Just a moment to remember all the boxers who had the misfortune to be swept up in the cigar smoke. God Bless Benny Paret and any other fighters who shared a similar fate.
I watched all three Griffith-Paret fights live on television, and the infamous Fullmer-Paret beatdown, too. Benny was a tough kid, not the most talented of boxers but a durable competitor. He floored Emile in round 6 of that fateful bout. I prayed every day for nine days until he died. Newspapers carried stories that Paret called Griffith a "maricon" at the weigh-in and that the slur had fueled Emile's rage when he trapped Benny in the corner and let loose. In those days gay men had to watch out; some dudes thought it was socially acceptable to hunt down homosexuals on the street and give them a beating. We get nostalgic for "simpler" times but life could be depressing then, too.
