On this day: Nino Benvenuti defeats Emile Griffith in first chapter of a legendary trilogy

04/17/2023 07:55 PM

They fought a total of 45 explosive rounds during their three-fight rivalry, and the first clash remains the most memorable one, becoming the 1967 Fight of the Year according to The Ring. Giovanni "Nino" Benvenuti was already a champion as a junior middleweight, having wrestled the title away from his countryman Sandro Mazzinghi back in 1965 and defending it in a rematch only to lose