1960s Timeline

Apr. 27, 1962 - Sonny Liston (pictured) of Philadelphia, whose challenge for Floyd Patterson’s world heavyweight boxing championships has been accepted, was denied a license today to fight in New York State. The State Athletic Commission, in refusing to grant the license, cited Liston’s criminal record and his association with persons of unsavory background. Through 1961, Liston had been arrested 9 times. Twice, he was convicted and served time in prison — for first-degree ro

Apr. 23, 1962 - Undefeated Cassius Clay scored a fourth-round knockout over George Logan tonight in the main event on a four-fight boxing card at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Referee Lee Grossman stopped the action at 1 minute 34 seconds of the fourth after Logan’s corner tossed in the towel. Logan, 205 pounds, was heavily battered by Clay, 196. The 20-year-old former Olympic and Gold Glove champion made a bloody mess of Logan’s face. At the end, Logan was bleeding from a cu

Apr. 17, 1962 - Sonny Liston, the Philadelphia heavyweight who wants Floyd Patterson’s world title, was all business and a little angry today when he applied for a license at the offices of the New York State Athletic Commission on West 47th Street. After undergoing a processing that required almost three hours, Liston took time out during his medical examination to criticize what he called Patterson’s delaying tactics in agreeing to a date for the fight. Remarked Liston abou

Apr. 16, 1962 - Floyd Patterson will defend the world heavyweight boxing title against Sonny Liston in September. This statement was made in New York today at a Boxing Writers Association luncheon. As to the location of the fight: utter confusion. It could take place at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 17 or at the Polo Grounds on Sept. 26. It could be held in Philadelphia Stadium on either of the two dates. And it could be fought in Houston. The title fight has been put off for sever

Apr. 4, 1962 - Thousands of persons filed past the body of Benny (Kid) Paret in a Bronx funeral home today while demands increased in the U.S. and abroad for an end to professional boxing. Paret, a 25-year-old native of Cuba, died at 1:55 a.m. Tuesday morning from head injuries received when he lost the world welterweight championship to Emile Griffith at Madison Square Garden on March 24. Griffith is not expected to view Paret’s body at the Ortiz Funeral Home in the Bronx. T

Apr. 3, 1962 - Benny (Kid) Paret, former welterweight boxing champion of the world, died at 1:55 a.m. this morning, 9 days and 3 hours after he had lost consciousness under a rain of blows in a bout at Madison Square Garden on March 24. The collapse of the 24-year-old Cuban in the 12th round of a match in which he lost his title to Emile Griffith had set off a state investigation and a clamor for a ban on prizefighting. Unconscious with two blood clots on his brain, Paret had

Mar. 31, 1962 - Middle-aged Archie Moore knocked out 25-year-old Alejandro Lavorante in 38 seconds of the 10th round last night in Los Angeles, and the exhausted Argentine heavyweight was carried from the ring on a stretcher. Moore gave Lavorante a boxing lesson for nine rounds of the scheduled ten-rounder. The crowd of 12,500 in the Sports Arena was hushed for a few minutes while Lavorante was apparently unconscious on the canvas. Lavorante was carried off but regained his s

Mar. 26, 1962 - Benny (Kid) Paret remains in a deep coma tonight in a special-care room at Roosevelt Hospital as a result of two acute brain hemorrhages and undetermined brain damage to nerve cells of his brain. At a news conference, one of his surgeons, Dr. John E. Crisp (pictured with an X-ray of Paret’s skull), called Paret’s condition “extremely grave.” Following brain surgery Sunday, a tube was inserted in his throat to ease breathing. The surgery consisted of four cuts

Mar. 26, 1962 - Madison Square Garden has been the scene of two fatal fights in its many years as a boxing arena. One of them caused as much of a stir as the finish of Saturday’s Benny (Kid) Paret-Emile Griffith fight, but for different reasons. That was the meeting of Primo Carnera, the giant boxer from Italy, and Ernie Schaaf on Feb. 10, 1933. The other victim in the Garden was Georgie Flores (left), who succumbed after a semi-final bout with Roger Donoghue (right) in 1951.

Mar. 26, 1962 - Welterweight champion Emile Griffith, two long days after his greatest triumph, is living in a nightmare. “They say, ‘How come a sweet little boy like you who designs hats can turn tiger and hurt a man’s brain,’” Griffith said today. “They’re trying to get me to say I wanted to kill Paret. All I wanted was to be champion again. I didn’t want to hurt him.” Griffith was encountered today in a little room on the third floor of the New York State Athletic Commissi

Mar. 25, 1962 - Ruby Goldstein, the referee during Emile Griffith’s brutal championship victory over Benny Paret Saturday night, responded to charges of negligence today. The referee was charged by Manuel Alfaro, Paret’s manager, with acting too slowly in halting the battle that sent Paret to Roosevelt Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Goldstein, a 56-year-old New Yorker who is considered one of the best in the business, stopped the fight at 2 minutes 9 second

Mar. 25, 1962 - Benny (Kid) Paret remains unconscious and in critical condition at Roosevelt Hospital this evening with brain injuries suffered when he lost the world welterweight title to Emile Griffith Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. The 24-year-old Cuban boxer is being given little chance to survive. Paret underwent a three-hour brain operation early this morning to relieve pressure caused by blood clots on both sides of his head. Referee Ruby Goldstein is being c

Mar. 25, 1962 - Benny (Kid) Paret (pictured today in a coma), who lost his world welterweight boxing title to Emile Griffith last night, underwent brain surgery at Roosevelt Hospital early this morning. At 2 minutes 9 seconds of the 12th, Griffith backed Paret into a corner and unleashed a furious assault, punching faster than observers could count. The only reason Paret did not fall then was that Griffith’s pile-driving fists were keeping him pinned against a corner post of

Mar. 24, 1962 - Welterweight boxer Benny (Kid) Paret was taken by ambulance to Roosevelt Hospital after losing the championship to Emile Griffith at Madison Square Garden. Paret was knocked out in a savage attack in the 12th round and never regained consciousness. A member of the hospital staff described his chances for recovery as “poor.” Griffith ended the scheduled 15-round bout with a furious barrage of at least 20 punches as Paret was backed against the ropes. Referee Ru

Mar. 23, 1962 - Emile Griffith of New York will try to wrest the welterweight boxing title from Benny (Kid) Paret of Cuba tomorrow night in a scheduled 15-rounder at Madison Square Garden. The 25-year-old challenger is favored. The contest will be nationally televised starting at 10 p.m EST. In Miami Beach last spring, Griffith stopped Paret in the 13th round to capture the 147-pound crown. The Cuban regained it by a controversial split decision at the Garden last Sept. 30. G

Mar. 16, 1962 - Floyd Patterson will defend the heavyweight boxing title against Sonny Liston next summer. The two fighters signed a 10-page contract in New York today. It provides that the bout be held between June 18 and Sept. 30. “We’ve already received an offer of a million-dollar guarantee from Seattle,” said Tom Bolan, president of Championship Sports. “The other cities under consideration are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and Philadelphia.” Patterson today

Mar. 1, 1962 - “Turn of the Century Fights,” a group of film clips featuring boxing bouts of the late 1890s and early 1900s, will be televised by “Sunday Sports Spectacular” on CBS on March 11 at 2:30 p.m. Boxers to be seen include James J. Jeffries (left), Jack Johnson (right), Bob Fitzsimmons, Sam Langford, and Jim Corbett. #boxing #boxinglife #1960s #boxingtraining #boxinggloves #boxinghype #boxinggym #boxingnews #boxingfans #boxingfanatik #boxingcoach #boxingclub #boxingn

Feb. 28, 1962 - Cassius Clay of Louisville scored a technical knockout over Don Warner of Philadelphia in the fourth round of a scheduled ten-round bout tonight at Miami Beach Auditorium. “I would have let it go five, as I had predicted,” Clay said, “but he wouldn’t shake my hand. That made me mad.” Warner, 189 pounds, shook Clay, 195, in the third with a right to the chin and ran out of his corner when the bell rang for the fourth round. Unfortunately for Warner, he ran dire

Feb. 27, 1962 - Benny (Kid) Paret (left), the world welterweight champion, and Emile Griffith (right) of New York, former champion, today signed contracts for their third title fight at Madison Square Garden on March 24. Paret, from Cuba, and Griffith signed at the New York State Athletic Commission offices. Paret will receive a guarantee of $50,000 with the option of 40% from the gate and television. Griffith will get a $10,000 guarantee and a 20% option. #boxing #boxinglife

Feb. 18, 1962 - Ten rounds is a long way for a 41-year-old boxer to go against a target that fights back relentlessly. This was painfully obvious, especially to Sugar Ray Robinson, as he was beaten by young Denny Moyer at Madison Square Garden last night. The decision was unanimous. The 22-year-old Moyer thus avenged a setback administered by the former welterweight and middleweight champion at the Garden last Oct. 21. Moyer brought no extraordinary equipment for the task, me