A Title for Trieste

The boxing world was once aghast to discover that Gene Tunney occasionally read books. So there is no telling how much damage Italy's Giovanni Benvenuti, 29, may do to the image of the sport. Imagine a prizefighter who looks like a Beatle, reads Voltaire, listens to Chopin, and trains on vintage wine. Actually, "Nino" Benvenuti never got past high school in his native Trieste, and something may be lost in the translation, since he speaks only Italian. But his interpreter at least uses words like "impetus" and "counterproductive," and ascribes to Nino such thoughtful pronouncements as "literature is a teacher of life, even more than education is," and "no generation can understand the one that preceded it or the one that follows it." One thing, though; Benvenuti can put his fist where somebody else's mouth is. Last week in Manhattan, he outboxed, outslugged and outclassed a heavily favored (at 13-5) Emile Griffith to win the middleweight championship of the world.

Benvenuti had size going for him: at 5 ft. 11 in. and 159 lbs., he was 3 1/2 in. taller and 5 1/2 lbs. heavier than Griffith. He had solid credentials: an Olympic welterweight championship in 1960, only one loss in 192 amateur and professional bouts. And he also had the crowd. Madison Square Garden was awash with Italian flags and posters pleading DAGLIELA ALLA PANZZA! (Freely: Paste him in the belly!) But Griffith, 29, was the tough ex-street fighter from the Virgin Islands who had killed Benny Paret in the ring, won the welterweight championship three times before taking the middleweight title from Nigeria's Dick Tiger last year. On the strength of that, he was called by experts "the best boxer, pound for pound, in the world."

Too Many Butts. And maybe the dirtiest. Angered by Benvenuti's prefight predictions of victory, Griffith hit on the break and after the bell, repeatedly rubbed the laces of his gloves in Nino's face, butted open a gash on Nino's nose--and managed one legitimate looping right that knocked him down for a five count. Benvenuti still made good his boast. Ignoring the blood that was streaming from his nose, he decked Griffith with a right uppercut in the second round. Counterpunching beautifully, making full use of his 3-in. advantage in reach, he kept Emile off balance with jabs, scored heavily with combinations and solid left hooks, all the while nimbly evading Griffith's desperate attempts to land a haymaker.

The decision was not even close--two judges scored it 10-5 for Benvenuti, the third had it 9-6--and the grubby sport of boxing had a hopeful new star. Temporarily, anyway. "Even Sandy Koufax got knocked out of the box sometimes," growled Griffith, vowing to win the title back "if I get another shot at him." He will get it on July 13.

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