Benvenuti-Griffith: Old Foe a Friend

[ledhed]

This excerpt is from George Kimball's column in the Boston Herald January 3, 2010

 

Emile Griffith and Nino Benvenuti fought three times between April of 1967 and March of the following year, an 11-month span that saw Griffith lose, regain and then again relinquish the world middleweight title. All three bouts - Benvenuti’s wins were at Madison Square Garden, Griffith’s at Shea Stadium - went the 15-round distance, and at the conclusion of their trilogy there still wasn’t a lot to separate the two warriors: Griffith’s redemption had come via a close majority decision, and while Benvenuti’s win in the final installment was unanimous, two judges scored it 8-6 and the third 7-7. The latter scorecard fell into Benvenuti’s column after the implementation of a supplementary points system.

 

A few weeks ago Griffith confirmed to New York Daily News cartoonist and columnist emeritus Bill Gallo, two things pride had heretofore kept him from revealing: One was that he is suffering from pugilstica dementia. The other was that he is flat broke, and could barely make ends meet on his sole means of income - a monthly Social Security check.

 

Gallo’s column struck a chord on both sides of the Atlantic. A few days before Christmas, Benvenuti flew over from Italy and met with Griffith in Gallo’s office at the newspaper. There he presented him with his Christmas gift - a Western Union money transfer bag containing $10,000. Benvenuti also announced plans to help set up a retirement plan for his old foe.

 

“I am doing well, but (Griffith) is less lucky,” Benvenuti told Daily News sportswriter Mitch Abramson, who witnessed the heartwarming reunion. “I want to help him. This is our fourth fight together - and this time, he will win.”

[robsnell]

very interesting article thanks