Mar. 25, 1962 - Benny (Kid) Paret remains unconscious and in critical condition at Roosevelt Hospital this evening with brain injuries suffered when he lost the world welterweight title to Emile Griffith Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. The 24-year-old Cuban boxer is being given little chance to survive. Paret underwent a three-hour brain operation early this morning to relieve pressure caused by blood clots on both sides of his head. Referee Ruby Goldstein is being criticized severely today for not stopping the fight earlier. Manuel Alfaro, Paret’s manager, said: “I lost a champion because of negligence on the part of the referee. Paret will never be able to fight again if he lives. Goldstein should have called it the minute Paret got his arms tangled in the ropes.” Alfaro and many others were at Roosevelt Hospital all day today. Paret’s wife, Lucy (pictured right at the hospital today), was at the fighter’s bedside all day. She flew to New York from their home in Miami early in the morning with their young son, Benny Jr. (left). Mrs. Paret is expecting a second child in September.
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