Ring 8 Honors Emile Griffith

Ring 8 Tribute to Emile Griffith major hit

2013 award winners selected

Louis Griffith was one of the guest speakers at last week's Ring 8 meeting that paid tribute to his father, Emile Griffith.

NEW YORK (September 26, 2013) – More than 100 people turned out last week for at Ring 8's monthly meeting and its tribute to the late, great Emile Griffith, at historic Waterfront Crabhouse, in Long Island City, New York.

The six-time, three-division world champion Griffith (85-24-2, 23 KOs) was a fixture at Ring 8. His tribute included speakers such as his biographer, Ron Ross, Emile's son, Louis, boxing historian Henry Hascup and Bobby Bartels, his former sparring partner and past president of Ring 8. Everyone enjoyed watched some of Griffith's best fights, on a projector screen, against Dick Tiger, Luis Rodriguez, Jorge Fernandez, Andy Heilman, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, and the second Nino Benvenutti fight.

“We had a tremendous turnout to celebrate Emile's life and boxing career,” Ring 8 president Bob Duffy said. “It was a fitting tribute to a very special man. We're all better people for having known him.”

Ring 8 also selected its 2013 award winners at last week's meeting. These awards will be presented, along with Fighter of the Year (to come), at the 27^th annual Ring 8 Holiday & Awards Ceremony on Sunday afternoon, December 8, at Russo's On The Bay in Howard Beach, New York.

The Ring 8 Holiday & Awards Ceremony in December has been dedicated to the the 50th anniversary of the main event fight between Lenny Mangiapane (L) and Bobby Bartels at Madison Square Garden. Bartels is a former Ring 8 president and Mangiapane is the current Ring 8 vice president.

ABOUT RING 8: Formed in 1954 by an ex-prizefighter, Jack Grebelsky, Ring 8 became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association – hence, RING 8 – and today the organization's motto still remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.

RING 8 is fully committed to supporting less fortunate people in the boxing community who may require assistance in terms of paying rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need.

Go on line to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $30.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, the third Tuesday of every month, excluding July and August. All active boxers, amateur and professional, are entitled to a complimentary RING 8 yearly membership.