Room and Frank director will shoot story of a homophobic fighter killed on live television in the 1960s

Irish director Lenny Abrahamson is set to make a film about a bisexual boxer who killed his opponent after he made a homophobic remark.

The night boxer Emile Griffith answered gay taunts with a deadly cortege of punches Read more

The true story revolves around Emile Griffith, who led a secret life as a bisexual man and beat Benny Paret to death in the ring after he touched him and used a homophobic slur at a pre-fight weigh-in. The fight was broadcast on live TV.

According to Deadline, Abrahamson, who is best known for surreal music comedy Frank and the upcoming Oscar contender Room, will team up with Film4 to make the biographical 60s-set drama.

“It is so rich that it’s hard to know where to start,” he told Deadline. “As a character study, Griffith is incredibly compelling. There was a gentleness and innocence about him, and he never seemed conflicted about his sexuality; indeed he found joy in it. He inhabited two worlds – the underground gay scene in New York in the 60s and the macho world of boxing. The societal stigma at that time was dreadful and created a crushing pressure on him.”

The film will be based on the book A Man’s World: the Double Life of Emile Griffith by Donald McRae. Griffith’s life was previously used as the basis for a documentary called Ring of Fire.

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Griffith fought 337 championship rounds in his career – 69 more than Muhammad Ali. He travelled to the weigh-in with bitter rival Paret with his boyfriend during a time when consensual sex between two men was a crime and homosexuality was still defined as a disease.

An extract from McRae’s book reads: “Griffith was about to step off the scales when he heard his trainer Gil Clancy shout: ‘Hey, watch it!’ He wheeled round. A smirking Paret feigned intercourse with him as his trainers whooped hysterically. He waggled a finger at Griffith. ‘Hey maricón,’ Paret said in a cooing lisp, ‘I’m gonna get you and your husband.’”

That night, he beat his rival to death in the ring while millions watched live on TV. An investigation was launched and TV network ABC ended boxing broadcasts with other US networks following. They didn’t return until the 1970s. Griffith reportedly felt guilty over the death and had nightmares about it for 40 years, also continuing to struggle with his sexuality and societal acceptance of it. “They forgave me for killing a man, but they couldn’t forgive me for loving a man,” he said. He died in 2013.