Emile Griffith’s controversial fights

I feel he lost all four to Rodriguez but barely beat Tiger and felt the Monzon decision just very close but just.

I have him and Rodriguez very, very close on any all-time lists which you don’t typically see. I struggle to think anyone could come to the conclusion those fights were even 2-2 let alone 3-1 in his favor.

 

Better, yes. Greater? I think you’d have to give an edge to Griffith though it’s close. Griffith won the title from a legend at middleweight whereas Rodriguez didn’t win the title there but IMO Rodriguez’ overall wins at middle were perhaps a bit better and he was more consistent.

 

The series with LMR is just too nebulous and close to pin down for me...but with Tiger, I believe that he just did deserve the points verdict...and close and controversial or not, it was a brilliant performance by EG....jumping up all the way from welter,...a 10 lb difference in weight,...none of this sissy "catch-weight" crap that these prissy, over-protected shlt birds like Canelo, and others get away with. Griffith displayed class, skill and power throughout 15 rounds...and like the LMR fights, showed that scoring bouts in boxing is a very inexact, subjective science. He won the rematch vs Nino Benvenuti....and because there's such precious little surviving footage of their 3 bout series, we'll never know objectively. just how close and contested those 2nd and 3rd bouts of theirs were...we do know that the fully filmed 1st bout was clearly Nino's. Vs Monzon, Griff got pounded by Carlos in that first bout in '71, and caught a sub par Monzon in the rematch in'73, the champ's first fight after being shot twice in the arm and shoulder. It was close, to give Griffith credit, but Monzon clearly pulled it out in the last 2 rounds. Griffith went to Europe for two bouts....a non-title affair vs Jean-Claude Bouttier, where truly creative French style home cooking saved the day for their boy Jean-Claude...under very nefarious, scandalous (according to the French press!) conditions. Then Emile got comprehensively screwed over in losing a 15 round decision to Jr. Middleweight champion Eckhard Dagge in '76 (I think) Griffith retired after losing soundly to Alan Minter in '77, but no offense to Mr. Minter, but he wouldn't have come close to beating a prime Griffith, or even a later version.
I consider Griffith to be a truly great fighter...one of the smartest, ablest ring mechanics in ring history, but his popularity takes a hit unfortunately, and unfairly...for the same reasons that the casuals and know-nothings criticize Carlos Monzon for...namely stylistic reasons and that he didn't titillate and excite with his technical, points scoring ring strategy. Also, those so called "fans" who like to make points against Griffith for alleged sexual reasons need to grow the fu ck up and forget about that ****.

 

I think, unlike so many others, that Griffith became a better fighter when he rose to middle...and IMO, would have beaten decisively those guys who were his problems at 147, like Rodriguez, and the guy who stopped him in 1,...Rubin Carter. He was better fighter, and more rounded as a middle IMHO.

 

Griffith clearly got the worst of the series with Rodriguez imo and I don't see him doing any better at 160 tbh considering what a machine Luis was there. It was highly competitive and pretty close but like Chris says, tough to come away with the impression that Griff was superior or quite on par.

I think I had the Tiger fight for Tiger by about 3 rounds, maybe 4, but a lot of rounds were close. Emile put up a superb effort in that fight but didn't quite do enough despite making Tiger look plodding for long stretches, for me.

Both Archer fights were close too, though it gives me pleasure to see that boring ******* not get the benefit of the doubt. I think Griffith deserved the nod in the one fight I've seen but I can't remember which one it was tbh.

The first Ortega fight was an either way type decision too where Griffith got the nod. He was the king of close and sometimes slightly dubious decisions, being so well connected in NY through Clancy. Various fights with Fernandez, Gonzalez, Moyer etc were all close with him getting the benefit of the doubt more than not, though he had the odd loss to Moyer and Sandy in the mix. It's true that he got slightly more hard done by against Bouttier and Dagge towards the end of his career, but it'd be churlish to complain considering the myriad of other close calls that went his way.

I really like his second effort against Monzon. It's true that Monzon was beginning to wane and was possibly a shade over confident, but he was too professional operator for overconfidence to be a hugely significant factor imo. Griffith was smaller, older and had fought vastly superior opposition to Monzon on a regular basis for years, he was more worn in ring years by far, although it's hard to suss how much Monzon lost because of the gunshot and arthritis in comparison. Clearly something. Griffith fought a more intelligent and conservative fight and managed to block and slip a lot of Monzons shots while getting off with sharp counters and overhand rights from the outside. He adjusted really well from the first fight and countered especially well when Monzon tried to go to the body.

It's easy to forget what superb technique Griffith had at his peak in every regard as well as being so strong and intelligent, because he seemed to be involved in a lot of unnecessarily boring and ugly fights and had a tendency to coast a bit. Such a well-rounded fighter. He was always in great shape too, right up until the end of his career and never lost his offensive timing or technique when his legs, stamina, speed etc deserted him.

 

I saw the first, third and fourth fights of Griffith and Rodriguez and thought Luis won them all fairly clearly. I did not see the Tiger fight, which I must make a point to watch. I saw the second Monzon fight when it was televised live in '73 and didn't know what the fuss was about. I thought Monzon took that fairly comfortably. I also saw the Dagge fight live in '76 and thought Griffith was robbed. Only, perhaps, with the Conteh v Yaqui Lopez fight did I ever see a fighter control a fight with the jab alone. I thought Emile performed superbly at 38 in that one.

 

LMR did get the better out of him and Tiger according to Nat Fleischer was 10 rounds secured, 5 for Griffith. MSG corruption.

Also regarding Monzon, his best win according to Prime Monzon was 33 year old high mileage Griffith.

 

All three Griffith-Benvenuti fights exist complete.

 

Where are fights 2 & 3? They aren't on You Tube...are the films privately owned?

 

Both fights were on TV. The third fight maybe only on Italian RAI. Somebody must have taped them on early camcorders, as the tecnical quality are not too good.

 

No they are both pretty common

 

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