LYNBROOK, N.Y. — Trainer Gil Clancy, who helped lead Emile Griffith to welterweight and middleweight titles, died Thursday at an assisted living facility. He was 88.
“He lived a good life,” daughter Patricia Houlahan said. “I’ll take it.”
Clancy rose to prominence as a corner man and also worked with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Oscar De La Hoya. But he’s best known for his 20-year association with Griffith.
Griffith captured the welterweight title from Benny “The Kid” Paret in April 1961 with a 13th- round knockout. Six months later, Griffith lost the title to Paret in a narrow split decision, then regained it in a controversial rematch with Paret in 1962.
With Clancy shouting encouragement from the corner, Griffith knocked Paret unconscious, and Paret stayed propped against the ropes while Griffith hit him repeatedly for several seconds before referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight. Paret never regained consciousness and died 10 days later.
NBA suspends Wall; two fined
NEW YORK — Washington Wizards rookie John Wall has been suspended one game without pay, and two Miami Heat players were fined for their actions in Wednesday’s game.
Heat forward Juwan Howard was handed a $35,000 fine, and teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas was fined $25,000 following a scuffle in the second quarter of the Heat’s 123-107 victory over the Wizards.
• Former NBA referee Rashan S. Michel was charged with attacking Hall of Famer and Atlanta Hawks television analyst Dominique Wilkins in a dispute Wednesday night over a $12,500 clothing bill.
The only blows in the altercation were apparently landed by Wilkins. A police booking photo showed Michel with a large welt under his left eye.
• Charlotte Bobcats backup center Joel Przybilla will miss the remainder of the season with continued pain in his right knee.
Pennington tears knee ligament
MIAMI — Free-agent quarterback Chad Pennington tore an anterior cruciate ligament in a pickup basketball game and will undergo surgery next week.
• Former Texas A&M All-America linebacker Von Miller said he will attend the NFL draft even though he’s a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the league to stop the lockout.
Footnotes.
Former LSU star cornerback Patrick Peterson denied a relationship with embattled recruiting service owner Willie Lyles and expressed resentment that his name came up in pay-for-play allegations made by former Texas A&M assistant Van Malone.
• Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, sidelined for nearly three months with a concussion, resumed skating with his teammates but remains out indefinitely.
• Soldat has drawn the inside post and been made the 9-5 morning-line favorite for Sunday’s $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.
• Olympic judo silver medalist Claudia Heill of Austria committed suicide by jumping out of a sixth-story window in Vienna. She was 29.
The Associated Press
