Joe Rogan uses his platform to cover as many industries as possible. He discussed many fights in many different sports in the past. Nevertheless, The Joe Rogan Experience discussed one of the most iconic fights between Emile Griffith and Benny “The Kid” Paret in boxing history.
Emile Griffith was one of the most iconic boxers in history, not only due to his boxing abilities, success, and fame but also because he was an African American man in the early 1900s. The intrigue became the fact that he was also a homosexual. Back in those times, being homosexual was considered to be a disease. Homophobic mindsets existed at that time, and it was nothing like the time we now live in.
Joe Rogan discussed how in one of Griffith’s fights, he was up against Benny Paret. The latter had taunted Emile Griffith greatly in the weeks leading up to the fight. Joe Rogan said, “He was calling him a fairy.” For a black homosexual man to rise to the ranks during that era was arduous, and now for a fellow black man to insult Griffith for his choices must have been outrageous. Rogan further explained how the fight ended with Griffith throwing a series of punches toward the end, even after Benny lost. When the referee stepped in, and Griffith calmed himself down, Benny “The Kid” Paret slowly began to die.
This tragic incident in boxing history changed the way the sport was viewed. After the overwhelming fight, celebrations, and taunts were thrown at Benny Paret’s name, little did the people know that the constant replays of the knockout would be them watching the death of a man.
Joe Rogan talks about another tragic knockout of Tommy Morrison
According to Joe Rogan, Tommy Morrison was on his way to becoming a real-world Rocky Balboa. He had the looks, the love from the fans, and the boxing skills in the ring against other heavyweights. Rogan explained how he couldn’t maintain his success for too long despite all these qualities in his arsenal. The UFC commentator discussed the famous fight between Tommy and Ray Mercer.
The boxing contest between these two heavyweights had an even back-and-forth action. This was until Ray Mercer got the advantage and cornered Morrison with this speed and timing. The punches landed by Mercer were enough to knock Morrison out. But the referee didn’t notice the knockout, and Tommy Morrison had his arm entangled with the ropes, which restricted him from dropping to the floor.
The unfortunate error resulted in Morrison taking damage to his face and legacy, which could’ve been fatal. Such incidents like the stories of Emile Griffith and Tommy Morrison can be scarring to many individuals, including the general public.