Saturday,
November 25, 2006
Obit; Willie Pep, 84; Featherweight
Champion; Greatest Pound-for-Pound Fighter of All Time
The
ANNOTICO Report
Born
Guglielmo Papaleo in
Pep
is considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time. His
greatest strength was his ability to avoid the punching power of opponents
through dancing feet, blurring speed and a smooth command of the ring.
Nicknamed
"Will o' the Wisp," Pep turned defense into an art form. To this day,
whenever the value of defense is questioned in terms of scoring a fight,
someone is likely to say, "Willie Pep once won a round without throwing a
punch."
Pep's
career mark is 230-11-1 with 65 knockouts, the 230 victories believed to be an
all-time record. Pep won his first 63 fights, lost one and then won 72 more
with one draw, giving him a mark of 135-1-1 during that stretch, unfathomable
today.
Willie
Pep is a leading member of the Italian American Boxing Hall of Fame that
includes such legendary names as Rocky
Marciano (1923-1969) [Rocky (Rocco) Francis Marchegiano] the only heavyweight champion to retire
undefeated, and one of the greatest heavyweight boxer produced in the United
States. [Knocked out Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcottt,
and defeated Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore] Rocky
Marciano had 49 professional fights, winning 43 by knockouts. Besides
Marciano, some of the more outstanding undisputed world champions and prominent
boxers were light-heavyweight Joey Maxim (Giuseppe Antonio Berardinelli), and lightweight Tony Canzoneri,
middleweights Jake LaMotta, and Vito Antuofermo, featherweights Johnny Dundee
(Giuseppe Carrora) Italian Americans who boxed
under assumed names included Sammy Mandell (Mandello), and Tippy
Larkin (Tony Pilliteri). In addition, a number o!
f Italian Americans such as Jack Fugazy, Chris Dundee, Cus D'
Amato and Arthur Mercante, excelled in
aspects of boxing such as promoters, trainers, and referees. [From NIAF-
Milestones of the Italian American Experience]
Willie
Pep, 84; Former Featherweight Champion Used Defense as a Weapon
By
Steve Springer, Times Staff Writer
November 25, 2006
Former
featherweight champion Willie Pep, who turned boxing into ballet and defense
into a weapon in a career that spanned more than a quarter of a century, died
Thursday. He was 84.
Pep, who had Alzheimer's disease, died at West Hill Convalescent Home in
Pep is considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time. His
greatest strength was his ability to avoid the punching power of opponents
through dancing feet, blurring speed and a smooth command of the ring.
Nicknamed "Will o' the Wisp," Pep turned defense into an art form. To
this day, whenever the value of defense is questioned in terms of scoring a
fight, someone is likely to say, "Willie Pep once won a round without
throwing a punch."
Pep won a lot of rounds. And a lot of fights. His
career mark is 230-11-1 with 65 knockouts, the 230 victories believed to be an
all-time record. Pep won his f! irst
63 fights, lost one and then won 72 more with one draw, giving him a mark of
135-1-1 during that stretch, unfathomable today.
Born Guglielmo Papaleo in
In an era before sanctioning bodies came banging on fighters' doors,
championship belts in hand for a fee, when only one fighter ruled a division
and there were only eight weight classes, the 20-year-old Pep won the
featherweight crown in 1942 by unanimous decision over Chalky Wright.
Pep broke his back and a leg in a 1947 plane crash. Told he'd be lucky to walk
straight again, Pep stepped back into the ring five months later.
Pep lost his championship to Sandy Saddler in 1948 on a fourth-round knockout
but took the title back from him a year later on a unanimous decision.
In 1950, Saddler reclaimed the title when Pep had to quit at the end of the
seventh round because of a se p! arated
shoulder. In all, Saddler outpointed Pep in three of
their four matches.
Pep's legendary punchless round was premeditated,
according to boxing historian Bert Sugar in his book, "Boxing's
Greatest Fighters." Pep had tipped off a few sportswriters before his 1946
match against Jackie Graves that he would not throw a punch in the third round.
"It was an amazing display of defensive boxing skill," wrote
sportswriter Don Riley. Pep "made even Sugar Ray Robinson's fluidity look
like cement hardening. Never has boxing seen such perfection."
Said one opponent, Kid Campeche: "Fighting Willie Pep is
like trying to stamp out a grass fire."
Pep lacked impressive knockout power, yet recorded 65
"Most of his knockouts came not from a malicious blow," Sugar said,
"but from his opponents falling to the ground in utter exhaustion."
Pep was not as successful at ducking difficulties outside the ring as he had
been within the ropes.
H e! was a heavy gambler, according to an Associated
Press story, and by his own account lost much of his earnings to six wives.
"All my wives were great housekeepers," he would say. "After
every divorce, they kept the house."
After retiring as a fighter, Pep remained in
A list of survivors was incomplete Friday.
steve.springer@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries
Thanks
to Pat Gabriel
Associated Press Writer
By Steve Feica,
November 24, 2006
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (AP)--
Willie Pep, ...the embodiment of finesse and speed in his prime, Pep was
230-11-1 with 65
Pep was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1999, he was listed fifth among the best fighters of the 20th century as chosen by a five-member panel for The Associated Press.
"He was a very special fighter in a great era of boxing," Glenn Feldman, president of the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame said. "You just don't see fighters today with a 26-year career."
Feldman said what was astounding about Pep was his prolific career.
"The funny thing is when you look at his
record he only had 65
Pep dropped out of high school at age 16 to fight. The 5-foot, 6-inch Pep earned the nickname "Will o' the Wisp" for his elusiveness.
Pep turned pro in 1940 and won his first 63 fights, including a victory over Chalky Wright in 1942 for the world featherweight title. With the 15-round decision, Pep was the youngest boxer to earn the title in four decades.
The following year brought 63 undefeated bouts for Pep before he lost a non-title fight to Sammy Angott.(born Samuel Engotti.Jan 17,1915). Undeterred, Pep went on to win another 73 straight.
Four years later, he went up against Sandy Saddler for the first of four memorable bouts. Pep was knocked out in the fourth round but regained his title the following year. Saddler won three of the four fights.
Pep retired in 1959, although he was back in the ring six years later. His nine-fight winning streak came to an end when he was stopped by Calvin Woodward in 1966, and Pep hung up his gloves for good.
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