Carmine Basilio (April 2, 1927 – November 7, 2012) better known in the boxing world as Carmen Basilio, was an American professional boxer who had been a two weight class world boxing champion. Some reports have suggested that Basilio changed his name from Carmine to Carmen before he began boxing, to sound more masculine.

Basilio began his professional boxing career by meeting Jimmy Evans on November 24 of 1948 in Binghamton, New York. He knocked Evans out in the third round, and five days later, he beat Bruce Walters in only one round and by the end of 1948 had completed four bouts.

He started 1949 with two draws, against Johnny Cunningham on January 5, and against Jay Perlin 20 days later. Basilio campaigned exclusively inside the state of New York during his first 24 bouts, going 19-3-2 during that span. His first loss was at the hands of Connie Thies, who beat him, by a decision in 6 on May 2 of '49. He and Cunningham had three more fights during that period, with Basilio winning by knockout in two on their second meeting, Cunningham by a decision in eight in their third and Basilio by decision in eight in their fourth.

For fight number 25, it was decided that it was time to campaign out West so Basilio went to New Orleans, where he boxed his next six fights. In his first bout there, he met Gaby Farland, who held him to a draw. He and Farland had a rematch, Basilio winning by a knockout in the first round. He also boxed Guillermo Giminez there twice, first beating him by knockout in eight, and then by knockout in nine. In his last fight before returning home, he lost by a decision in 10 to Eddie Giosa.

In 1952, Basilio went 6-2-1. He beat Jimmy Cousins among others that year, but he lost to Chuck Davey and Billy Graham. The draw he registered that year was against Davey in the first of the two meetings they held that year.

Things began to change for the better for the fighter in 1953. Basilio started winning big fights and soon found his name climbing up the Welterweight division's rankings. Soon, he found himself in his first world title fight, against Cuba's Kid Gavilan for Gavilan's world welterweight championship.

Before fighting against Gavilan, he beat former world light-weight champion Ike Williams, and had two more fights with Graham, avenging his earlier loss to Graham in the second bout between them with a 12 round decision win, and drawing in the third. Basilio lost a 15 round decision to Gavilan and went for a fourth meeting with Cunningham, this time winning by a knockout in four. Then, he and French fighter Pierre Langois began another rivalry, with a 10 round draw in the first bout between the two.

1955 arrived and Basilio began by beating Peter Müller by decision. After that, Basilio was once again the number one challenger, and on June 10 of that year, he received his second world title try, against world Welterweight champion Tony DeMarco. In what has become a favorite fight of classic sports channels such as ESPN, Basilio became world champion by knocking out DeMarco in the 12th round. Basilio had two non title bouts, including a ten round decision win over Gil Turner, before he and DeMarco met again, this time with Basilio as the defending world champion. Their second fight had exactly the same result as their first bout: Basilio won by a knockout in 12.

For his next fight, in 1956, Basilio lost the title in Chicago to Johnny Saxton by a decision in 15. It has always been commented that the reason that Saxton got the nod was because of his ties with the underworld. His manager, Mafiosi, Frank "Blinky" Palermo", was later jailed along with his partner Frankie Carbo for fixing fights. Basilio said of losing his title to the referees' decision, “It was like being robbed in a dark alley.” In an immediate rematch that was fought in Syracuse, Basilio regained the crown with a nine round knockout, and then, in a rubber match, Basilio kept the belt, by a knockout in two.

After that, he went up in weight and challenged aging 37 year old world Middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson, in what perhaps may have been his most famous fight. He won the Middleweight championship of the world by beating Robinson in one of the most exciting 15 round decisions in middleweight history, September 23, 1957. The day after, he had to abandon the Welterweight belt, according to boxing laws. In 1957 Basilio won the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year.

In between those fights, he was able to beat Art Aragon, by knockout in eight, and former world Welterweight champion Don Jordan, by decision in ten. His fight with Pender for the title, was also his last fight as a professional boxer.

Following his esteemed career as a fighter, Basilio worked for a time at the Genesee Brewery in Rochester, NY. Basilio, who was also a member of the United States Marine Corps at one point of his life, was able to enjoy his retirement. During the 1970s, his nephew Billy Backus became world's welterweight champion after having a shaky start to his own boxing career, and Basilio declared on the day that Backus became champion, that to him, Billy winning the title was better than when he won it himself.

Basilio was interviewed for an HBO documentary on Sugar Ray Robinson called "The Dark Side Of A Champion". He mentioned that although he respected Robinson's talents in the ring, he did not like him at all as a person. He called him a "son of a bitch" and said he was the most arrogant, unpleasant person that you would ever want to meet.

Sugar Ray Robinson and Carmen Basilio were two of the all-time-greats. They fought twice, the first time on Sept. 23, 1957, at Yankee Stadium in New York, and the second time on March 25, 1958 at Chicago Stadium. Going into the first fight, Robinson, a former welterweight titleholder, was defending the middleweight title he won from Jake LaMotta in 1951. Sugar Ray was 140-5-2 (that’s no typo) going in. Basilio, welterweight champion at the time, was 51-12-7 and had been chomping at the bit to get to Robinson for years. Their first fight was nothing less than amazing. Their second fight no less so. It’s a cliché to say they don’t make ‘em like they used to, but they don’t make ‘em like they used to….

“Carmen put Canastota on the worldwide boxing map and gave the village’s residents a sense of pride that couldn’t be matched anywhere in the world,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy. “During the 1950s and 1960s Carmen was everyone’s hero. They talked about him in the coffee shops, grocery stores, gas stations and barbershops all the time. And they still talk about him today. He was loved, respected and idolized. His career and memories will last forever in the Village of Canastota.”.

Mike Milmoe, board member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the editor and publisher of the Canastota Bee Journal newspaper during Carmen’s fighting days, said, “Carmen was the best known and most famous native son in community history. He gave credibility to the Boxing Hall of Fame in its formative years with his participation and support. When he received the Hickok Award as Pro Athlete of the Year in 1957 after defeating Sugar Ray Robinson for the middleweight championship, he brought worldwide recognition to this community. Wherever he lived or visited his heart was always in Canastota. He was a wonderful individual and our best community ambassador.”.

"Many years ago I remember reading an article about Carmen in Ring magazine. They interviewed a State Trooper who didn't wish to give his name for the record. Pertaining to Carmen he said, "Yeah, I know him. He's a punk, and he's beatable, but you'd better pack a lunch because it's going to take you all day." I also remember his hands were so bad (brittle), they let him down time and time again. He almost walked away from the sport. Of course it's what he did against Tony De Marco and Sugar Ray Robinson that we'll remember him for. 'Concrete' Carmen, you were that boxing rarity: A Champion's Champion. It's time to rest. "

Reference

Carmen Basilio. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_Basilio.

Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Carmen Basilio I & II. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.boxing.com/sugar_ray_robinson_vs._carmen_basilio_i_ii.html.

The Sweet Science. (2014). Rest in Peace, Carmen Basilio, Toughest Onion Farmer Ever. Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles/15530-rest-in-peace-carmen-basilio-toughest-onion-farmer-ever.

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Kid Gavilan, byname of Gerardo Gonzalez (born Jan. 6, 1926, Camagüey, Cuba—died Feb. 13, 2003, Miami, Fla., U.S.), Cuban professional boxer and world welterweight champion who was known for his “bolo punch,” a searing right hook-cum-uppercut - which still remains one of the most exciting shots in a boxer's armoury. While the modern tendency of baiting opponents has seen the bolo punch used frequently, few fighters have emulated the sweeping style of Gavilan, who claimed to have perfected the motion from his years using a machete on Cuba's sugar plantations.

Gavilan said that cutting sugarcane during his youth in Cuba helped him to perfect his punching technique. A full two decades before Muhammad Ali was to enthral crowds with the "Ali Shuffle", the Cuban-born Gavilan was giving similarly memorable displays of showmanship. Indeed, the colourful "Cuban Hawk" even executed his own little dance routine during his fights.

He took up boxing at the age of 10, and had 60 amateur bouts before making his professional debut in Havana in June 1943. After losing just once in 24 fights, in 1947 he went to America, where his exploits in the ring made him a hero in pre-Castro Cuba.

Gavilan was managed by Yamil Chade, a boxing manager (based in Puerto Rico) who also directed the careers of Wilfredo Gómez, Wilfred Benítez, Carlos De León and Félix Trinidad among others. He started as a professional boxer on the evening of June 5, 1943, when he beat Antonio Diaz by a decision in four rounds in Havana. His first ten bouts were in Havana, and then he had one in Cienfuegos, but soon he returned to Havana for three more wins. After 14 bouts, he left Cuba for his first fight abroad, and he beat Julio César Jimenez by a decision in 10 rounds in his first of three consecutive fights in Mexico City. It was there that he suffered his first defeat, at the hands of Carlos Macalara by a decision. They had an immediate rematch, this time in Havana, and Gavilan avenged that loss, winning by decision too. Gavilan had a record of 25 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw already when he had his first fight on American soil. This happened on November 1, 1946, when he beat Johnny Ryan by a knockout in five rounds at New York City.

He would split his time between the Eastern coast of the United States and Havana in 1947, a year in which he went 11-1-1 with 3 knockouts. However, by 1948 he had decided to stay in the United States indefinitely. That year, he met some very important fighters, like former world champion Ike Williams, who beat him by decision in ten, Tommy Bell, against whom Gavilan won by decision, Sugar Ray Robinson, who beat him by decision in ten, and Tony Pellone, with Gavilan obtaining a decision against Pellone.

In 1952, he defended the title with success against Bobby Dykes, Gil Turner, and with Graham in a third encounter between the two. All those fights were won by decision in 15. He also had five non title bouts, including three that were a part of an Argentinian tour. His third fight with Graham was his first world title defense in Havana and his fight with Dykes marked the first time that a black man and a white man had a boxing fight in then-segregated Miami, Florida. In 1953, Gavilan retained the title by a knockout in ten against Chuck Davey, by a decision in 15 against Carmen Basilio and by a decision in 15 against Bratton. He had seven non title bouts, losing to Danny Womber, but beating Ralph Tiger Jones. In 1954, Gavilan went up in weight. After two more points wins, he challenged world Middleweight champion Bobo Olson for the world title, but lost a decision in 15. Then, he went down in weight, and lost his world Welterweight championship, by a decision in 15 to Johnny Saxton. That same year, he appeared on a Telemundo Puerto Rico poster that promoted that country's first television transmission.

From that point until 1958, when he retired, he had a career of ups and downs. He lost to Dykes, Jones, Eduardo Lausse, former world champion Tony DeMarco, Vince Martinez and Gaspar Ortega, but he also beat Ortega, Jones and Chico Vejar, among others. After losing to Yama Bahama by decision in ten on June 18, 1958, he never fought again, announcing his retirement on September 11 of that year. Gavilan was one of the few boxers never knocked out in their professional careers. In 1966, he was inducted into the original boxing Hall of Fame, as well as the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York. He had a record of 107 wins, 30 losses and 6 draws, with one no contest (boxing) and 27 wins by knockout in a career that spanned 143 professional fights.

But Gavilan's reputation was tarnished by his involvement in several fights which were almost certainly fixed, during an era when the Mafia forged close links with the sport. The most notorious of these bouts was the contest which cost Gavilan his world title when he lost, on a points decision, to Johnny Saxton at Philadelphia on October 20 1954.

The outcome is regarded as one of the worst in boxing history: no fewer than 20 of the 22 ringside reporters adjudged Gavilan the winner. Five years earlier, shortly before Gavilan challenged Sugar Ray Robinson for the world welterweight crown, one Gavilan opponent is said to have refused an offer of $100,000 to take a dive.

Reference

Kid Gavilan (Cuban boxer). (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/914261/Kid-Gavilan.

Kid Gavilan. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1422284/Kid-Gavilan.html.

Kid Gavilán. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_Gavil%C3%A1n.

Propaganda Scores a TKO » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names .... (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.counterpunch.org/2004/08/07/propaganda-scores-a-tko/.

Struggles Nearly Ko Boxing Hero. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-02-11/news/9303180499_1_kid-gavilan-eviction-housing-officials.

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Jack Britton (October 14, 1885 - March 27, 1962) was three-time world welterweight boxing champion, born William J. Breslin in Clinton, New York. His professional career lasted for 25 years beginning in 1905. The website boxrec.com lists his record as 239 wins, 57 losses and 44 draws, including newspaper decisions. He holds the world record for the number of title bouts fought in a career with 37 (18 of which ended in no decisions), many against his arch-rival, Ted "Kid" Lewis.

Jack Britton was a masterful boxer whose career spanned 25 years. He was 37 when Mickey Walker took the welterweight title from him, and he continued to fight top contenders until his retirement at age 44. An Irish street scrapper from Clinton, New York, Britton's earliest professional bouts took place in 1904 and1905 at small boxing clubs in Milwaukee and Chicago. Although he was a talented fighter, Britton languished in the lower ranks until he teamed up with manager Dan Morgan, who insisted his boxers live clean and train hard. Under Morgan's guidance, Britton's career took off.

Britton fought three times against Hall of Famer Packey McFarland. Their first match was a draw and the next two were no-decisions, but all were memorable for the ring artistry displayed by the two fighters. In 1915, Britton won a twelve-round decision over Mike Glover to stake a claim as the welterweight champ- ion. After Ted ("Kid") Lewis also defeated Glover, the stage was set for Lewis and Britton to meet, with the winner to be acclaimed as champion. The bout became the first in a twenty-fight rivalry between Britton and the closely matched Lewis. Enemies from the onset, Britton and Lewis exchanged threats and then refused to speak to each other. In the ring, both spurned the customary handshake. In a wild bout, the hard-hitting Lewis won the decision and the championship.

Most of the Britton-Lewis matches were officially no-decision bouts, but in 1916, Britton won a decision over Lewis to take the welterweight title. For the next six years, the two fighters monopolized the championship. Lewis regained it in a twenty-round decision in 1917. In 1919, Britton knocked out Lewis in the ninth round to take it back. Britton remained the champion until 1922. In his last successful title defense, Britton fought lightweight champion Benny Leonard at the New York Velodrome before approximately 18,000 fans. Leonard knocked Britton down in the thirteenth round, then hit him again before he got up, giving Britton the victory on the foul. Some ringside observers believed that Leonard deliberately went for the foul because he didn't want to hold two titles.

Britton lost the welterweight belt in Madison Square Garden later that year to the much younger Mickey Walker, who floored Britton three times. Though he never again contended for the title, Britton continued to fight for seven more years, pushed beyond his prime when he lost his ring earnings in failed Florida land investments. He left the ring to become a boxing instructor and mentor to young athletes in New York City, where he and Morgan continued the close association that had built one of boxing's strongest careers.

Reference

Jack Britton. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Britton.

Jack Britton. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/oldtimer/britton.html.

José Ángel Nápoles, nicknamed Mantequilla ("Butter") (born April 13, 1940), is a Cuban-Mexican boxer and former world welterweight champion, who is repeatedly ranked as one of the top fighters of all time in that division. Nápoles fought out of Mexico where he was adopted as a national hero and is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

He debuted as a professional boxer on August 2, 1958 in Cuba, knocking out Julio Rojas in the first round. Nápoles' first 18 bouts were in Cuba, against mostly unknown opposition. He did defeat Ángel García and Leslie Grant, but lost to Hilton Smith (in his first defeat).

In 1963, he won seven bouts and lost two. He was defeated by Tony Perez and Alfredo Urbina, both by decision, but he beat JC Morgan, by knockout in seven rounds, in Venezuela.

1964 was a successful year for Nápoles. He travelled to Japan, where he beat Taketeru Yoshimoto by knockout in round one, and he beat future world champion Carlos Morocho Hernández by knockout in round seven, this time back in Venezuela. In addition to those wins, he avenged his loss to Urbina by knocking him out twice, the first time in the first round and the second time in the third.

He won three more fights in 1965, including another win against Morgan, before seeing a raise in opposition quality when he faced the former world Junior Welterweight champion Eddie Perkins, beating him by decision in ten rounds. For his next fight, he met his own future world title challenger, Adolph Pruitt, beating him by knockout in round three.

In 1966, he won five fights, all by knockout, and lost one, to arch-rival Morgan, who knocked him out in round four. This would be his last loss in four years.

Nápoles began a streak of 20 wins in a row, 13 of them before challenging for the world's welterweight title. These included avenging the loss to Morgan with a two round knockout. During this period, Nápoles also became a fan favorite in southern California, and, after beating Fate Davis, on February 15 of 1969 in Mexico, he was given an opportunity to win the world championship when he faced the current champion Curtis Cokes in Inglewood, on April 18. Nápoles beat Cokes by a knockout in round 13 to become world welterweight champion, and, as was becoming common place for him, he wore a Sombrero after the fight. On June 29, he retained the title in a rematch with Cokes by a knockout in round 10 in his hometown of Mexico City, and on October 12, he outpointed former world champion Emile Griffith in 15, also retaining the title.

After winning one more fight, he and Backus fought again, for the world welterweight title now in Backus' hands. This time, it was held in Los Angeles, and Nápoles recovered the world championship via an 8th round stoppage. After three non-title wins, including one over Jean Josselin, he faced Hedgemon Lewis on December 14, retaining the world title with a decision in 15 rounds, but Nápoles' training habits were suffering; he was alleged to be coming into the gym stinking of alcohol with an attitude towards his seconds.

In 1972, he retained the title knocking out Ralph Charles in seven in England, and then, Pruitt resurfaced again, this time with the world Welterweight title on the line. Nápoles retained his crown by knockout in round two.

After this, many boxing fans were asking for a fight between Nápoles and world middleweight champion Carlos Monzón. The fight was made possible when Nápoles moved in weight to challenge Monzon for Monzon's title, so the two dueled on February 9, 1974 at a parking lot in Paris. This would be Nápoles' only bout at the Middleweight division, as he was defeated by quitting the match. Nápoles then went back to the Welterweight division, and retained the title twice before the year ended, with a knockout in nine over Lewis, and with a knockout in three over Horacio Saldaño.

In 1975, Nápoles had two wins over Armando Muniz, both times to retain his world title. The first time, a technical decision win in 12 rounds at Acapulco was a controversial win, so a return match was fought in Los Angeles, where Nápoles prevailed by decision.

On December 6 of that year, however, Nápoles lost his title to British boxing teacher John H. Stracey, who won over Nápoles by a technical knockout in round six at Mexico City despite being floored by Nápoles in round one. After this fight, Nápoles announced his retirement. Remarkably, he was able to stay away from the temptation of a comeback, much like Marvin Hagler.

Reference

José Nápoles. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_N%C3%A1poles.

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Young Corbett III was born Raffaele Giordano in 1905. He wasted little time before starting his career at the age of 14.He didn't have elite power, but he was a difficult fighter to face because he would throw punches and then maul his opponent before he could retaliate. Kind of an old school Ricky Hatton.Corbett scored a win over the legendary Billy Conn in 1937, dropping him in the second round. Conn would avenge the loss by decision just a couple of months later.He retired in 1940 with a record of 122-12-22.

A tough southpaw, Corbett fought many great fighters of his time. For example, he engaged in a four-fight series with future welterweight champion Young Jack Thompson, winning three and drawing once. He also scored wins over Jack Zivic, Sgt. Sammy Baker, and welterweight champion Jackie Fields and future middleweight king Ceferino Garcia.

On February 22, 1933, Corbett captured the welterweight championship of the world by decisioning Jackie Fields over 10 rounds.

Fields agreed to defend his title against Young Corbett III at the Seal’s Stadium, San Francisco, on February 22, 1933. Corbett, originally from Italy but fighting out of Fresno, was another southpaw and Kearns and Fields had their work cut out for them. Jackie had lost on points to Corbett two years earlier in a close fight that saw the champ coming on strong at the end. But referee Jim Griffen was the sole judge in that bout and he had given it to Corbett, to the astonishment of Field’s corner. The San Francisco fans loved it. It didn’t matter much then because there was no title at stake, it was an over the weight fight, and Fields still got his $40,000 purse. Three months later, he was dethroned by Hall of Famer Jimmy McLarnin via a one round knockout.

Beside the boxing career, he was a physical education instructor for the California Highway Patrol and a grape grower. A statue of him, posed in a fighting stance and boxing gloves, was raised in Fresno. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2004.

Reference

Jackie Fields: Two. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.boxing.com/jackie_fields_two_time_welterweight_champion.html.

Ranking the 10 Greatest Southpaws in Boxing History | Bleacher .... (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1670778-ranking-the-10-greatest-southpaws-in-boxing-history.

Young Corbett III. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Corbett_III.

Griffith was born in St Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands. One of eight children abandoned by their father, he was raised by relatives while his mother found work in New York, sending for him when he was 12. He was employed in a garment factory whose owner, a former boxer, gave him permission to work shirtless in the heat.

Griffith came to the United States as a teenager and was encouraged to become a boxer by his employer, the owner of a hat factory. In 1958, after winning the New York Daily News and Intercity Golden Gloves amateur welterweight (147-pound) titles, he began his professional career. In his first 24 bouts as a professional, Griffith lost only twice, at which point he was given his first chance at a title bout. Griffith, who would hold the welterweight professional championship three times, first won it from Benny (“Kid”) Paret in a 13-round knockout on April 1, 1961; he lost it to Paret in a rematch by a 15-round decision on September 30, 1961; and he regained it by a knockout of Paret on March 24, 1962. This last fight resulted in tragedy when in the 12th round Griffith backed Paret into a corner and continued to punch him as he slumped against the ropes until the referee finally stepped in to stop the fight. Paret lapsed into a coma and died 10 days later. Griffith, who insisted that the brutality was not associated with remarks Paret had made prior to the bout about his sexuality, was shaken by the death and was never as aggressive in the ring. Despite this, Griffith successfully defended his world welterweight title twice in 1962 before surrendering it to Luis Rodríguez by a 15-round decision on March 21, 1963. On the rematch Griffith recaptured the title once more by a 15-round decision over Rodríguez on June 8, 1963.

By 1958, Griffith was the Golden Gloves champion at welterweight, and he turned professional. In 1961, he beat Paret on a 13th-round knockout to win the welterweight crown. Six months later he lost the rematch by a disputed split decision, setting up the fatal decider.

Paret floored Griffith for an eight-count in round six before Griffith took control. In the 12th, he landed a number of telling punches before a right staggered the Cuban, who retreated into the corner. Referee Ruby Goldstein stood directly behind Griffith, inexplicably slow to stop the beating. Paret was known for his ability to take a punch and Griffith was not a big puncher, but Paret was clearly out long before Goldstein stepped in.

Griffith always denied he intended deliberate punishment, and watching his concern as he moved to Paret immediately after his hand was raised in victory, it is easy to believe he was telling the truth. But the fight haunted him – and the whispers about his sexuality trailed him – for the rest of his life.

The governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller, ordered an investigation, which cleared both Griffith and Goldstein of blame. Goldstein never refereed another fight, and the ABC network dropped primetime boxing for the next 20 years. Griffith, haunted by nightmares, claimed he was never again as aggressive a fighter. He lost the title to another Cuban, Luis Manuel Rodríguez, but regained it in June 1963 and held it until 1966, when he vacated it after beating Dick Tiger for the middleweight crown. He had lost three fights to middleweights, including Hurricane Carter, along the way, preparing to move up.

He lost, regained and lost the middleweight crown again in a memorable series of fights with the Italian Nino Benvenuti in 1967-68. Benvenuti thought so much of Griffith that he later flew him to Italy to be godfather to his son. After losing title fights at welter to José Nápoles and twice at middleweight to Carlos Monzón, he slid into a long string of meaningless paydays. His final bout was a loss in Monaco to Britain's Alan Minter in July 1977.

In 1971, Griffith married Mercedes Donastorg, a dancer he had met in St Thomas. The lavish ceremony was held at the Concord hotel in the Catskills, where he trained, with Joe Frazier as best man. The marriage lasted less than two years, though he adopted Donastorg's daughter, Christine. After retiring, Griffith briefly coached the Danish Olympic team, then worked as a corrections officer at a juvenile facility in New Jersey, where he met Luis Rodrigo, who became his companion, publicly called an adopted son. The relationship cost him his job, so Griffith began bartending in Jersey City while training fighters, most notably Wilfred Benítez.

His sexuality remained an open question until a night in 1992, when he fought back after being attacked by a gang as he left Hombre, a gay bar near New York's port authority terminal. The savage beating he received left him close to death from kidney failure, and the trauma to his head would exacerbate the damage he had received while boxing. Yet even as gay sportsmen began to come out, Griffith seemed trapped in boxing's macho world.



On April 25, 1966, Griffith won the world middleweight (160-pound) title by outpointing champion Dick Tiger in 15 rounds. His attempt to retain both championships (contrary to U.S. boxing rules) was disallowed, and he relinquished the welterweight title. On April 17, 1967, he was defeated by Nino Benvenuti on points in a 15-round middleweight title match. On September 29 of that year, he won the middleweight championship for the second time by outscoring Benvenuti in 15 rounds, but he lost it again to Benvenuti by a 15-round decision on March 4, 1968. Griffith retired from the ring in 1977, with 85 wins (23 knockouts), 24 losses, and 2 draws. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

Griffith often attended fights in New York, especially at Madison Square Garden, where he headlined 23 times. He was also a frequent visitor to the many boxing clubs around New York City. He would slowly rise from his seat, often with assistance, and smile while waving when he was acknowledged.

Sports Illustrated reported in 2005 that Griffith may have been fueled by an anti-gay slur directed at him by Paret during the weigh-in. Over the years, Griffith described himself at various times as straight, gay and bisexual.

"People spit at me in the street," Griffith told The Associated Press in 1993, recalling the days after Paret's death. "We stayed in a hotel. Every time there was a knock on the door, I would run into the next room. I was so scared.".

"He was a tremendous boxer and person," Ross said. "It is almost a blessing that he passed away because he has been in a vegetative state the last couple years. To know him was a privilege. He transcended being a boxer, or being gay or straight. He lived life with the fullest joy. He passed that on to everyone he knew, and not many have that as a legacy.

"I was never the same fighter after that. After that fight, I did enough to win. I would use my jab all the time. I never wanted to hurt the other guy," Griffith said. "I would have quit, but I didn't know how to do anything else but fight.".

Known for his overwhelming speed and slick style -- certainly not his punching power -- Griffith was a prodigy from the moment he stepped in Hall of Fame trainer Gil Clancy's gym in Queens. Griffith had been working in a hat factory when, as the story goes, he took off his shirt on a hot day and the factory owner realized how strong he was.

Under the eye of Clancy, Griffith blossomed into a New York Golden Gloves champion and eventually turned professional. He easily defeated the likes of Florentino Fernandez and Luis Rodriguez during an era when it was common to fight every couple of weeks, quickly earning a welterweight title shot against Paret in 1961.

Griffith would go on to lose twice during a thrilling trilogy with Nino Benvenuti, his lone victory coming at Shea Stadium in 1967, and lost two bouts against the great middleweight Carlos Monzon. Griffith would finally retire in 1977 after losing his last three fights, his record standing at 85-24-2 with 23 knockouts.

Griffith's humor and generosity buoyed those close to him as his health deteriorated in later years. He would still make the pilgrimage to Canastota, N.Y., for the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, regaling fans young and old with tales, even though the details often became hazy, the result of the many blows he sustained during his career.

Reference

Emile Griffith (American boxer). (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/246097/Emile-Griffith.

Emile Griffith, Hall of Famer from 1960s, dies at 75. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://espn.go.com/new-york/story/_/id/9502532/emile-griffith-hall-famer-1960s-dies-75.

Michael Carlson. (2014). Emile Griffith obituary | Sport | theguardian.com. Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/jul/24/emile-griffith.

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The adopted American stayed loyal to his coach and mentor Charles "Pop" Foster throughout his career. Indeed, when Foster died, in 1956, he left his former protege his whole fortune of $280,000.

Ross's mobility and unrelenting attack saw him remove McLarnin of the welterweight crown in New York on May 28 1934, only for McLarnin to gain vengeance four months later. Finally, on May 28 1935, Ross was adjudged the narrow points victor of their third and deciding fight, although a somewhat bitter McLarnin always maintained he had edged it with a immense effort over the conclusive three minutes.

"Boxing's a very hazardous business and I'd always felt that anybody who goes into it for fun has to be out of their entire cotton pickin' mind," McLarnin told one interviewer. "But then I started to make money; when I was 19 I had $100,000 in the bank, so all of a sudden I realised boxing was for me.".

McLarnin carried phenomenal power in both fists and his right was distinctly feared. Like most great punchers, he suffered hand injuries and became more of a boxer in the latter part of his career. He lost his first title shot against Sammy Mandell for the world lightweight title in New York on May 21 1928, although he subsequently beat him twice in the next two years. It would be five years until his next chance, during which he knocked out New York's top lightweights and welterweights, including Sid Terris, Ruby Goldstein and Al Singer.

"There was no romance in it," he said, recalling his fighting days. "It was a tough, tough ordeal, but as the years went by and I got to know boxing, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be." McLarnin finally won the world welterweight crown by knocking out Young Corbett III in just two minutes 37 seconds. Then came that epic series of fights with Ross.

McLarnin's powers did not decrease and he beat all-time greats Tony Canzoneri and Lou Ambers in his final fights. Nevertheless, he retired from the ring in November 1936 a wealthy man, having won 63 out of 77 contests, drawn three and lost 11. He opened a machine shop and also took up film acting, golfing and lecturing.

When the Great Depression came along, so did McLarnin, a fiery little one-man tonic for a generation of crushed souls who so desperately needed their spirits lifting. He drew enormous crowds to his fights, mostly poor Irish-Americans who would willingly save up their few pennies to watch the exciting, clean-cut kid who also carried the name of Baby Face.

McLarnin held New York City in the palm of his hand, racking up some astonishing attendance figures for his many thrilling fights. His debut there in February 1928 couldn.

The word quickly spread about McLarnin and the gates soared accordingly. He pulled in 18,000 to watch the Terris knockout, and his attendance figures thereafter were consistently staggering. In 1929 alone, combined crowds of nearly 80,000 came to pay homage to their boy in his fights with Ray Miller and Ruby Goldstein and in his two encounters with Joe Glick.

The Belfast Spider steadily began to swell his impressive ledger. Two fights later, he blitzed future welterweight champion Jackie Fields in two rounds at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, knocking Jackie down four times.

He sucked up the Mandell defeat, bested Sammy in two subsequent meetings and rolled on to greater things. Courageous to the core, McLarnin decisioned Young Jack Thompson at Madison Square Garden in 1930 despite suffering a broken hand in the first round.

McLarnin was close to the big bauble and he went to Wrigley Field in Los Angeles to collect. Yet still it was regarded as a major upset when he tore the welterweight crown from the great Young Corbett III in one sensational round, courtesy of one booming right. The oft-forgotten Corbett would lose just twelve times in his 157-fight career and was far from finished after McLarnin dropped the bomb on him, going on to scalp the likes of Billy Conn, Fred Apostoli, Mickey Walker and Gus Lesnevich.

Jimmy McLarnin, the adopted Emerald of New York City, was on top of the world. It was the spring of 1933 and he would cross swords with only one man over the next two years in a pulsating three-fight saga that would thrill New Yorkers and captivate the entire boxing world. He was about to do business with Beryl Rosofsky. Beryl, of course, always sounded much fiercer as Barney Ross.

To this day, they stick together like a more primitive version of Laurel and Hardy in the minds and hearts of historians. McLarnin and Ross, Ross and McLarnin. Any way you roll it off the tongue, it sounds smooth and warmly familiar. Look at various lists of the all-time great welterweights, and Jimmy and Barney are still locked together in similarly lofty positions. So they should be.

The two little titans drew 60,000 people into Madison Square Garden for their opening epic, when Barney took Jimmy.

Everybody wanted a fourth fight between the two wonderful magicians, especially the enthralled Irish and Jewish communities of New York. Jimmy kept busy in the only way he knew how, not by kicking a couple of tomato cans, but by seeing off a couple of gents with the resounding names of Tony Canzoneri and Lou Ambers.

But you look at the career of Jimmy McLarnin, you look at his determination and his fighting spirit, and you mix in his mettle as a man. He fashioned all those fine qualities out of hard work, common sense and a willingness to learn from his mistakes.

Reference

Jimmy McLarnin: The Emerald of New York City. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/casey/MC_McLarnin.htm.

Mike Lewis. (2014). Obituary: Jimmy McLarnin | Sport | The Guardian. Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/nov/11/guardianobituaries.boxing.

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