round Griffith comes back and beats Paret unconscious.  The referee, too slow in stopping the fight, stepped in after Paret had been hit over 17 times in under 10 seconds while in the corner on the ropes.  As his arms rests on the robes, he slowly slides down the corner and collapses to the ground. The Cuban born Benny “Kid” Paret never regained consciousness and died 10 days later in the hospital.  Live from Madison Square Garden, the death of Paret had just been broadcast on national television.

 

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,” Griffith said. “I would have quit, but I didn’t know how to do anything else but fight.”

These men knew each other from around their community and even played basketball together.  Now one of them was dead leaving behind a 2 yr old son and a widow.  As a result, Griffith begins to get death threats. He even said people spat on him in the streets.  Many began to say he intentionally killed Paret because he called him a faggot and outed him. I can only imagine going through this in 1962.  Griffith is devastated and becomes depressed.  He has trouble sleeping and has nightmares for the next 40 years.  He never gets over the death of Benny Paret.

Nothing Lasts Forever


Through the years Griffith would defend his titles and had begun to (at least in outwardly appearances) enjoy his life after Paret’s death.  Nothing last forever, Griffith lost his last three fights, the latter of which was in 1977.  He later became a trainer and began to train young boxers.  Tragedy would strike one night in 1992.  One night, Griffith was under the influence while leaving a gay bar in New York.  He was brutally attacked and beaten nearly to death by a group of men. No one knows if the attack was a hate crime or a robbery.  Either way he almost died in the hospital due to his battered kidneys failing and developing a spinal infection.  He stays in the hospital for over two months. Later in life Griffith develops pugilistic dementia which can be common in many former boxers.

In 2005 for preparation for the release of the film, in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Emile Griffith says, “I’m not gay! It’s craziness. I go to gay bars to see my friends. What’s the difference? I have my drink and talk to people, same as any bar. Then I finish and go outside. I don’t do anything wrong.

Later he slightly changes his stance by saying, “I will dance with anybody. I’ve chased men and women. 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.”  Maybe there was still some apprehension and confusion with accepting his sexuality? I don’t know.
 

The film goes to great lengths to humanize Benny Paret as a loving, caring father, a devoted husband and world class boxer.   His widow raised a beautiful son who envisions the day when he and his mother both can meet Griffith face to face. Even though boxers normally taunt each other before matches, I would like to think Benny Paret would not have made the same anti – homosexual remarks today.  I think the viewer does have to acknowledge it was a different place and time.

 

 

With a record of 85 wins, 24 losses, and 2 draws, Emile Griffith has one of the best professional boxing records in history.

Emile Alphonse Griffith died July 23, 2013 at the age of 75.

Ring Of Fire : The Story of Emile Griffith was released in 2005 and can be viewed on DVD.  You can also watch the video below.

    RIP Emile Griffith