Boxing - Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story

Although its subject is an infamous boxer, RING OF FIRE: THE EMILE GRIFFITH STORY tells the a tale that centers on such human emotions as rage, regret, and forgiveness. This documentary is constructed through interviews with Griffith himself and others who experienced the film's events, as well as file footage of Griffith's public appearances and fights. Griffith was a native of the Virgin Islands who moved to New York in the 1950s and became one of the dominant middleweight boxers during the early 1960s. The entire time, however, Griffith struggled to hide his homosexuality, a knee-jerk reaction that still made him close-mouthed about it years later. The most famous moments of Griffith's career came when his career and his personal life collided in a tragic way during his well-known series of fights against Benny "the Kid" Paret. The third and final time they fought, Griffith beat Paret so badly that the latter died 10 days later, and Griffith's rage was reportedly fueled by a homosexual slur Paret repeatedly insulted him with. RING OF FIRE concentrates on the Paret fight, how it affected Griffith, and what it reveals about society and the culture of sports during the period.