IRISH DIRECTOR LENNY Abrahamson is set to turn one of 2015′s most acclaimed sports books into a movie.

The movie will be based on A Man’s World: the Double Life of Emile Griffith by Donald McRae — a William Hill-nominated sports biography released earlier this year.

The book documents the story of bisexual boxer Griffith — a former world champion — who killed rival Benny Paret in the ring on live television during a 1962 title fight, after his opponent had touched him and made a homophobic slur in the build-up to the fight.

Deadline reports that Abrahamson, who has garnered acclaim for previous films including Room and Frank, will make his latest work in conjunction with Film4.

Widely considrered as one of the greatest fighters of his generation, Griffith was eager to hide his sexuality amid the oppressive climate of the sporting world and American life in general during the 1950s and 60s, when homosexuality was still considered a crime and regarded as a disease by many.

It will be the second film made about Griffith, who died in 2013 at the age of 75, with a documentary entitled Ring of Fire previously exploring his life and sporting achievements.

h/t The Guardian

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