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By Thomas Gerbasi - Unfortunately, I only met Emile Griffith once.
It had to be around 1998 or 1999, at an event Gerry Cooney’s F.I.S.T. organization was throwing at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City. There were plenty of heavyweights there that night, and not just “Gentleman Gerry.”
Former middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo and I got lost trying to find the Staten Island Ferry, and another 160-pound titleholder, Jake LaMotta, asked me how much I was paying him when I inquired about an interview.
But the highlight had to be meeting Emile Griffith, the Hall of Famer who once ruled the welterweight and middleweight divisions back when being a champion meant you were something special, and not just one of dozens holding the same belts.
I was a bit awestruck to see the man who my father always talked about as one of the best of the best, but I still approached him, and everything you’ve heard about Griffith being the kindest and most affable gentleman you will ever meet in boxing was true. We chatted for a few minutes and I then committed the Cardinal Sin for a then-aspiring writer. I asked him to sign my notebook, prefacing it with “I know this isn’t professional…” He laughed and said “Don’t you worry about that” as he gave me one of the few autographs I’ve picked up over the years.
The next day, still riding on a cloud, I told a buddy of mine about meeting Griffith. He startled me when he blurted out “Did he try to hit on you?” [Click Here To Read More]
It had to be around 1998 or 1999, at an event Gerry Cooney’s F.I.S.T. organization was throwing at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City. There were plenty of heavyweights there that night, and not just “Gentleman Gerry.”
Former middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo and I got lost trying to find the Staten Island Ferry, and another 160-pound titleholder, Jake LaMotta, asked me how much I was paying him when I inquired about an interview.
But the highlight had to be meeting Emile Griffith, the Hall of Famer who once ruled the welterweight and middleweight divisions back when being a champion meant you were something special, and not just one of dozens holding the same belts.
I was a bit awestruck to see the man who my father always talked about as one of the best of the best, but I still approached him, and everything you’ve heard about Griffith being the kindest and most affable gentleman you will ever meet in boxing was true. We chatted for a few minutes and I then committed the Cardinal Sin for a then-aspiring writer. I asked him to sign my notebook, prefacing it with “I know this isn’t professional…” He laughed and said “Don’t you worry about that” as he gave me one of the few autographs I’ve picked up over the years.
The next day, still riding on a cloud, I told a buddy of mine about meeting Griffith. He startled me when he blurted out “Did he try to hit on you?” [Click Here To Read More]
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