Urban legend has it that the Griffith/Paret fight became a grudge match when the latter called the former a sissy before the fight. It was rumored that Emile Griffith was a closet transvestite, whether he was also gay is a matter of conjecture. At any rate, Benny "Kid" Paret sustained fatal brain damage while pinned against the ropes, as the ref (Ruby Goldstein) failed to stop Griffith's onslaught in a timely manner.
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