Willie Pep
Willie Pep | |
---|---|
![]() Pep, circa 1950 | |
Born | Guglielmo Papaleo September 19, 1922 Middletown, Connecticut, U.S. |
Died | November 23, 2006 Rocky Hill, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 84)
Other names | Will o' the Wisp |
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Featherweight |
Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) |
Reach | 68 in (173 cm) |
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 241 |
Wins | 229 |
Wins by KO | 65 |
Losses | 11 |
Draws | 1 |
Guglielmo Papaleo (Middletown - September 19, 1922 – November 23, 2006) was an American professional boxer, better known as Willie Pep, who held the World Featherweight championship twice between the years of 1942 and 1950.
Papaleo was born in an Italian family: his father, Salvatore, was from Rosolini, whereas his mother, Maria Marchese, was from Melilli.
Pep boxed a total of 1,956 rounds in the 241 bouts during his 26-year career, a considerable number of rounds and bouts even for a fighter of his era. His final record was 229–11–1 with 65 knockouts. Pep, known for his speed, finesse and elusiveness, is considered to be one of the best fighters of the 20th century; after his 199th win, Kid Campeche described his experience by saying, "Fighting Willie Pep is like trying to stomp out a grass fire."[1] Pep was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Pep was voted as the No. 1 featherweight of the 20th century by the Associated Press[2] and ranked the No. 1 featherweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization in 2005.[3] He is currently ranked by BoxRec as the 28th greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time.[4]
Boxing career
[edit]Amateur career
[edit]Pep first fought as an amateur in 1937. At the time, amateur boxers from Connecticut were allowed to fight for money. It was during the Great Depression and Pep's father was earning $15 per week at the Works Progress Administration. Pep worked as a shoeshine boy in downtown Hartford alongside Johnny Duke. Both boys joined a gym together and became sparring partners. Willie was soon earning more in one night of fighting each week. When his parents found out he was boxing, his mother was worried for him, but his father said that if he was making so much fighting on Fridays, maybe he should see about fighting on Tuesdays as well. "My old man, he was a sports fan" Pep later quipped.[5]
In 1938 Pep fought Sugar Ray Robinson in the attic of a feed store in Norwich, Connecticut.[6] According to Pep's later telling, Robinson was an amateur champion in the state of New York, where amateurs were not paid, so he took a pseudonym to get bouts for money in Connecticut. Because of this, Pep did not know who he was fighting at the time. Before the fight he was told his unknown opponent was not good, but he recalls quickly learning otherwise once the bout began and Robinson was "all over me".[7]
Professional career
[edit]Pep started boxing professionally on July 10, 1940, beating James McGovern by a decision in four rounds in Hartford, Connecticut. Like many boxers of the first half of the 20th century, Pep concentrated his early fighting career on boxing in New England, and he split his first 25 contests between Connecticut and Massachusetts. He was undefeated during that span and for fight number 26, he finally headed west, beating Eddie Flores by a knockout in the first round at Thompsonville, Michigan. A couple of fights later, he travelled further west and made his California debut, beating Billy Spencer by a decision in four rounds at Los Angeles.
By the time Pep stepped up his quality of opposition he was undefeated at 41–0, and he met former world champion Joey Archibald in 1942. He beat Archibald by a decision in ten rounds and, in his next bout, challenged Abe Denner for the New England-area featherweight title. He won the fight by a decision in 12, and his status among the world's top featherweights continued to climb. He won ten more bouts to reach 52–0, including a rematch win over Archibald, before he was given his first world championship try, in October. He became the World Featherweight Champion by outpointing the defending world champ Chalky Wright over the 15 round distance. He fought twice more to finish the year, winning both by knockout.
Pep began 1943 by winning six bouts in a row to find himself with a record of 62–0. But in his seventh bout of 1943, he suffered his first defeat, at the hands of Sammy Angott, another world champion boxer. Angott beat Pep over the ten round distance, by decision. Ten days later, Pep was back in the ring, beating Bobby McIntyre by a decision. He closed 1943 winning five fights in a row, including two over future world champion Sal Bartolo and one over Jackie Wilson. The second win over Bartolo was in a defense of the world title.
1944 was a very good year for Pep. He won all 16 of his bouts that year, including wins over bantamweight champions Willie Joyce and Manuel Ortiz. He fought and beat Wright two more times, with Pep's featherweight title on the line once. He also made his first fight abroad, beating fringe contender Jackie Lemus in Canada.
On June 6, 1944, he fought near featherweight contender, and rated lightweight Julie Kogon before a record crowd of 7,751 in an extraordinary bout in Hartford, Connecticut, and won soundly in an eight-round decision. Pep was given eight rounds by one of the judges.[8][9][10]
He had eight fights in 1945, winning seven and drawing one. He beat former world champion Phil Terranova to retain the title, and had a ten-round draw with Jimmy McAllister.
In 1946, Pep had 18 fights, and won all of them, including a 12-round knockout of Bartolo and a three-round knockout of Wright. He had a six-fight knockout win streak during a span that year.
Despite being severely injured in a plane crash on January 5, Pep fought 10 bouts in 1947, again going undefeated. Many thought he had lost something as a fighter, especially after unexpectedly struggling in fights against Archie Wilmer (Pep won a majority decision) and Pedro Biesca (Pep was floored in the fourth round). He defended the world featherweight belt once that year, knocking out Jock Leslie in twelve rounds at Flint, Michigan.
Nineteen forty-eight was a year that would become important in Pep's life: He won 15 bouts before going into what would be the first fight of his four-fight series with Sandy Saddler. He retained the title by beating Humberto Sierra by a knockout in 10 and he beat former world champion Paddy DeMarco, also in ten, but by decision. Then, on October 29, he lost the world featherweight title to Saddler in a fourth-round knockout.
After two wins, he and Saddler met in 1949. On their rivalry's second installment, Pep recovered the World Featherweight Championship by beating Saddler in a 15-round decision, and then he engaged in a series of exhibition and ten round bouts before defending the crown against Eddie Campo, winning by a knockout in the seventh. He finished that year beating former bantamweight champion Harold Dade by a decision in ten at St. Louis.
In 1950, he won nine fights before meeting Saddler for a third time. Those nine bouts included defenses against Charlie Riley, knocked out in five, and France's Ray Famechon, beaten by decision in 15. Then came the third fight with Saddler. Pep once again lost his World Featherweight Championship to Saddler, being unable to come out for the eighth round due to a separated shoulder suffered at the end of the seventh round. Pep was ahead on all scorecards (5–2, 5–2, 4–2).[11]
Nineteen fifty-one brought a hint of controversy to Pep's life. He won eight bouts in a row to start the year, but his ninth bout, the last chapter of the rivalry with Saddler, was his most important bout that year. Pep quit because blood from his right eye was bothering him. According to Nat Fleischer in The Ring, December 1951, this was an extremely dirty fight, with "wrestling, heeling, eye gouging, tripping, thumbing- in fact every dirty trick known to the old timers..." Referee Ray Miller "let the bout get out of hand..." "The pattern of the 'contest' never varied. Pep wouldn't make a fight of it and Sandy couldn't. Pep too frequently backed around the ring and Saddler just as often missed as he kept boring in trying to corner his man. Then when he did, the rowdy tactics got under way and ended only when either both were sprawled on the canvas still wrestling each other, or the referee was outside the ring trying pull the boys apart or both fighters and official were entangled in a pretzel formation on the ring floor." Pep was ahead on the scorecards of the officials after eight rounds, but he quit after nine rounds, "declaring he no longer could continue because of severe pains caused by a deep cut over the right eye."[12]
In 1952, Pep had 12 fights, winning 11. He was knocked out in six by Tommy Collins, but also held two wins over Billy Lima that year.
Pep won all 11 fights in 1953, and entered 1954 on a 17-fight winning streak. After beating David Seabrooke by a decision, he lost to fringe contender Lulu Perez by TKO after a delayed reaction to a punch. Pep ended up winning three more bouts before the end of the year.
Pep went on boxing for five more years, retiring in 1960, and then he came back in 1964 and boxed for two more years. During that last period of his boxing career, he won 43 bouts and lost only five, but his only opponent of note during that time was Hogan Kid Bassey, a future World Featherweight Champion who knocked Pep out in nine rounds. Pep boxed in Caracas, Venezuela, losing to Sonny Leon by a decision in 10, and in his last fight, in 1966, he lost to Calvin Woodland by a decision in six.
Pep had a record of 229 wins, 11 losses and one draw, with 65 wins by knockout.
Post-career
[edit]After retiring, he and Saddler were involved in a series of exhibition bouts, and in 1980, Pep sued Sports Illustrated for running a story suggesting that he threw his fight with Perez. Pep lost the lawsuit, the jury deliberating just 15 minutes.[13]
Pep remained active in boxing after hanging up the gloves, serving as an inspector and referee.
In 1977, Pep was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
In March 2006, Pep resided at a nursing home in Connecticut, diagnosed with dementia pugilistica, before his death on November 23, 2006.[14] He is buried in Rocky Hill, CT. He left four children, William "Billy" Papaleo, Mary Papaleo, Michael Papaleo and Melissa Papaleo, and three stepchildren, April, L.J., Holly Miller.[15]
Honors
[edit]In 1945, Pep was voted Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine.
He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1990.
Pep was ranked sixth on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years in 2002. Pep was also named the third greatest fighter of all time by Bert Sugar.
Pep was ranked 5th on ESPN's 50 Greatest Boxers Of All Time list in 2007.
Willie Pep was voted as the Greatest Featherweight Ever by the Houston Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2014. The HBHOF is a voting body composed totally of current and former fighters.
In 2011, the city of Middletown, Connecticut constructed the Willie Pep Skatepark named in honor of Pep.[16][17]
Film
[edit]In 2023, The Featherweight, a feature film based on Pep's life, premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Directed by Robert Kolodny, the biographical film stars James Madio as Willie Pep and focuses primarily on the period before Pep's 1965 comeback. Lawrence Gilliard Jr. portrays Sandy Saddler, Stephen Lang plays Pep's trainer Bill Gore, Keir Gilchrist is Pep's son Billy, Ron Livingston is Pep's manager Bob Kaplan and Ruby Wolf portrays Pep's young wife Linda.[18][19][20]
"No-punch" round
[edit]There are claims that Pep won the third round in his fight against Jackie Graves in a fight on July 25, 1946, without throwing a punch. The "no-punch" winning round is disputed; several contemporary newspaper articles make no mention of it,[21][22][23] and an account in The Minneapolis Star describes the third round as "toe to toe slugging with Pep inflicting his best punishment with a right to the body".[24] Pep supposedly tipped off a few ringside reporters before the bout and told them he would win the third round without throwing "a punch of anger."[25]
Professional boxing record
[edit]241 fights | 229 wins | 11 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 65 | 6 |
By decision | 164 | 5 |
Draws | 1 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Age | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
241 | Loss | 229–11–1 | Calvin Woodland | UD | 6 | Mar 16, 1966 | 43 years, 178 days | City Arena, Richmond, Virginia, US | |
240 | Win | 229–10–1 | Ray Coleman | KO | 5 (10) | Oct 25, 1965 | 43 years, 36 days | Sports Center, Tucson, Arizona, US | |
239 | Win | 228–10–1 | Sergio Musquiz | TKO | 5 (10) | Oct 14, 1965 | 43 years, 25 days | Sportatorium, Phoenix, Arizona, US | |
238 | Win | 227–10–1 | Tommy Haden | TKO | 3 (10), 1:33 | Oct 4, 1965 | 43 years, 15 days | Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Pennsylvania, US | |
237 | Win | 226–10–1 | Willie Little | TKO | 3 (10) | Oct 1, 1965 | 43 years, 12 days | War Memorial Arena, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, US | |
236 | Win | 225–10–1 | Johnny Gilmore | PTS | 6 | Sep 28, 1965 | 43 years, 9 days | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
235 | Win | 224–10–1 | Benny 'Red' Randall | UD | 10 | Jul 21, 1965 | 42 years, 305 days | Old Coliseum, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada | |
234 | Win | 223–10–1 | Johnny Gilmore | UD | 6 | May 21, 1965 | 42 years, 244 days | Crystal Arena, Norwalk, Connecticut, US | |
233 | Win | 222–10–1 | Jackie Lennon | UD | 6 | Apr 26, 1965 | 42 years, 219 days | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
232 | Win | 221–10–1 | Harold McKeever | UD | 8 | Mar 11, 1959 | 36 years, 173 days | Little River Auditorium, Miami, Florida, US | |
231 | Loss | 220–10–1 | Sonny Leon | UD | 10 | Jan 26, 1959 | 36 years, 129 days | Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela | |
230 | Loss | 220–9–1 | Hogan 'Kid' Bassey | TKO | 9 (10) | Sep 20, 1958 | 36 years, 1 day | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
229 | Win | 220–8–1 | Al Duarte | UD | 10 | Aug 26, 1958 | 35 years, 341 days | Glovers Bowl, North Adams, Massachusetts, US | |
228 | Win | 219–8–1 | Jesse Rodriguez | UD | 10 | Aug 9, 1958 | 35 years, 324 days | Lake County Fairgrounds, Painesville, Ohio, US | |
227 | Win | 218–8–1 | Luis Carmona | UD | 10 | Aug 4, 1958 | 35 years, 319 days | Northern Maine Fairgrounds, Presque Isle, Maine, US | |
226 | Win | 217–8–1 | Bobby Bell | UD | 10 | Jul 17, 1958 | 35 years, 301 days | Arena, Norwood, Massachusetts, US | |
225 | Win | 216–8–1 | Bobby Soares | UD | 10 | Jul 1, 1958 | 35 years, 285 days | Memorial Hall, Athol, Massachusetts, US | |
224 | Win | 215–8–1 | Pat McCoy | UD | 10 | Jun 23, 1958 | 35 years, 277 days | Sargent Field, New Bedford, Massachusetts, US | |
223 | Win | 214–8–1 | Bobby Singleton | UD | 10 | May 20, 1958 | 35 years, 243 days | Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
222 | Win | 213–8–1 | Jimmy Kelly | UD | 10 | Apr 29, 1958 | 35 years, 222 days | Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
221 | Win | 212–8–1 | Cleo Ortiz | UD | 10 | Apr 14, 1958 | 35 years, 207 days | Arcadia Ballroom, Providence, Rhode Island, US | |
220 | Win | 211–8–1 | George Stephany | PTS | 10 | Apr 8, 1958 | 35 years, 201 days | Arena, Bristol, Connecticut, US | |
219 | Win | 210–8–1 | Prince Johnson | UD | 10 | Mar 31, 1958 | 35 years, 193 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
218 | Loss | 209–8–1 | Tommy Tibbs | SD | 10 | Jan 14, 1958 | 35 years, 117 days | Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
217 | Win | 209–7–1 | Jimmy Connors | UD | 10 | Dec 17, 1957 | 35 years, 89 days | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
216 | Win | 208–7–1 | Russell Tague | UD | 10 | Jul 23, 1957 | 34 years, 307 days | Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, US | |
215 | Win | 207–7–1 | Manny Castro | UD | 10 | Jul 16, 1957 | 34 years, 300 days | County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, US | |
214 | Win | 206–7–1 | Manny Castro | UD | 10 | May 10, 1957 | 34 years, 233 days | Memorial Stadium, Florence, South Carolina, US | |
213 | Win | 205–7–1 | Cesar Morales | UD | 10 | Apr 23, 1957 | 34 years, 216 days | War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US | |
212 | Win | 204–7–1 | Hector Bacquettes | TKO | 5 (10) | Jul 4, 1956 | 33 years, 289 days | Roosevelt Stadium, Lawton, Oklahoma, US | |
211 | Win | 203–7–1 | Russell Tague | RTD | 6 (10), 3:00 | Jun 19, 1956 | 33 years, 274 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
210 | Win | 202–7–1 | Manuel Armenteros | RTD | 6 (10), 3:00 | May 22, 1956 | 33 years, 246 days | Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, US | |
209 | Win | 201–7–1 | Jackie Blair | PTS | 10 | Apr 17, 1956 | 33 years, 211 days | State Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
208 | Win | 200–7–1 | Buddy Baggett | UD | 10 | Mar 27, 1956 | 33 years, 190 days | Sportatorium, Beaumont, Texas, US | |
207 | Win | 199–7–1 | Kid Campeche | UD | 10 | Mar 16, 1956 | 33 years, 179 days | Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida, US | |
206 | Win | 198–7–1 | Andy Arel | UD | 10 | Dec 28, 1955 | 33 years, 100 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
205 | Win | 197–7–1 | Leo Carter | TKO | 4 (?), 1:13 | Dec 13, 1955 | 33 years, 85 days | Auditorium, Houston, Texas, US | |
204 | Win | 196–7–1 | Henry 'Pappy' Gault | UD | 10 | Nov 29, 1955 | 33 years, 71 days | Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida, US | |
203 | Win | 195–7–1 | Charley Titone | UD | 10 | Oct 10, 1955 | 33 years, 21 days | Maple Arena, Brockton, Massachusetts, US | |
202 | Win | 194–7–1 | Henry 'Pappy' Gault | UD | 10 | Sep 27, 1955 | 33 years, 8 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
201 | Win | 193–7–1 | Jimmy Ithia | TKO | 6 (10), 1:54 | Sep 13, 1955 | 32 years, 359 days | State Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
200 | Win | 192–7–1 | Hector Rodriguez | PTS | 10 | Jul 12, 1955 | 32 years, 296 days | Hedges Stadium, Bridgeport, Connecticut, US | |
199 | Win | 191–7–1 | Mickey Mars | TKO | 7 (10), 0:52 | Jun 14, 1955 | 32 years, 268 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
198 | Win | 190–7–1 | Joey Cam | TKO | 3 (10), 3:00 | Jun 1, 1955 | 32 years, 255 days | Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
197 | Win | 189–7–1 | Gil Cadilli | UD | 10 | May 18, 1955 | 32 years, 241 days | Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
196 | Loss | 188–7–1 | Gil Cadilli | SD | 10 | Mar 30, 1955 | 32 years, 192 days | Parks Air Force Base, California, US | |
195 | Win | 188–6–1 | Charley Titone | UD | 10 | Mar 22, 1955 | 32 years, 184 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
194 | Win | 187–6–1 | Myrel Olmstead | UD | 10 | Mar 11, 1955 | 32 years, 173 days | State Armory, Bennington, Vermont, US | |
193 | Win | 186–6–1 | Mario 'Eladio' Colon | PTS | 10 | Nov 1, 1954 | 32 years, 43 days | Beach Arena, Daytona Beach, Florida, US | |
192 | Win | 185–6–1 | Til LeBlanc | UD | 10 | Aug 18, 1954 | 31 years, 333 days | Moncton Arena, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada | |
191 | Win | 184–6–1 | Mike Tourcotte | UD | 10 | Jul 24, 1954 | 31 years, 308 days | Hartwell Field, Mobile, Alabama, US | |
190 | Loss | 183–6–1 | Lulu Perez | TKO | 2 (10), 1:53 | Feb 26, 1954 | 31 years, 160 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
189 | Win | 183–5–1 | Davey Seabrook | UD | 10 | Jan 19, 1954 | 31 years, 122 days | Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida, US | |
188 | Win | 182–5–1 | Tony Longo | UD | 10 | Dec 15, 1953 | 31 years, 87 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
187 | Win | 181–5–1 | Billy Lima | TKO | 2 (10) | Dec 8, 1953 | 31 years, 80 days | City Auditorium, Houston, Texas, US | |
186 | Win | 180–5–1 | Davey Allen | PTS | 10 | Dec 4, 1953 | 31 years, 76 days | Legion Arena, West Palm Beach, Florida, US | |
185 | Win | 179–5–1 | Sonny Luciano | UD | 10 | Nov 21, 1953 | 31 years, 63 days | Armory, Charlotte, North Carolina, US | |
184 | Win | 178–5–1 | Pat Marcune | TKO | 10 (10), 0:14 | Jun 5, 1953 | 30 years, 259 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
183 | Win | 177–5–1 | Jackie Blair | UD | 10 | May 13, 1953 | 30 years, 236 days | Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, US | |
182 | Win | 176–5–1 | Noel Paquette | UD | 10 | Apr 7, 1953 | 30 years, 200 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
181 | Win | 175–5–1 | Joey Gambino | UD | 10 | Mar 31, 1953 | 30 years, 193 days | Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida, US | |
180 | Win | 174–5–1 | Pepe Alvarez | PTS | 10 | Feb 10, 1953 | 30 years, 144 days | Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, US | |
179 | Win | 173–5–1 | Dave Mitchell | UD | 10 | Jan 27, 1953 | 30 years, 130 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
178 | Win | 172–5–1 | Billy Lauderdale | UD | 10 | Jan 19, 1953 | 30 years, 122 days | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
177 | Win | 171–5–1 | Jorge Sanchez | PTS | 10 | Dec 5, 1952 | 30 years, 77 days | Legion Arena, West Palm Beach, Florida, US | |
176 | Win | 170–5–1 | Fabela Chavez | UD | 10 | Nov 19, 1952 | 30 years, 61 days | Arena, Saint Louis, Missouri, US | |
175 | Win | 169–5–1 | Manny Castro | TKO | 5 (10), 0:55 | Nov 5, 1952 | 30 years, 47 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
174 | Win | 168–5–1 | Billy Lima | UD | 10 | Oct 20, 1952 | 30 years, 31 days | Baseball Park, Jacksonville, Florida, US | |
173 | Win | 167–5–1 | Armand Savoie | UD | 10 | Oct 1, 1952 | 30 years, 12 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
172 | Win | 166–5–1 | Bobby Woods | UD | 10 | Sep 11, 1952 | 29 years, 358 days | Denman Auditorium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
171 | Win | 165–5–1 | Billy Lima | UD | 10 | Sep 3, 1952 | 29 years, 350 days | Legion Field, Pensacola, Florida, US | |
170 | Loss | 164–5–1 | Tommy Collins | TKO | 6 (10), 0:55 | Jun 30, 1952 | 29 years, 285 days | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
169 | Win | 164–4–1 | Claude Hammond | UD | 10 | May 21, 1952 | 29 years, 245 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
168 | Win | 163–4–1 | Buddy Baggett | KO | 5 (10) | May 10, 1952 | 29 years, 234 days | Eustis Park, Aiken, South Carolina, US | |
167 | Win | 162–4–1 | Kenny Leach | PTS | 10 | May 5, 1952 | 29 years, 229 days | Golden Park, Columbus, Ohio, US | |
166 | Win | 161–4–1 | Santiago Gonzalez | UD | 10 | Apr 29, 1952 | 29 years, 223 days | Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida, US | |
165 | Loss | 160–4–1 | Sandy Saddler | RTD | 9 (15), 3:00 | Sep 26, 1951 | 29 years, 7 days | Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, US | For NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
164 | Win | 160–3–1 | Rodolfo Gonzales | UD | 10 | Sep 4, 1951 | 28 years, 350 days | Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, US | |
163 | Win | 159–3–1 | Jesus Compos | UD | 10 | Jun 4, 1951 | 28 years, 258 days | Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, US | |
162 | Win | 158–3–1 | Eddie Chavez | MD | 10 | Apr 27, 1951 | 28 years, 220 days | Cow Palace, Daly City, California, US | |
161 | Win | 157–3–1 | Baby Neff Ortiz | TKO | 5 (10), 2:24 | Apr 17, 1951 | 28 years, 210 days | Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, US | |
160 | Win | 156–3–1 | Pat Iacobucci | UD | 10 | Mar 26, 1951 | 28 years, 188 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
159 | Win | 155–3–1 | Carlos Chávez | UD | 10 | Mar 5, 1951 | 28 years, 167 days | Coliseum Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, US | |
158 | Win | 154–3–1 | Eddie Webb | TKO | 2 (10), 1:05 | Feb 26, 1951 | 28 years, 160 days | Legion Coliseum, Sarasota, Florida, US | |
157 | Win | 153–3–1 | Tommy Baker | TKO | 4 (10), 1:29 | Jan 30, 1951 | 28 years, 133 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
156 | Loss | 152–3–1 | Sandy Saddler | RTD | 8 (15), 3:00 | Sep 8, 1950 | 27 years, 354 days | Yankee Stadium, New York City, New York, US | Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
155 | Win | 152–2–1 | Proctor Heinhold | UD | 10 | Aug 2, 1950 | 27 years, 317 days | Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania, US | |
154 | Win | 151–2–1 | Bobby Bell | UD | 10 | Jul 25, 1950 | 27 years, 309 days | Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC, US | |
153 | Win | 150–2–1 | Bobby Timpson | UD | 10 | Jun 26, 1950 | 27 years, 280 days | Outdoor Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
152 | Win | 149–2–1 | Terry Young | UD | 10 | Jun 1, 1950 | 27 years, 255 days | Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US | |
151 | Win | 148–2–1 | Asuncion Llanos | KO | 2 (10), 1:10 | May 15, 1950 | 27 years, 238 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
150 | Win | 147–2–1 | Ray Famechon | UD | 15 | Mar 17, 1950 | 27 years, 179 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
149 | Win | 146–2–1 | Jimmy Warren | UD | 10 | Feb 22, 1950 | 27 years, 156 days | Dinner Key Auditorium, Coconut Grove, Florida, US | |
148 | Win | 145–2–1 | Roy Andrews | UD | 10 | Feb 6, 1950 | 27 years, 140 days | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
147 | Win | 144–2–1 | Charley Riley | KO | 5 (15), 1:05 | Jan 16, 1950 | 27 years, 119 days | Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, US | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
146 | Win | 143–2–1 | Harold Dade | UD | 10 | Dec 12, 1949 | 27 years, 84 days | Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, US | |
145 | Win | 142–2–1 | Eddie Campo | TKO | 7 (15), 0:41 | Sep 20, 1949 | 27 years, 1 day | Municipal Stadium, Waterbury, Massachusetts, US | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
144 | Win | 141–2–1 | Jean Mougin | UD | 10 | Jul 12, 1949 | 26 years, 296 days | MacArthur Stadium, Syracuse, New York, US | |
143 | Win | 140–2–1 | Johnny LaRusso | UD | 10 | Jun 20, 1949 | 26 years, 274 days | Century Stadium, West Springfield, Massachusetts, US | |
142 | Win | 139–2–1 | Al Pennino | UD | 10 | Jun 14, 1949 | 26 years, 268 days | Wahconah Park, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US | |
141 | Win | 138–2–1 | Luis Ramos | PTS | 10 | Jun 6, 1949 | 26 years, 260 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
140 | Win | 137–2–1 | Sandy Saddler | UD | 15 | Feb 11, 1949 | 26 years, 145 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
139 | Win | 136–2–1 | Teddy Davis | UD | 10 | Jan 17, 1949 | 26 years, 120 days | Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, US | |
138 | Win | 135–2–1 | Hermie Freeman | UD | 10 | Dec 20, 1948 | 26 years, 92 days | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
137 | Loss | 134–2–1 | Sandy Saddler | KO | 4 (15), 2:38 | Oct 29, 1948 | 26 years, 40 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
136 | Win | 134–1–1 | Johnny LaRusso | PTS | 10 | Oct 19, 1948 | 26 years, 30 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
135 | Win | 133–1–1 | Chuck Burton | PTS | 8 | Oct 12, 1948 | 26 years, 23 days | Jersey City Gardens, Jersey City, New Jersey, US | |
134 | Win | 132–1–1 | Paddy DeMarco | UD | 10 | Sep 10, 1948 | 25 years, 357 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
133 | Win | 131–1–1 | Johnny Dell | TKO | 8 (10) | Sep 2, 1948 | 25 years, 349 days | Municipal Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, US | |
132 | Win | 130–1–1 | Teddy Davis | PTS | 10 | Aug 17, 1948 | 25 years, 333 days | Auditorium Outdoor Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
131 | Win | 129–1–1 | Teddy Davis | PTS | 10 | Aug 3, 1948 | 25 years, 319 days | Auditorium Outdoor Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
130 | Win | 128–1–1 | Young Junior | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 28, 1948 | 25 years, 313 days | Bennett's Field, Utica, New York, US | |
129 | Win | 127–1–1 | Luther Burgess | UD | 10 | Jun 25, 1948 | 25 years, 280 days | Atwood Stadium, Flint, Michigan, US | |
128 | Win | 126–1–1 | Miguel Acevedo | UD | 10 | Jun 17, 1948 | 25 years, 272 days | Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US | |
127 | Win | 125–1–1 | Charley Lewis | UD | 10 | May 19, 1948 | 25 years, 243 days | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US | |
126 | Win | 124–1–1 | Leroy Willis | UD | 10 | May 7, 1948 | 25 years, 231 days | Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
125 | Win | 123–1–1 | Humberto Sierra | TKO | 10 (15), 0:22 | Feb 24, 1948 | 25 years, 158 days | Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, US | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
124 | Win | 122–1–1 | Joey Angelo | UD | 10 | Jan 19, 1948 | 25 years, 122 days | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
123 | Win | 121–1–1 | Jimmy McAllister | UD | 10 | Jan 12, 1948 | 25 years, 115 days | Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, US | |
122 | Win | 120–1–1 | Pedro Biesca | PTS | 10 | Jan 6, 1948 | 25 years, 109 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
121 | Win | 119–1–1 | Lefty LaChance | TKO | 8 (10) | Dec 30, 1947 | 25 years, 102 days | Recreation Center, Manchester, New Hampshire, US | |
120 | Win | 118–1–1 | Alvaro Estrada | UD | 10 | Dec 22, 1947 | 25 years, 94 days | City Hall, Lewiston, Maine, US | |
119 | Win | 117–1–1 | Archie Wilmer | MD | 10 | Oct 27, 1947 | 25 years, 38 days | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
118 | Win | 116–1–1 | Jean Barriere | KO | 1 (10), 2:07 | Oct 21, 1947 | 25 years, 32 days | Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, US | |
117 | Win | 115–1–1 | Jock Leslie | KO | 12 (15), 0:45 | Aug 22, 1947 | 24 years, 337 days | Atwood Stadium, Flint, Michigan, US | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
116 | Win | 114–1–1 | Humberto Sierra | UD | 10 | Jul 23, 1947 | 24 years, 307 days | Auditorium Outdoor Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
115 | Win | 113–1–1 | Paulie Jackson | UD | 10 | Jul 15, 1947 | 24 years, 299 days | Sargent Field, New Bedford, Massachusetts, US | |
114 | Win | 112–1–1 | Jean Barriere | KO | 4 (10), 1:58 | Jul 11, 1947 | 24 years, 295 days | Meadowbrook Arena, North Adams, Massachusetts, US | |
113 | Win | 111–1–1 | Leo LeBrun | PTS | 8 | Jul 8, 1947 | 24 years, 292 days | Crystal Arena, Norwalk, Connecticut, US | |
112 | Win | 110–1–1 | Joey Fontana | KO | 5 (10), 1:00 | Jul 1, 1947 | 24 years, 285 days | Hawkins Stadium, Albany, New York, US | |
111 | Win | 109–1–1 | Victor Flores | PTS | 10 | Jun 17, 1947 | 24 years, 271 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
110 | Win | 108–1–1 | Chalky Wright | KO | 3 (10), 1:05 | Nov 27, 1946 | 24 years, 69 days | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US | |
109 | Win | 107–1–1 | Tomas Beato | KO | 2 (10) | Nov 15, 1946 | 24 years, 57 days | State Armory, Waterbury, Connecticut, US | |
108 | Win | 106–1–1 | Paulie Jackson | PTS | 10 | Nov 1, 1946 | 24 years, 43 days | Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US | |
107 | Win | 105–1–1 | Lefty LaChance | TKO | 3 (10), 1:47 | Sep 17, 1946 | 23 years, 363 days | Auditorium Outdoor Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
106 | Win | 104–1–1 | Walter Kolby | TKO | 5 (10), 2:26 | Sep 4, 1946 | 23 years, 350 days | Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, US | |
105 | Win | 103–1–1 | Doll Rafferty | KO | 6 (10), 1:10 | Aug 26, 1946 | 23 years, 341 days | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US | |
104 | Win | 102–1–1 | Jackie Graves | TKO | 8 (10), 1:52 | Jul 25, 1946 | 23 years, 309 days | Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US | |
103 | Win | 101–1–1 | Harold Gibson | TKO | 7 (10), 2:21 | Jul 10, 1946 | 23 years, 294 days | Civic Stadium, Buffalo, New York, US | |
102 | Win | 100–1–1 | Sal Bartolo | KO | 12 (15), 2:41 | Jun 7, 1946 | 23 years, 261 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Retained NYSAC and The Ring featherweight titles; Won NBA featherweight title |
101 | Win | 99–1–1 | Jimmy Joyce | PTS | 8 | May 27, 1946 | 23 years, 250 days | Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US | |
100 | Win | 98–1–1 | Jose Aponte Torres | UD | 10 | May 22, 1946 | 23 years, 245 days | Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, US | |
99 | Win | 97–1–1 | Joey Angelo | UD | 10 | May 13, 1946 | 23 years, 236 days | Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, US | |
98 | Win | 96–1–1 | Ernie Petrone | PTS | 10 | May 6, 1946 | 23 years, 229 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
97 | Win | 95–1–1 | Georgie Knox | TKO | 3 (10), 1:45 | Apr 8, 1946 | 23 years, 201 days | Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, US | |
96 | Win | 94–1–1 | Jackie Wilson | UD | 10 | Mar 26, 1946 | 23 years, 188 days | Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri, US | |
95 | Win | 93–1–1 | Jimmy McAllister | KO | 2 (10), 2:44 | Mar 1, 1946 | 23 years, 163 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
94 | Win | 92–1–1 | Jimmy Joyce | UD | 10 | Feb 13, 1946 | 23 years, 147 days | Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, US | |
93 | Win | 91–1–1 | Johnny Virgo | KO | 2 (10), 1:05 | Jan 15, 1946 | 23 years, 118 days | Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, US | |
92 | Draw | 90–1–1 | Jimmy McAllister | MD | 10 | Dec 13, 1945 | 23 years, 85 days | Baltimore Garden, Baltimore, Maryland, US | |
91 | Win | 90–1 | Harold Gibson | PTS | 10 | Dec 5, 1945 | 23 years, 77 days | Armory, Lewiston, Maine, US | |
90 | Win | 89–1 | Eddie Giosa | UD | 10 | Nov 26, 1945 | 23 years, 68 days | Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
89 | Win | 88–1 | Mike Martyk | TKO | 5 (10), 2:39 | Nov 5, 1945 | 23 years, 47 days | Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, US | |
88 | Win | 87–1 | Paulie Jackson | PTS | 8 | Oct 30, 1945 | 23 years, 41 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
87 | Win | 86–1 | Phil Terranova | UD | 15 | Feb 19, 1945 | 22 years, 153 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Retained NYSAC and The Ring featherweight titles |
86 | Win | 85–1 | Willie Roache | PTS | 10 | Feb 5, 1945 | 22 years, 139 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
85 | Win | 84–1 | Ralph Walton | PTS | 10 | Jan 23, 1945 | 22 years, 126 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
84 | Win | 83–1 | Chalky Wright | UD | 10 | Dec 5, 1944 | 22 years, 77 days | Arena, Cleveland, Cleveland, US | |
83 | Win | 82–1 | Pedro Hernández | PTS | 10 | Nov 27, 1944 | 22 years, 69 days | Uline Arena, Washington, DC, US | |
82 | Win | 81–1 | Charley Lewis | UD | 10 | Nov 14, 1944 | 22 years, 56 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
81 | Win | 80–1 | Jackie Leamus | UD | 10 | Oct 25, 1944 | 22 years, 36 days | Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
80 | Win | 79–1 | Chalky Wright | UD | 15 | Sep 29, 1944 | 22 years, 10 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Retained NYSAC and The Ring featherweight titles |
79 | Win | 78–1 | Charley Lewis | TKO | 8 (10), 1:52 | Sep 19, 1944 | 22 years, 0 days | Auditorium Outdoor Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
78 | Win | 77–1 | Joey Peralta | UD | 10 | Aug 28, 1944 | 21 years, 344 days | Century Stadium, West Springfield, Massachusetts, US | |
77 | Win | 76–1 | Lulu Costantino | UD | 10 | Aug 4, 1944 | 21 years, 320 days | Municipal Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, US | |
76 | Win | 75–1 | Manuel Ortiz | UD | 10 | Jul 17, 1944 | 21 years, 302 days | Braves Field, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
75 | Win | 74–1 | Willie Joyce | UD | 10 | Jul 7, 1944 | 21 years, 292 days | Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
74 | Win | 73–1 | Julie Kogon | PTS | 10 | Jun 6, 1944 | 21 years, 261 days | Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, US | |
73 | Win | 72–1 | Joey Bagnato | KO | 2 (10), 1:03 | May 23, 1944 | 21 years, 247 days | Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, US | |
72 | Win | 71–1 | Frankie Rubino | PTS | 10 | May 19, 1944 | 21 years, 243 days | Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
71 | Win | 70–1 | Jackie Leamus | UD | 10 | May 1, 1944 | 21 years, 225 days | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
70 | Win | 69–1 | Harold 'Snooks' Lacey | PTS | 10 | Apr 20, 1944 | 21 years, 214 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
69 | Win | 68–1 | Leo Francis | PTS | 10 | Apr 4, 1944 | 21 years, 198 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
68 | Win | 67–1 | Sal Bartolo | UD | 15 | Jun 8, 1943 | 20 years, 262 days | Braves Field, Boston, Massachusetts, US | Retained NYSAC and The Ring featherweight titles |
67 | Win | 66–1 | Jackie Wilson | UD | 12 | Apr 26, 1943 | 20 years, 219 days | Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US | |
66 | Win | 65–1 | Angel Aviles | PTS | 10 | Apr 19, 1943 | 20 years, 212 days | Municipal Auditorium, Tampa, Florida, US | |
65 | Win | 64–1 | Sal Bartolo | SD | 10 | Apr 9, 1943 | 20 years, 202 days | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
64 | Win | 63–1 | Bobby McIntire | UD | 10 | Mar 29, 1943 | 20 years, 191 days | Arena Gardens, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
63 | Loss | 62–1 | Sammy Angott | UD | 10 | Mar 19, 1943 | 20 years, 181 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
62 | Win | 62–0 | Lou Transparenti | KO | 6 (10), 1:20 | Mar 2, 1943 | 20 years, 164 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
61 | Win | 61–0 | Bill Speary | UD | 10 | Feb 15, 1943 | 20 years, 149 days | Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, US | |
60 | Win | 60–0 | Davey Crawford | UD | 10 | Feb 11, 1943 | 20 years, 145 days | Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
59 | Win | 59–0 | Allie Stolz | UD | 10 | Jan 29, 1943 | 20 years, 132 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
58 | Win | 58–0 | Bill Speary | PTS | 10 | Jan 19, 1943 | 20 years, 122 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
57 | Win | 57–0 | Vince Dell'Orto | PTS | 10 | Jan 4, 1943 | 20 years, 107 days | Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, New Orleans, US | |
56 | Win | 56–0 | Joey Silva | RTD | 9 (10) | Dec 21, 1942 | 20 years, 93 days | Washington Hotel Auditorium, Jacksonville, Florida, US | |
55 | Win | 55–0 | Jose Aponte Torres | TKO | 7 (10) | Dec 14, 1942 | 20 years, 86 days | Turner's Arena, Washington, DC, US | |
54 | Win | 54–0 | Chalky Wright | UD | 15 | Nov 20, 1942 | 20 years, 62 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Won NYSAC and The Ring featherweight titles |
53 | Win | 53–0 | George Zengaras | PTS | 10 | Oct 27, 1942 | 20 years, 38 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
52 | Win | 52–0 | Joey Archibald | UD | 10 | Oct 16, 1942 | 20 years, 27 days | Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, US | |
51 | Win | 51–0 | Bobby McIntire | UD | 10 | Oct 5, 1942 | 20 years, 16 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
50 | Win | 50–0 | Vince Dell'Orto | PTS | 10 | Sep 22, 1942 | 20 years, 3 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
49 | Win | 49–0 | Frank Franconeri | TKO | 1 (8), 2:07 | Sep 10, 1942 | 19 years, 356 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
48 | Win | 48–0 | Bobby Ivy | TKO | 10 (10), 1:30 | Sep 1, 1942 | 19 years, 347 days | White City Stadium, West Haven, Connecticut, US | |
47 | Win | 47–0 | Nat Litfin | PTS | 10 | Aug 20, 1942 | 19 years, 335 days | White City Stadium, West Haven, Connecticut, US | |
46 | Win | 46–0 | Pedro Hernandez | PTS | 10 | Aug 11, 1942 | 19 years, 326 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
45 | Win | 45–0 | Joey Silva | RTD | 7 (8) | Aug 1, 1942 | 19 years, 316 days | Randolph-Clowes Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, US | |
44 | Win | 44–0 | Abe Denner | PTS | 12 | Jul 21, 1942 | 19 years, 305 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | Won USA New England featherweight title |
43 | Win | 43–0 | Joey Archibald | PTS | 10 | Jun 23, 1942 | 19 years, 277 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
42 | Win | 42–0 | Joey Iannotti | PTS | 8 | May 26, 1942 | 19 years, 249 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
41 | Win | 41–0 | Aaron Seltzer | PTS | 8 | May 12, 1942 | 19 years, 235 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
40 | Win | 40–0 | Curley Nichols | PTS | 8 | May 4, 1942 | 19 years, 227 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
39 | Win | 39–0 | Spider Armstrong | KO | 4 (8), 2:40 | Apr 14, 1942 | 19 years, 207 days | Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
38 | Win | 38–0 | Johnny Compo | PTS | 8 | Mar 18, 1942 | 19 years, 180 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
37 | Win | 37–0 | Willie Roache | PTS | 8 | Feb 24, 1942 | 19 years, 158 days | Foot Guard Hall, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
36 | Win | 36–0 | Angelo Callura | PTS | 8 | Feb 10, 1942 | 19 years, 144 days | Foot Guard Hall, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
35 | Win | 35–0 | Abie Kaufman | PTS | 8 | Jan 27, 1942 | 19 years, 130 days | Foot Guard Hall, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
34 | Win | 34–0 | Sammy Parrotta | PTS | 4 | Jan 16, 1942 | 19 years, 119 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
33 | Win | 33–0 | 'Mexican' Joe Rivers | TKO | 4 (8) | Jan 8, 1942 | 19 years, 111 days | Casino, Fall River, Massachusetts, US | |
32 | Win | 32–0 | Ruby Garcia | UD | 4 | Dec 12, 1941 | 19 years, 84 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
31 | Win | 31–0 | Davey Crawford | UD | 8 | Nov 24, 1941 | 19 years, 66 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
30 | Win | 30–0 | Buddy Spencer | UD | 4 | Nov 7, 1941 | 19 years, 49 days | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, US | |
29 | Win | 29–0 | Connie Savoie | TKO | 2 (8) | Oct 21, 1941 | 19 years, 32 days | Foot Guard Hall, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
28 | Win | 28–0 | Carlos Manzano | PTS | 8 | Oct 9, 1941 | 19 years, 20 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
27 | Win | 27–0 | Jackie Harris | TKO | 1 (8) | Sep 25, 1941 | 19 years, 6 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
26 | Win | 26–0 | Eddie Flores | KO | 1 (8), 2:30 | Aug 11, 1941 | 18 years, 326 days | Carpet City Arena, Thompsonville, Connecticut, US | |
25 | Win | 25–0 | Paul Frechette | TKO | 3 (6) | Aug 5, 1941 | 18 years, 320 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
24 | Win | 24–0 | Jimmy Gilligan | UD | 8 | Jul 15, 1941 | 18 years, 299 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
23 | Win | 23–0 | Eddie DeAngelis | TKO | 3 (8) | Jun 24, 1941 | 18 years, 278 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
22 | Win | 22–0 | Harry Hintlian | UD | 6 | Jun 19, 1941 | 18 years, 273 days | Red Men's Arena, Manchester, Connecticut, US | |
21 | Win | 21–0 | Johnny Cockfield | UD | 6 | May 12, 1941 | 18 years, 235 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
20 | Win | 20–0 | Lou Puglese | KO | 2 (6), 1:30 | May 6, 1941 | 18 years, 229 days | Foot Guard Hall, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
19 | Win | 19–0 | Joey Silva | PTS | 6 | Apr 22, 1941 | 18 years, 215 days | Foot Guard Hall, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
18 | Win | 18–0 | Henry Vasquez | UD | 6 | Apr 14, 1941 | 18 years, 207 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
17 | Win | 17–0 | Joey Gatto | KO | 2 (6) | Mar 31, 1941 | 18 years, 193 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
16 | Win | 16–0 | Marty Shapiro | PTS | 6 | Mar 25, 1941 | 18 years, 187 days | Foot Guard Hall, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
15 | Win | 15–0 | Ruby Garcia | UD | 6 | Mar 3, 1941 | 18 years, 165 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
14 | Win | 14–0 | Ruby Garcia | UD | 6 | Feb 17, 1941 | 18 years, 151 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
13 | Win | 13–0 | Don Lyons | KO | 2 (6) | Feb 10, 1941 | 18 years, 144 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
12 | Win | 12–0 | Augie Almeida | TKO | 6 (6), 2:20 | Jan 28, 1941 | 18 years, 131 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
11 | Win | 11–0 | Joe Echevarria | UD | 6 | Jan 13, 1941 | 18 years, 116 days | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, US | |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Jimmy Mutone | KO | 2 (6) | Dec 6, 1940 | 18 years, 78 days | Stanley Arena, New Britain, Connecticut, US | |
9 | Win | 9–0 | Frank Topazio | TKO | 5 (6) | Nov 29, 1940 | 18 years, 71 days | Stanley Arena, New Britain, Connecticut, US | |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Carlo Daponde | TKO | 6 (6) | Nov 22, 1940 | 18 years, 64 days | Stanley Arena, New Britain, Connecticut, US | |
7 | Win | 7–0 | James McGovern | PTS | 4 | Oct 24, 1940 | 18 years, 35 days | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, US | |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Jimmy Ritchie | TKO | 3 (6) | Oct 3, 1940 | 18 years, 14 days | Municipal Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, US | |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Jackie Moore | UD | 6 | Sep 19, 1940 | 18 years, 0 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Joey Marcus | UD | 4 | Sep 5, 1940 | 17 years, 352 days | Randolph-Clowes Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, US | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Tommy Burns | TKO | 1 (4) | Aug 29, 1940 | 17 years, 345 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Joey Wasnick | KO | 3 (4) | Aug 8, 1940 | 17 years, 324 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Joey Marcus | UD | 4 | Jul 25, 1940 | 17 years, 310 days | Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, US |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Heinz, W.C., The Top of His Game, Library of America, 2015, pg 434
- ^ "AP Fighters of the Century List". Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ "IBRO Rankings". Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ "BoxRec ratings: world, pound-for-pound, active and inactive". BoxRec. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Pep, Willie and Robert Sacchi. (2008) "Willie Pep Remembers Friday's Heroes", 5–6. Arborhouse, Bloomington, IN. ISBN 978-1-4343-0182-6
- ^ Stanley, Bill. "The night Willie Pep fought Sugar Ray Robinson", "The Day", New London, 20 October 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ^ Pep, Willie and Robert Sacchi. (2008) "Willie Pep Remembers Friday's Heroes", 7. Arborhouse, Bloomington, IN. ISBN 978-1-4343-0182-6
- ^ "Willie Pep Gains Nod Over Kogon", Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, New York, pg. 12, 7 June 1944
- ^ "Pep Outpoints Julie Kogon", Star-Gazette, Elmira, New York, pg. 11, 7 June 1944
- ^ Kogon was in the featherweight range at 130 in "Pep Defeats Julie Kogon", The Troy Record, Troy, New York, pg. 16, 7 June 1944
- ^ "Willie Pep vs. Sandy Saddler (3rd meeting)". BoxRec. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
- ^ "Sandy Saddler vs. Willie Pep (4th meeting)". BoxRec. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
- ^ Myler, Thomas (2006), The Sweet Science Goes Sour: How Scandal Brought Boxing To Its Knees, Vancouver: Greystone Books, p. 34, ISBN 1-55365-233-9
- ^ "Pep's Name Should Grace Front Street". HartfordInfo.org. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
- ^ "Papaleo, William 'willie Pep'". Hartford Courant. November 25, 2006. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^ PELLETIER, JOE (August 22, 2011). "Local skaters come together at Middletown's Willie Pep Skate Park". The Middletown Press. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ BADILLO, JONETTA (October 19, 2011). "Willie Pep skate park dedicated in Middletown". The Middletown Press. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "A touch of Hollywood in downtown Hartford | Camera rolls on Willie Pep film". November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Pep". IMDb.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (July 25, 2023). "Venice Lineup Includes Films by Bradley Cooper, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, David Fincher and More". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
- ^ "Graves, Pep hit Deck More Than Dozen Times". Dayton Herald. Minneapolis. UP. July 26, 1946. p. 23. Retrieved December 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Champion Ends Bout In Eighth". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Minneapolis. AP. July 26, 1946. p. 17. Retrieved December 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lee, Bill (July 26, 1946). "Willie Pep Scores Knockout In Eighth Round Of Fight With Southpaw Jack Graves". Hartford Courant. Minneapolis. p. 15. Retrieved December 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Johnson, Charles (July 26, 1946). "Graves Kayoed in Eighth, But Sixth Rivals Firpo-Dempsey for Thrills". The Minneapolis Star. p. 11. Retrieved December 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
The third brought more toe to toe slugging with Pep inflicting his best punishment with a right to the body, but Jackie landed often enough to gain an even break.
- ^ Stradley, Don (April 2007), "Willie Pep: 1922–2006", The Ring, 86 (4): 71
External links
[edit]- Boxing record for Willie Pep from BoxRec (registration required)
- Willie Pep at Find a Grave