Nine...Ten...and Out!: The Two Worlds of Emile Griffith Reviews

“Emile Griffith, one of our greatest all time welterweight champions, was a joy to watch in the ring. His movements were fluid, he was fast of hand and foot, and he fought with a dancer’s grace. And he could punch, as stalwarts like Benny Paret and Gaspar Ortega would testify. Emile’s was a time of stellar welterweights, think Benny Biscoe, Benny Paret, Ernie Lopez, Joey Archer, Luis Rodriguez, Holly Mims, Ralph Dupas, Florentino Fernandez, and he beat all of them, including two with the appropriately named Dick Tiger. He fought three unforgettable, incredible contests with the Hall Of Famer Nino Benvenuti, he defeated the venerable contender Benny Biscoe, and nearing age forty in the rematch fought him to a draw. So Griffith’s career is stuff of serious fistic history and the forthcoming biography, NINE…TEN…AND OUT! The Two Worlds of Emile Griffith by Ron Ross is a must-read for every true boxing aficionado.”

—Budd Schulberg, author of On the Waterfront, The Harder They Fall, What Makes Sammy Run and The Disenchanted

“Emile Griffith is complex, and I’m glad to see the former world champion’s story is in the expert hands of Ron Ross, whose book on Bummy Davis is among the most cherished on my boxing bookshelf. Griffith has earned the care, honesty, and sensitivity that Ross brings to his subjects, and similarly, Ross deserves a subject as fascinating as Emile.”

—Steve Farhood, Showtime analyst and boxing historian, former editor-in-chief of The Ring (magazine) and KO Magazine

Nine... Ten... and Out! is a book full of drama, comic touches, sadness and joy. What goodness, strength, and innocence that is the man Emile Griffith.

And then tragedy...as in the documentary (Ring of Fire), so in the book: when Emile meets Benny, Jr., 40+ years later, it is hard not to be moved.

I have to confess that prior to “The Ring of Fire,” Emile Griffiths sexuality never occurred to me, one way or the other. I was also unaware of his later career as a trainer, and knew nothing of the mugging, nor the matter of being generous to a fault, to his very own detriment. What is shown is that Emile seems very capable of making the most of what he has, with a smile, and that aint a bad thing (forget what any of the so-called Elitists would say).

While its sad to read about the mental deterioration, and everything that can be inferred therein (boxing, mugging, age), it's clear the last thing Emile would want is to be pitied. All said and done, I have nothing but affection and admiration for this truly great warrior who, as Ron Ross shows, also happens to be a very good guy.

The drama is delineated with strong narrative, sound judgement, moments endearingly comic, and with Ross's always very human touch. Who can ask for more?”

—Doug Curran, Agence_France-Presse

“Certain lives, in the right hands, can make for tidy stories. While celebrity status is a useful ingredient for a financially successful biography, the better authors know that the important stories are not guided by the marketplace. It’s the story that matters; if the story—the life being presented—can also be placed within a greater context, then the biography is able to breathe even deeper. Author Ron Ross has accomplished such an artistic breakthrough with Nine...Ten...and Out! The Two Worlds of Emile Griffith.”

—Phil Rice, Canopic Publishing