Prizefighting: The Family Man

He is probably the best fighter, pound for pound, in the world—the perfect picture of destruction with his 42-in. chest, 26-in. waist, and smoothly lethal muscles. He can hit as hard as a drop hammer, and his hands are quick enough to pluck a fly in midair. But Welterweight Emile Griffith, 26, is a reluctant champion.

"I never wanted to be a fighter," he says. "I wanted to be a baseball player. This is a funny business. The guy you're hitting hasn't done anything to you, but you have to hit him anyway." Three...

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