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EMILE GRIFFITH AND HIS HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTER (CIRCA 1994)

By Danny Serratelli

Emile Griffith is surely one of boxing's all time greats. His story, entitled "Ring of Fire," premieres at 9:00 PM/ET tonight on the USA network. Learning of the show had me thinking about Griffith, and that is why I thought how my first meeting with him was very interesting. It was a weekend afternoon in the Red Brick Gym in East Newark, New Jersey. Since I have been working and going to school for what seems like 100 years and have a problem making it to the gym on many weekdays, I was in the gym on this hot, Saturday or Sunday afternoon training by myself. One other fighter I’d see there, a monstrous heavyweight who I believe had either no or maybe one amateur fight. He was there with me that day. He was very green, but very big and athletic. If I had to guess, I’d say it was around 1994 or 1995.

The fighter's trainer at the time was an older guy with an accent. We started talking, because he probably was telling me something I was doing wrong, probably looping my left hook, spreading my legs too wide or dropping my hands. After we talked for awhile, and I thanked him for his advice, he asked me if I knew who he was, I said no. He said Emile Griffith, to which I answered, yeah right. I was about 19 or so and had heard a lot about the great Griffith, and maybe seen clips of him, but that was about it. After I told him I didn’t believe him a few times he pulled out his Social Security card. I apologized, and he said to me, you really don’t know who I am, do you? To which I then insisted that I did. He now didn’t believe me. He finally said OK, who did I fight? Well, I knew the Benny Paret story but was thinking hard for someone else, but I couldn’t come up with another name. When he pressed me that I didn’t know him, I told him Benny Paret. His answer was, oh yes, you do know me.

The heavyweight he was training that day was a little old to be starting out, but very big, strong and athletic, and a real cool guy. He didn’t stay with Griffith long as his trainer, but since that time I’d say he has come a long way. Who was the big guy, you ask. He was Jameel McCline.