Marciano (and other fighters) used to train at Grossinger's one of the two biggest resort hotels in the Catskills. Grossinger's comped the fighters because they were a draw for paying guests, and also sports writers, who gave the hotel a plug while writing about the boxers.
Nino Benvenuti, the middleweight champ, trained at Villagio Italia, another Catskills resort. I remember when Howard Cosell visited him when he was training for his fight with Griffith. Evidently Nino trained on pasta and vino, because he and Cosell were stuffing their faces at a table that was more laden with food than a buffet on a cruise ship. But he had to visit Griffith in his gym. Emile refused to stop hitting the speed bag, claiming that his manager decreed he should take no breaks. He sweated all over Cosell, which Cosell liked a lot less than stuffing his face with Benvenuti.
The Daily News provided vivid and ongoing coverage of the Paret/Griffith fight and fatality. The story they printed was that Paret regarded Griffith as gay, taunted him with the word "maricon," which is a coarse word for homosexual in Spanish, and even squeezed his ass at the weigh-in. The fatality was the result, the News implied, although as you point out, the ref's inaction and being propped up against the ropes was the major factor. Last year, one of the TV "newsmagazines" had a segment on Griffith, who admitted that he was gay. He also met with Paret's son and the two embraced.