Benny Paret

Benny "Kid" Paret, born Bernardo Paret (March 14 1937 - April 3 1962), born in Santa Clara, Cuba, was a Cuban welterweight boxer.

Boxing career

Paret won the welterweight title for the first time in 1960, but lost it seven months later when Emile Griffith knocked him out.cite news
last = Segundo
first = Al
coauthors =
title = A Sour Memory of the "Sweet Science"
work =
pages =
language =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.alsegundo.com/thebackpage/backpagearchive2.html
accessdate = 2007-05-21 ] However, half a year later, Paret defeated Griffith when he captured a split decision over Griffith to recapture the crown.cite web
title = The Great Rivalries
url = http://www.sportsline.com/boxing/story/5981685
accessdate = 2007-05-21 ]

He also attempted to win the middleweight title against Gene Fullmer, but was knocked out again.

Paret had a lifetime record of 36 wins (11 knockouts), 12 losses and 3 draws. [cite web
title = Benny "Kid" Paret: Lest We Forget
url = http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=9156&more=1
accessdate = 2007-05-21 ]

Last Fight

Prior to the weigh-in for his third fight against Griffith, Paret taunted him by calling him a "Maricón" (Spanish for "faggot").cite news
last = Smith
first = Gary
coauthors =
title = The Shadow Boxer
work =
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = April 18, 2005
url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/magazine/04/12/griffith0418/index.html
accessdate = 2007-05-21 ]

In the twelfth round of the fight, Griffith hit Paret twenty-nine times in a row, and eighteen times in six seconds, when Paret was lying against the ropes. Referee Ruby Goldstein came under criticism for not stopping the fight sooner.cite news
last = Mulvaney
first = Kieran
coauthors =
title = Don't believe the hype? How 'bout the slights?
work =
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = May 4, 2006
url = http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2424045
accessdate = 2007-05-21 ]

Paret went into a coma after the fight, and died nine days later.

The fatal bout and its effects on Emile Griffith's career and life are the subject of the documentary "Ring of Fire." [cite web
title = Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story
url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436720/
accessdate = 2007-05-22 ]

In popular culture

Paret is one of four boxers named in the lyrics of Sun Kil Moon's album "Ghosts Of The Great Highway". The album builds several songs around the stories of boxers who died young deaths. [cite web
title = Mark Kozelek
url = http://www.avclub.com/content/node/48243
accessdate = 2007-05-22 ]

References

External links

*
* [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_1-5-2004_pg3_6 An article about Paret's last fight by Norman Mailer]
* [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1073656/index.htm "The Deadly Insult"] , "Sports Illustrated", 2 April 1962
*Grave Site: [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=18851]