Emile Griffith vs Ted Wright

The title at stake in Vienna on 17 October 1962 existed by the authority of the Austrian boxing board alone. It recognised Emile Griffith’s 15-round contest with Ted Wright at the Stadthalle as a bout for the inaugural world light-middleweight championship, a distinction that other major authorities did not accept. Griffith arrived as the reigning welterweight champion and weighed 149¼ pounds; Wright weighed 153¼.

Griffith had retained his welterweight title against Ralph Dupas in July and had since beaten Denny Moyer and Don Fullmer over ten rounds. Wright faced a champion in regular competition, but the difference between them became plain over the longer championship distance. Griffith took the initiative and sustained it, pressing Wright through a contest that offered little change in direction.

The surviving account does not provide a reliable round-by-round sequence of punches, and it records no knockdown or foul that altered the course of the fight. Wright was credited with no more than one round by the ringside assessment, though several rounds were considered even. The contest held interest as a test of Griffith at the higher weight, but it produced little of the close fighting its length might suggest.

Griffith completed the 15 rounds and won on points. Official numerical scorecards are not available in the records consulted. The result gave him the Austrian-recognised light-middleweight title while he continued to hold the welterweight championship; its limited recognition remained a qualification to the achievement, even if the decision in the ring was clear.

emile-griffith-vs-ted-wrightI can see why Griffith drew a crowd in Vienna. He was the welterweight champion, had beaten Ralph Dupas, Denny Moyer and Don Fullmer that year, and was sharing the bill with Sugar Ray Robinson. Wright was a respectable opponent, but over 15 rounds he could not make Griffith fight on his terms.

The accounts give Wright no more than one round, with several even. To my eye, that margin tells you Griffith controlled the distance and the pace; I wouldn’t pretend to know every exchange without a full film. Griffith deserved the decision. The Austrian-recognised light-middleweight title needs its qualification, but the superiority shown in the ring does not.