Lelands - The Best Sports Memorabilia and Card Auction Site

Lot # 1189: 1962 Emile Griffith v Benny Paret "Death Bout" Rare Program

Starting Bid: $300.00

Bids: 1 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed

Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Summer 2016 Catalog",
which ran from 5/17/2016 9:00 AM to
6/17/2016 9:00 PM



Extremely rare program from the infamous night when Emile Griffith took the life in the ring of of Benny "Kid" Paret. Following the fight Benny Paret fell into a coma, never regaining consciousness. The bad blood began at the weigh-in. Paret touched Emile Griffith's buttocks and called him an insensitive slur (a "maricon", Spanish slang for "faggot"). Griffith was dogged at the time by rumors he was bisexual. Even more of an insult for the macho Griffith, it occurred in front of his girlfriend of the time. In the 12th round, Griffith trapped Paret in a corner, and hit him with repeated fatal unanswered blows to the head. In an apparent lapse by seasoned referee Ruby Goldstein, he did not stop the fight until it was too late. However, Paret was known to play "chicken," but this was not the case not this time. This is the actual site program from that night in Madison Square Garden. Date written on the cover and a pinhole. The bout was televised live on ABC and the horrifying result caused boxing to be banned from television until the 1970s.

Views: 32