Mar. 24, 1962 - Welterweight boxer Benny (Kid) Paret was taken by ambulance to Roosevelt Hospital after losing the championship to Emile Griffith at Madison Square Garden. Paret was knocked out in a savage attack in the 12th round and never regained consciousness. A member of the hospital staff described his chances for recovery as “poor.” Griffith ended the scheduled 15-round bout with a furious barrage of at least 20 punches as Paret was backed against the ropes. Referee Ruby Goldstein finally stopped it and wrestled Griffith away, and Paret sagged slowly to the canvas. Ring physicians worked on him for eight minutes before the fighter was taken away on a stretcher. Manuel Alfaro, Paret’s manager, said: “The referee should have stopped it sooner. I was shouting to him to stop it, but he didn’t hear me.” Griffith wept uncontrollably when he learned of the injury. He is now at the hospital awaiting news of Paret’s condition. At the weigh-in ceremony earlier today, Paret, speaking in Spanish, called Griffith derogatory names. Griffith was so angry that he was ready to fight on the spot. The Cuban apparently did not realize that Griffith understood Spanish.
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