Ee Griffh, who famoly killed fellow boxer after gay slur, di at 75 - CBS News

Contents:

• BOXER EE GRIFFH OUT AS GAY
• THE NIGHT BOXER EE GRIFFH ANSWERED GAY TNTS WH A ADLY RTEGE OF PUNCH
• EE GRIFFH, WHO FAMOLY KILLED FELLOW BOXER AFTER GAY SLUR, DI AT 75
• NEW OPERA TELLS STORY OF GAY BOXER EE GRIFFH
• KILLER PUNCH OF A SECRETLY GAY BOXERHARD HITTINGWORLD CHAMPN BOXER EE GRIFFH ACCINTALLY KILLED BENNY PARET, HIS OPPONENT A 1962 BOUT. GRIFFH WAS ALSO BLACK AND THE CLOSET—A NEW OPERA EXPLOR HIS DRAMATIC LIFE.EY WILSONUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 6:31PM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 18, 2016 12:01AM EST CHARL HOFF/NY DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE VIA GETTY IMAGJAZZ TMPETER, BANDLEAR, AND POSER TERENCE BLANCHARD TOOK UP BOXG HIS 30S. HE SE LOTS OF PARALLELS BETWEEN BOXG AND JAZZ—THE LIMED REPERTOIRE, THE ART TO , AND IMPROVISG.WHEN BLANCHARD’S BOXG TRAER, FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPN MICHAEL BENTT, TOLD HIM ABOUT EE GRIFFH, BLANCHARD WAS PTIVATED BY THE STORY OF THE WORLD WELTER- AND MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPN WHO ACCINTALLY KILLED AN OPPONENT, BENNY PARET, THE RG DURG A 1962 MATCH, HTG HIM 17 TIM THE LAST ROUND. PARET WENT TO THE HOSPAL A A AND DIED 10 DAYS LATER.THE CINT HNTED GRIFFH, BEG A FG MOMENT HIS REER. GRIFFH WAS GAY, AND AT THE WEIGH- BEFORE THE FIGHT, PARET HAD TNTED HIM, LLG HIM A “MARIN,” A ROGATORY SPANISH TERM, SIAR TO “FAGGOT.” GRIFFH WAS OM THE U. S. VIRG ISLANDS, AND ALREADY STGGLED AS A BLACK MAN AMERIN, BLANCHARD SAID—AND ALONG WH THAT HE FACED THE DISCRIMATN THAT LOVG MEN BROUGHT. “I REMEMBER WHEN I WON MY FIRST GRAMMY, WHEN THEY LLED MY NAME, I LOOKED TO MY WIFE AND GAVE HER A HUG,” BLANCHARD SAID. “EE ULDN’T CELEBRATE OPENLY WH SOMEONE HE LOVED, AND WE SHOULD ALL BE WELL PAST ALL THAT KD OF TOLERANCE.”WANTG TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GRIFFH, BLANCHARD READ RON ROSS’ BGRAPHY OF HIM, NE... TEN... AND OUT! HE FOUND A QUOTE THAT STCK HIM: “I KEEP THKG HOW STRANGE IS ... I KILL A MAN AND MOST PEOPLE UNRSTAND AND FIVE ME. HOWEVER, I LOVE A MAN AND TO SO MANY PEOPLE THIS IS AN UNFIVABLE S.”TO BLANCHARD, THIS WAS TRAGILLY STILL RELEVANT. SO WHEN THE OPERA THEATER OF SAT LOUIS LLED WANTG HIM TO WRE AN OPER­A—A FIRST FOR THE MAN WHO’S DONE SR FOR ABOUT 50 MOVI, CLUDG ALL OF SPIKE LEE’S SCE 1991’S JUNGLE FEVER—HE HAD A SUBJECT MD. THEY SUGGTED SOMETHG ABOUT HURRINE KATRA, BUT BLANCHARD HAD A DIFFERENT IA—SOMETHG BASED ON GRIFFH’S LIFE.HE WROTE CHAMPN: AN OPERA JAZZ, WHICH HAS S WT COAST PREMIERE AT THE SF JAZZ CENTER (WHERE BLANCHARD IS A RINT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) ON FEB. 19, STAGED WH A JAZZ TR, ORCHTRA, AND GOSPEL CHOS.RANDALL KLE, THE EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF SF JAZZ, HAD HEARD OF GRIFFH. WHEN HE WAS A LTLE BOY, HE AND HIS BROTHERS ED TO WATCH GRIFFH BOX ON TV. KLE DIDN’T SEE THE FIGHT WHERE PARET WAS KILLED, BUT HE REMEMBERS HEARG ABOUT . “HE WAS WORLD FAMO,” KLE SAID ABOUT GRIFFH. “IT WAS NATNAL NEWS. I DIDN’T KNOW THE FULL STORY—THAT AT THE WEIGH-, HE’D LLED HIM A FAGGOT.”WATCHG GRIFFH BOX MA A BIG IMPRSN ON HIM, KLE SAYS.“HE WAS A BETIFUL GUY, THIS ELEGANT HUMAN BEG. THERE WAS THIS MAGIC THG ABOUT HIM,” KLE SAID. “IT’S A GREAT TRAGEDY THAT THIS ELEGANT MAN WHO WAS PART OF THE TOUGHT ASPECT OF OUR SOCIETY—A WORLD CHAMPN BOXER—ULDN’T BE HIMSELF. HE WAS A BLACK MAN AND AN UNRDOG, AND THEN HE WAS HANGG OUT GAY BARS AND GETTG BEATEN UP BY THUGS.”BENTT, THE BOXER WHO TRAED BLANCHARD, SAYS THAT CARIBBEAN SOCIETY IS PARTICULARLY MACHO AND HOMOPHOBIC. BENTT, WHOSE PARENTS WERE OM JAMAI, SAYS WHEN HE HEARD ABOUT GRIFFH, WAS THE NTEXT OF “THAT FUCKG FAGGOT.” HE MET HIM AT GLEASON’S GYM NEW YORK, AND SAID GRIFFH WAS HELPFUL AND OPEN, OFFERG HIM TIPS ON FIGHTG. BENTT ME TO ADMIRE GRIFFH FOR LIVG HIS LIFE HIS OWN WAY.“THE OLR I GOT, THE MORE I WAS LIKE, ‘THAT WAS REALLY BOLD OF THIS GUY, MAN,’” HE SAID. “I THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPRSIVE AND VERY URAGEO. HE WAS BLACK AND AN IMMIGRANT, SO HE WAS ALREADY AN OUTSIR. HE ACCEPTED HIS ATTRACTN TO MEN. I THK FUELED HIM—BOXERS FIGHT BEE THEY’RE VICTIMS AT SOME POT THEIR LIV. EE WAS HIGHLY SENSIVE, AND TO HAVE ED THE ATH OF ANOTHER FIGHTER—THAT HNTED HIM THE RT OF HIS LIFE.”GRIFFH DREAMED ABOUT PARET AND WOULD SEE AN IMAGE OF HIM THE MIRROR WHEN HE WAS SHAVG, ROSS, A FORMER BOXER WHO WROTE GRIFFH’S BGRAPHY, SAID. ROSS ADD THAT GRIFFH WAS TURNED AWAY WHEN HE TRIED TO VIS PARET THE HOSPAL.ROSS, WHO LIVED NEAR GRIFFH ON LONG ISLAND, SAYS WHEN HE WAS WRG THE BOOK, THE TWO BEME GOOD IENDS, WH GRIFFH G BY HIS HOE AND PLAYG RDS WH HIS CHILDREN, NOW GROWN.ROSS WAS ALSO AT THE ’62 BOUT AT MADISON SQUARE GARN WHEN GRIFFH RNERED PARET THE LAST ROUND, HTG HIM UNTIL HE SLID DOWN THE ROP ONTO THE FLOOR, AND HE REMEMBERS WELL.“IT WAS A TERRIBLE SCENE TO OBSERVE,” HE SAID. “I KNEW BENNY WAS BADLY HURT, AND TO SEE HIM ON THE NVAS LIKE THAT WAS AWFUL. THE CROWD WAS SHOCKED, WAG TO SEE IF BENNY WAS GOG TO GET UP. THEY WENT SILENT. IT REALLY AFFECTED BOXG. THEY TALKED ABOUT BANNG FOR A WHILE, AND THEY KEPT OFF TV FOR A LONG TIME AFTER THAT.”GRIFFH TOLD ROSS THAT HE MEANT TO KNOCK PARET OUT, BUT NEVER WANTED TO PERMANENTLY HURT HIM. AFTER PARET’S ATH, GRIFFH STOPPED FIGHTG FOR A WHILE. RECEIVG LETTERS OM OTHERS, SUCH AS TCK DRIVERS, WHO HAD ACCINTALLY KILLED SOMEONE, HELPED HIM ENORMOLY, AND HE WENT BACK TO THE SPORT, RETIRG 1977.NILE PAIEMENT, THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF OPERA PARALLèLE, WHICH IS LLABORATG ON CHAMPN WH SF JAZZ, SAYS GRIFFH’S STORY IS PERFECT FOR OPERA, WHERE N ENTHRALL DIENC, AND NOT TIMIDATE THEM WH THE MIL LANGUAGE.FOR BLANCHARD, GRIFFH’S STORY IS UNIVERSAL BEE ALS WH BEG MISUNRSTOOD AND JUDGED.“LOOK AT THE YOUNG AIN AMERIN MEN GETTG KILLED BY THE POLICE, JUDGED SOLELY ON THE LOR OF THEIR SK,” HE SAID. “LOOK AT WOMEN STILL BEG JUDGED ON THEIR GENR AND ALG WH A PAY EQUY GAP.”CHAMPN EXAM HOW HUMAN BEGS TREAT EACH OTHER, SAYS BENTT, WHO IS NOW AN ACTOR.“IT’S POIGNANT MATERIAL AND RELEVANT BEE STILL HAPPENS—WE GET LABELED EVERY DAY, AND TOLD WHAT WE SHOULD HATE AND LOVE,” HE SAID. “EE HAD TO FIGHT THAT JOURNEY BY HIMSELF. JUDGMENT MAK FEEL BETTER ABOUT OURSELV, AND THAT’S WHAT THE OPERA GETS ACROSS SO BRILLIANTLY. IT POTS A FGER AT .” EY WILSON
• EE GRIFFH: BOXER KILLED OPPONENT WHO LLED HIM GAY

BOXER EE GRIFFH OUT AS GAY

Image this -- a gay man beg one of the greatt profsnal boxers the history of the sport.

Ee Griffh, a six-time world champn and charter member of the Internatnal Boxg Hall of Fame, is a homosexual.

” Griffh, 70, has led a turbulent life, wh his homosexualy beg a nstant backdrop. He has basilly been out for years (he once said he wanted to be the marshal the New York gay rights para), but this book he discs publicly for the first time.

THE NIGHT BOXER EE GRIFFH ANSWERED GAY TNTS WH A ADLY RTEGE OF PUNCH

In the new book, Griffh has this sad but te statement to make about his life as a gay man:. It was not jt that he spoke of his pleasure signg pretty bons for ladi or uld discs the latt pillbox hat worn by Jackie Kennedy outsi the Whe Griffh was gay at a time when homosexualy was rid as a disease, nmned as a s and classified as a crime.

Homosexualy was a crimal act every state of Ameri – apart om Illois.

EE GRIFFH, WHO FAMOLY KILLED FELLOW BOXER AFTER GAY SLUR, DI AT 75

The Amerin Medil Associatn, meanwhile, persisted classifyg homosexualy as a “psychiatric disorr” renowned fighter vised gay bars most weekends – but he found impossible to e out wh a public statement about his sexual preference.

NEW OPERA TELLS STORY OF GAY BOXER EE GRIFFH

It was imperative to bury the tth bee a gay boxer was an unimagable phrase.

Before battle he wanted the fort of walkg along the faiar streets of Tim Square where, at night, he lghed and danced wh the Hispanic gay crowd and the old drag queens. But the onslght agast homosexualy ran ep and wi. A homosexual, 1962, was ridiculed as beg sick and wardly.

He had wrten sensively about the weigh-, aware that homosexualy spelt out forbidn terrory on the sports pag. Tuckner, like everyone else on the boxg beat, realised that Griffh was a homosexual. Tuckner was Tim subedors had replaced the offensive word of “homosexual” wh the meangls phrase “un-man”.

KILLER PUNCH OF A SECRETLY GAY BOXERHARD HITTINGWORLD CHAMPN BOXER EE GRIFFH ACCINTALLY KILLED BENNY PARET, HIS OPPONENT A 1962 BOUT. GRIFFH WAS ALSO BLACK AND THE CLOSET—A NEW OPERA EXPLOR HIS DRAMATIC LIFE.EY WILSONUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 6:31PM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 18, 2016 12:01AM EST CHARL HOFF/NY DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE VIA GETTY IMAGJAZZ TMPETER, BANDLEAR, AND POSER TERENCE BLANCHARD TOOK UP BOXG HIS 30S. HE SE LOTS OF PARALLELS BETWEEN BOXG AND JAZZ—THE LIMED REPERTOIRE, THE ART TO , AND IMPROVISG.WHEN BLANCHARD’S BOXG TRAER, FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPN MICHAEL BENTT, TOLD HIM ABOUT EE GRIFFH, BLANCHARD WAS PTIVATED BY THE STORY OF THE WORLD WELTER- AND MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPN WHO ACCINTALLY KILLED AN OPPONENT, BENNY PARET, THE RG DURG A 1962 MATCH, HTG HIM 17 TIM THE LAST ROUND. PARET WENT TO THE HOSPAL A A AND DIED 10 DAYS LATER.THE CINT HNTED GRIFFH, BEG A FG MOMENT HIS REER. GRIFFH WAS GAY, AND AT THE WEIGH- BEFORE THE FIGHT, PARET HAD TNTED HIM, LLG HIM A “MARIN,” A ROGATORY SPANISH TERM, SIAR TO “FAGGOT.” GRIFFH WAS OM THE U. S. VIRG ISLANDS, AND ALREADY STGGLED AS A BLACK MAN AMERIN, BLANCHARD SAID—AND ALONG WH THAT HE FACED THE DISCRIMATN THAT LOVG MEN BROUGHT. “I REMEMBER WHEN I WON MY FIRST GRAMMY, WHEN THEY LLED MY NAME, I LOOKED TO MY WIFE AND GAVE HER A HUG,” BLANCHARD SAID. “EE ULDN’T CELEBRATE OPENLY WH SOMEONE HE LOVED, AND WE SHOULD ALL BE WELL PAST ALL THAT KD OF TOLERANCE.”WANTG TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GRIFFH, BLANCHARD READ RON ROSS’ BGRAPHY OF HIM, NE... TEN... AND OUT! HE FOUND A QUOTE THAT STCK HIM: “I KEEP THKG HOW STRANGE IS ... I KILL A MAN AND MOST PEOPLE UNRSTAND AND FIVE ME. HOWEVER, I LOVE A MAN AND TO SO MANY PEOPLE THIS IS AN UNFIVABLE S.”TO BLANCHARD, THIS WAS TRAGILLY STILL RELEVANT. SO WHEN THE OPERA THEATER OF SAT LOUIS LLED WANTG HIM TO WRE AN OPER­A—A FIRST FOR THE MAN WHO’S DONE SR FOR ABOUT 50 MOVI, CLUDG ALL OF SPIKE LEE’S SCE 1991’S JUNGLE FEVER—HE HAD A SUBJECT MD. THEY SUGGTED SOMETHG ABOUT HURRINE KATRA, BUT BLANCHARD HAD A DIFFERENT IA—SOMETHG BASED ON GRIFFH’S LIFE.HE WROTE CHAMPN: AN OPERA JAZZ, WHICH HAS S WT COAST PREMIERE AT THE SF JAZZ CENTER (WHERE BLANCHARD IS A RINT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) ON FEB. 19, STAGED WH A JAZZ TR, ORCHTRA, AND GOSPEL CHOS.RANDALL KLE, THE EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF SF JAZZ, HAD HEARD OF GRIFFH. WHEN HE WAS A LTLE BOY, HE AND HIS BROTHERS ED TO WATCH GRIFFH BOX ON TV. KLE DIDN’T SEE THE FIGHT WHERE PARET WAS KILLED, BUT HE REMEMBERS HEARG ABOUT . “HE WAS WORLD FAMO,” KLE SAID ABOUT GRIFFH. “IT WAS NATNAL NEWS. I DIDN’T KNOW THE FULL STORY—THAT AT THE WEIGH-, HE’D LLED HIM A FAGGOT.”WATCHG GRIFFH BOX MA A BIG IMPRSN ON HIM, KLE SAYS.“HE WAS A BETIFUL GUY, THIS ELEGANT HUMAN BEG. THERE WAS THIS MAGIC THG ABOUT HIM,” KLE SAID. “IT’S A GREAT TRAGEDY THAT THIS ELEGANT MAN WHO WAS PART OF THE TOUGHT ASPECT OF OUR SOCIETY—A WORLD CHAMPN BOXER—ULDN’T BE HIMSELF. HE WAS A BLACK MAN AND AN UNRDOG, AND THEN HE WAS HANGG OUT GAY BARS AND GETTG BEATEN UP BY THUGS.”BENTT, THE BOXER WHO TRAED BLANCHARD, SAYS THAT CARIBBEAN SOCIETY IS PARTICULARLY MACHO AND HOMOPHOBIC. BENTT, WHOSE PARENTS WERE OM JAMAI, SAYS WHEN HE HEARD ABOUT GRIFFH, WAS THE NTEXT OF “THAT FUCKG FAGGOT.” HE MET HIM AT GLEASON’S GYM NEW YORK, AND SAID GRIFFH WAS HELPFUL AND OPEN, OFFERG HIM TIPS ON FIGHTG. BENTT ME TO ADMIRE GRIFFH FOR LIVG HIS LIFE HIS OWN WAY.“THE OLR I GOT, THE MORE I WAS LIKE, ‘THAT WAS REALLY BOLD OF THIS GUY, MAN,’” HE SAID. “I THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPRSIVE AND VERY URAGEO. HE WAS BLACK AND AN IMMIGRANT, SO HE WAS ALREADY AN OUTSIR. HE ACCEPTED HIS ATTRACTN TO MEN. I THK FUELED HIM—BOXERS FIGHT BEE THEY’RE VICTIMS AT SOME POT THEIR LIV. EE WAS HIGHLY SENSIVE, AND TO HAVE ED THE ATH OF ANOTHER FIGHTER—THAT HNTED HIM THE RT OF HIS LIFE.”GRIFFH DREAMED ABOUT PARET AND WOULD SEE AN IMAGE OF HIM THE MIRROR WHEN HE WAS SHAVG, ROSS, A FORMER BOXER WHO WROTE GRIFFH’S BGRAPHY, SAID. ROSS ADD THAT GRIFFH WAS TURNED AWAY WHEN HE TRIED TO VIS PARET THE HOSPAL.ROSS, WHO LIVED NEAR GRIFFH ON LONG ISLAND, SAYS WHEN HE WAS WRG THE BOOK, THE TWO BEME GOOD IENDS, WH GRIFFH G BY HIS HOE AND PLAYG RDS WH HIS CHILDREN, NOW GROWN.ROSS WAS ALSO AT THE ’62 BOUT AT MADISON SQUARE GARN WHEN GRIFFH RNERED PARET THE LAST ROUND, HTG HIM UNTIL HE SLID DOWN THE ROP ONTO THE FLOOR, AND HE REMEMBERS WELL.“IT WAS A TERRIBLE SCENE TO OBSERVE,” HE SAID. “I KNEW BENNY WAS BADLY HURT, AND TO SEE HIM ON THE NVAS LIKE THAT WAS AWFUL. THE CROWD WAS SHOCKED, WAG TO SEE IF BENNY WAS GOG TO GET UP. THEY WENT SILENT. IT REALLY AFFECTED BOXG. THEY TALKED ABOUT BANNG FOR A WHILE, AND THEY KEPT OFF TV FOR A LONG TIME AFTER THAT.”GRIFFH TOLD ROSS THAT HE MEANT TO KNOCK PARET OUT, BUT NEVER WANTED TO PERMANENTLY HURT HIM. AFTER PARET’S ATH, GRIFFH STOPPED FIGHTG FOR A WHILE. RECEIVG LETTERS OM OTHERS, SUCH AS TCK DRIVERS, WHO HAD ACCINTALLY KILLED SOMEONE, HELPED HIM ENORMOLY, AND HE WENT BACK TO THE SPORT, RETIRG 1977.NILE PAIEMENT, THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF OPERA PARALLèLE, WHICH IS LLABORATG ON CHAMPN WH SF JAZZ, SAYS GRIFFH’S STORY IS PERFECT FOR OPERA, WHERE N ENTHRALL DIENC, AND NOT TIMIDATE THEM WH THE MIL LANGUAGE.FOR BLANCHARD, GRIFFH’S STORY IS UNIVERSAL BEE ALS WH BEG MISUNRSTOOD AND JUDGED.“LOOK AT THE YOUNG AIN AMERIN MEN GETTG KILLED BY THE POLICE, JUDGED SOLELY ON THE LOR OF THEIR SK,” HE SAID. “LOOK AT WOMEN STILL BEG JUDGED ON THEIR GENR AND ALG WH A PAY EQUY GAP.”CHAMPN EXAM HOW HUMAN BEGS TREAT EACH OTHER, SAYS BENTT, WHO IS NOW AN ACTOR.“IT’S POIGNANT MATERIAL AND RELEVANT BEE STILL HAPPENS—WE GET LABELED EVERY DAY, AND TOLD WHAT WE SHOULD HATE AND LOVE,” HE SAID. “EE HAD TO FIGHT THAT JOURNEY BY HIMSELF. JUDGMENT MAK FEEL BETTER ABOUT OURSELV, AND THAT’S WHAT THE OPERA GETS ACROSS SO BRILLIANTLY. IT POTS A FGER AT .” EY WILSON

Sports Illtrated reported 2005 that Griffh may have been fueled by an anti-gay slur directed at him by Paret durg the weigh-. Over the years, books and terviews, Griffh scribed himself at var tim as straight, gay and bisexual.

“He didn’t like to be labeled gay and still felt the world was not ready for Ee Griffh.

Griffh knocked out Paret the 13th round of their April 1961 bout, and Paret rpond wh a spl-cisn triumph five months set the stage for their third bout, at Madison Square Garn March 1962, when Paret flamed Griffh by sultg him wh a slur, which Sports Illtrated scribed as “gutter Spanish for homosexual.

EE GRIFFH: BOXER KILLED OPPONENT WHO LLED HIM GAY

”Outsi a New York gay bar 1992, Griffh was severely beaten by at least five men who mugged him wh bats and chas, leadg him to a later life of mentia, Ross said.