Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Captain Ross: Peter's right. There are no gay boxers. Except, maybe Emile Griffith killed Benny Paret in the ring. Paret called him a "maricón" at the weigh-in. Ross is referring to the 1962 World Welterweight Championship held at New York City's Madison Square Garden between Emile Griffith (age 24) and Benny "Kid" Paret (age 25). This was their third encounter in the ring – a rematch of a rematch. At the weigh-in Paret approached Griffith calling him a maricón which is a Spanish derogatory word for homosexual, just as he'd done at the previous match. Griffith then threatened to kill Paret. In the sixth round, Paret knocked Griffith down with a series of punches but Griffith was spared by the end of the round bell. Paret put his hand on his hip and blew a kiss at Griffith which only infuriated him more. In the 12th round, Griffith backed Paret into a corner, continuing with upper cuts and hooks. Paret started to go down, but his arm hooked onto the ropes holding his body up enabling Griffith to continue the ferocious assault with 18 punches to Paret's head in less than six seconds, 29 consecutive punches in all. By the time the referee stopped the fight Paret was unconscious and had to be carried out of the ring. Paret went into a coma and died 10 days later. Griffith retained the World Welterweight Title. St. Thomas' Emile Griffith Park on Veterans Drive in New York City is so named for him. Emile Griffith, a six-time world welter weight champion, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 and his name is engraved in gold letters on a plaque in Madison Square Garden along with the world's best boxers. The story was immortalized by HBO Documentary Films' 2005 Ring of Fire, directed and produced by Dan Klores with Ron Berger. Griffith retired with more championship rounds than anyone in boxing history: 51 more than Sugar Ray Robinson and 69 more than Muhammad Ali.