Benny Paret

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Bernardo Paret (March 14, 1937 – April 3, 1962), known as Benny Paret or Benny "Kid" Paret, was a Cuban welterweight boxer who won the Undisputed World Welterweight Championship twice in the early 1960s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Paret's death occurred 10 days after injuries sustained in a March 24, 1962, title defense against Emile Griffith, televised live and seen by millions on ABC's Fight of the Week. Paret had a lifetime record of 35 wins (10 knockouts), 12 losses and 3 draws.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Boxing career

Paret won the welterweight title for the first time on May 27, 1960, by defeating Don Jordan. In his first defense of the title, Emile Griffith knocked him out in the thirteenth round on April 1, 1961.<ref name="ref1">Template:Cite news</ref> Paret recaptured the crown on September 30, 1961, in a split-decision over Griffith.<ref name="ref2">Template:Cite web</ref> Barely two months later, Paret took on middleweight champion Gene Fullmer and was knocked out in the tenth round, being behind on all three judges' scorecards.<ref name="ref1"/>

Last fight and death

Template:Main Although Paret had been battered in the two fights with Griffith and the fight with Fullmer, he decided that he would defend his title against Griffith three months after the Fullmer fight. Paret–Griffith III was booked for Madison Square Garden on Saturday, March 24, 1962, and was televised live by ABC. In round six, Paret nearly knocked out Griffith with a multi-punch combination, but Griffith was saved by the bell.<ref name=Rivalries>The Great Rivalries CBS Sports</ref>

In the twelfth round of the fight, Don Dunphy, who was calling the bout for ABC, remarked, "This is probably the tamest round of the entire fight."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Seconds later, Griffith backed Paret into the corner before he unleashed a massive flurry of punches to the champion's head.<ref name="ref3"/>

It quickly became apparent that Paret was dazed by the initial shots and could not defend himself, but referee Ruby Goldstein allowed Griffith to continue his assault. Finally, after 29 consecutive punches, which knocked Paret through the ropes at one point, Goldstein stepped in and called a halt to the bout.<ref name="ref4">Template:Cite news</ref>

Paret collapsed in the corner from the barrage of punches (initially thought to be from exhaustion), fell into a coma, and died ten days later at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan from massive brain hemorrhaging.<ref name=Rivalries/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Paret was buried at St. Raymond's New Cemetery, Bronx, New York on April 7, 1962.

The last fight between Paret and Griffith was the subject of many controversies. It is theorized that one of the reasons Paret died was that he was vulnerable due to the beatings he took in his previous three fights, all of which happened within twelve months of each other. New York State boxing authorities were criticized for giving Paret clearance to fight just several months after the Fullmer fight. The actions of Paret at the weigh-in before his final fight have come under scrutiny. It is alleged that Paret taunted Griffith by calling him maricón (Spanish slang for "faggot").<ref name="ref3">Template:Cite news</ref>

Griffith wanted to fight Paret on the spot but was restrained. Griffith would come out as bisexual in his later years, but in 1962 allegations of homosexuality were considered fatal to an athlete's career and a particularly grievous insult in the culture both fighters came from. The referee Ruby Goldstein, a respected veteran, came under criticism for not stopping the fight sooner. It has been argued that Goldstein hesitated because of Paret's reputation for faking injury and Griffith's reputation as a poor finisher.<ref name="Rivalries"/><ref name=ref4/>

Another theory is that Goldstein was afraid that Paret's supporters would riot.<ref name="ref4"/> The incident, combined with the death of Davey Moore a year later for a different injury in the ring, would cause debate as to whether boxing should be considered a sport. Boxing would not be televised on a regular basis again until the 1970s.<ref name=RingOfFire>Template:Cite web</ref>

The fight also marked the end of Goldstein's long and respected career as a referee, as he was unable to find work after that.Template:Citation needed The fight was the centerpiece of a 2005 documentary entitled Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story. At the end of the documentary, Griffith, who had harbored guilt over the incident over the years, is introduced to Paret's son. The son embraced Griffith and told him he was forgiven.<ref name=RingOfFire/>

Paret's death was chronicled in a 1962 protest song by folk singer Gil Turner. The song, "Benny 'Kid' Paret", was published in Broadside magazine that same month and was recorded later in the year by Turner's group, The New World Singers, for the 1963 Folkways album Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A 1962 poem by Australian ex-boxer Merv Lilley urged us to remember Benny Paret "when they're lacing leather on."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The emotive poem "Muerte en el Ring" ("Death in the Ring") by Afro-Peruvian poet Nicomedes Santa Cruz recounts Paret's life to the moment of his last breath.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A semifictionalized story of the fight was told live by radio dramatist Joe Frank in the 1978 program "80 Yard Run" on WBAI in New York and replayed several times subsequently on NPR. In it, Frank cast Griffith rather than Paret as the defending champion and makes no mention of Paret's recent fights or his prior history with Griffith. In the dramatized version, Griffith dominates the fight from the beginning, with the fight ending in the middle rounds and Paret dying later that night.

Paret is also one of many boxers named in the lyrics of Sun Kil Moon's 2003 album Ghosts of the Great Highway. The album builds several songs around the stories of boxers who died early deaths.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The story of Emile Griffith and Paret's death has been turned into an Opera in Jazz, Champion. It premiered on the campus of Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri, on June 15, 2013. The opera was written by composer Terence Blanchard, with a libretto by playwright Michael Cristofer, who went on to develop the stage play "Man in the Ring" on the same subject. The play premiered at the Court Theatre in Chicago in 2016.

Professional boxing record

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Template:Abbr Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
50 Template:No2Loss Template:Nowrap Emile Griffith TKO 12 (15) Mar 24, 1962 Template:Small Template:Small
49 Template:No2Loss 35–11–3 Gene Fullmer KO 10 (15) Dec 9, 1961 Template:Small Template:Small
48 Template:Yes2Win 35–10–3 Emile Griffith SD 15 Sep 30, 1961 Template:Small Template:Small
47 Template:No2Loss 34–10–3 Emile Griffith KO 13 (15) Apr 1, 1961 Template:Small Template:Small
46 Template:No2Loss 34–9–3 Gaspar Ortega UD 10 Feb 25, 1961 Template:Small
45 Template:Yes2Win 34–8–3 Luis Federico Thompson UD 15 Dec 10, 1960 Template:Small Template:Small
44 Template:No2Loss 33–8–3 Denny Moyer SD 10 Aug 16, 1960 Template:Small
43 Template:Yes2Win 33–7–3 Garnet Hart KO 6 (10) Jul 12, 1960 Template:Small
42 Template:Yes2Win 32–7–3 Don Jordan UD 15 May 27, 1960 Template:Small Template:Small
41 Template:DrawDraw 31–7–3 Luis Federico Thompson PTS 12 Mar 25, 1960 Template:Small
40 Template:Yes2Win 31–7–2 Charley Scott SD 10 Jan 29, 1960 Template:Small
39 Template:Yes2Win 30–7–2 Charley Scott UD 10 Dec 18, 1959 Template:Small
38 Template:Yes2Win 29–7–2 Bob Provizzi UD 10 Nov 16, 1959 Template:Small
37 Template:DrawDraw 28–7–2 José Torres PTS 10 Sep 26, 1959 Template:Small
36 Template:No2Loss 28–7–1 Gaspar Ortega SD 10 Aug 7, 1959 Template:Small
35 Template:Yes2Win 28–6–1 Rudy Sawyer UD 10 Jun 1, 1959 Template:Small
34 Template:No2Loss 27–6–1 Eddie Thompson SD 10 Apr 20, 1959 Template:Small
33 Template:No2Loss 27–5–1 Cecil Shorts MD 10 Mar 2, 1959 Template:Small
32 Template:Yes2Win 27–4–1 Victor Zalazar UD 10 Jan 19, 1959 Template:Small
31 Template:Yes2Win 26–4–1 Victor Zalazar SD 10 Dec 15, 1958 Template:Small
30 Template:Yes2Win 25–4–1 Barry Allison UD 10 Nov 24, 1958 Template:Small
29 Template:Yes2Win 24–4–1 Andy Figaro KO 1 (10) Nov 10, 1958 Template:Small
28 Template:No2Loss 23–4–1 Luis Manuel Rodríguez SD 10 Aug 9, 1958 Template:Small
27 Template:Yes2Win 23–3–1 Augustin Rosales TKO 8 (10) Jun 21, 1958 Template:Small
26 Template:Yes2Win 22–3–1 Eddie Armstrong UD 10 Jun 9, 1958 Template:Small
25 Template:DrawDraw 21–3–1 Bobby Shell PTS 6 May 19, 1958 Template:Small
24 Template:Yes2Win 21–3 Tony Armenteros PTS 10 Mar 8, 1958 Template:Small
23 Template:No2Loss 20–3 Luis Manuel Rodríguez UD 10 Feb 8, 1958 Template:Small
22 Template:Yes2Win 20–2 Rolando Rodriguez PTS 8 Jan 25, 1958 Template:Small
21 Template:Yes2Win 19–2 Regino Bravo KO 3 (8) Jan 4, 1958 Template:Small
20 Template:Yes2Win 18–2 Rolando Rodriguez KO 5 (8) May 25, 1957 Template:Small
19 Template:Yes2Win 17–2 Carlos Chibas PTS 8 May 4, 1957 Template:Small
18 Template:No2Loss 16–2 Guillermo Diaz PTS 8 Apr 6, 1957 Template:Small
17 Template:Yes2Win 16–1 Rolando Rodriguez PTS 8 Mar 23, 1957 Template:Small
16 Template:Yes2Win 15–1 Oscar Campos UD 8 Mar 9, 1957 Template:Small
15 Template:Yes2Win 14–1 Oscar Campos PTS 10 Feb 1, 1957 Template:Small
14 Template:No2Loss 13–1 Rolando Rodriguez KO 2 (8) Oct 22, 1956 Template:Small
13 Template:Yes2Win 13–0 Carlos Chibas KO 2 (8) Oct 13, 1956 Template:Small
12 Template:Yes2Win 12–0 Leocadio Villafanas KO 3 (8) Aug 9, 1956 Template:Small
11 Template:Yes2Win 11–0 Carlos Chibas PTS 8 Jul 21, 1956 Template:Small
10 Template:Yes2Win 10–0 Tony Caspita PTS 8 Jun 6, 1956 Template:Small
9 Template:Yes2Win 9–0 Reinaldo Cabellero KO 3 (6) Mar 16, 1956 Template:Small
8 Template:Yes2Win 8–0 Jose Delgado KO 4 (6) Jan 27, 1956 Template:Small
7 Template:Yes2Win 7–0 Joaquin Castillo PTS 6 Dec 23, 1955 Template:Small
6 Template:Yes2Win 6–0 Jose Delgado PTS 6 Dec 2, 1955 Template:Small
5 Template:Yes2Win 5–0 Sandalio Santana PTS 6 Oct 26, 1955 Template:Small
4 Template:Yes2Win 4–0 Miguel Cutino TKO 4 Oct 22, 1955 Template:Small
3 Template:Yes2Win 3–0 Joel Morales PTS 4 Sep 8, 1955 Template:Small
2 Template:Yes2Win 2–0 Esmerido Moya KO 1 (4) Aug 11, 1955 Template:Small
1 Template:Yes2Win 1–0 Oscar Campos PTS 6 Apr 16, 1954 Template:Small

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

The Ring magazine titles

Undisputed titles

See also

References

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