Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story (2005)

On March 24, 1962, professional boxers Emile Griffith and Benny "The Kid" Paret met each other in the ring.  The bout was shown on NBC on national television.  It was the third time the two had faced each other in a fight.  The first time, Griffith won the welterweight title from Paret in 1961 via knockout.  Six months later, Paret won the title back from Griffith.  The third time would change Griffith's life forever.

Griffith backed Paret into a corner during the sixth round, and punched him repeatedly.  Several of the people interviewed for this documentary differed as to how many punches Paret took.  Some said 17, others said 25, and still others came up with different numbers.  Paret was knocked out cold while still on his feet, then he slumped into the corner.  Griffith was declared the victor, and said during an interview immediately afterwards that he hoped Paret was okay.  Unfortunately, Paret would never be okay again.  The Cuban slipped into a coma, and died ten days later.  I box as an amateur, I've been hurt in the ring.  I've seen others get hurt in both amateur and professional fights on TV and in person.  But the footage of Griffith and Paret's fight had me flinching.  The fight was very brutal.  Some think that Griffith may have been getting payback on Paret for using a gay slur against him during a weigh-in. 

The documentary follows Griffith's life with all its ups and downs after that fateful night, as well as the effect of that tragic bout on boxing.  I learned that the fight brought up calls from politicians to ban the sport (although nothing came of the protests). That fight was also the reason why boxing disappeared from network TV in the 1960s, not to return until the 1970s.  Griffith himself is somewhat of a mystery, especially concerning his sexuality, and how the impact of Paret's death really affected him mentally and emotionally.