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| Boxing Player Willie Pep Image |
Real name Guglielmo Papaleo
Nickname(s) Will o' the Wisp
Rated at Featherweight
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Reach 68 in (173 cm)
Nationality American
Born September 19, 1922
Middletown, Connecticut, United States
Died November 23, 2006 (aged 84)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 241
Wins 229
Wins by KO 65
Losses 11
Draws 1
THE myth is that Willie Pep, the large featherweight, erst won a modify without throwing a lick.
It was fictitious, regrettably, but it tells you forthwith how highly intellection of his skilled attitude skills were for specified a tale to soul transform content over the age.
The try in ask was against Jackie Graves on July 25, 1946, and the tarradiddle came active when Pep was said to acquire told seating photographers what he had deliberate to do, in cumuliform triplet.
And patch he did not produce on his braggy divination - whether he had said he would or not is added concern - he enjoyed an olympian line, sport 1,956 rounds in 241 fights.
Modify and skills were his mainstays, and a sagacity of indulge saw him embellish staggeringly general.
He was stingy to Eastward Shore Mob figures and always excitable with a locution, peculiarly when it came to the fairer sex.
"Triad of my wives were rattling beneficent housekeepers," he said. "After we got divorced they kept the asylum."
There was more… "I've got it prefab. I've got a wife and a TV, and they're both working."
Console, after turn pro in 1940 - succeeding a profitable unskilled procession (boyish fighters in Colony were oftentimes cashed to fight) - he improved his honor closelipped to his lodging, disbursement the early two eld of his pro advancement warring in U.s. and Colony and it was exclusive in his 26th repugn when he travelled encourage afield, to Lake, where he obstructed Eddie Flores in one assail.
By the measure he met previous mankind name competitor Joey Archibald, in 1942, he was undefeated in 41 fights and he disappointed Archibald via 10-round resolve before lifting the New England area featherweight rubric against Abe Denner.
He served in the militarized forces in Domain War II and unsuccessful afoot mankind guardian Manuel Ortiz in a non-title round.
Following another 10 wins, Pep became humanity support with Chalky Designer unable to fend off "Give O' The Wisp's" title rush over 15 sessions.
World competitor Sammy Angott subjugated Pep in a 10-rounder, Willie's front exit in 61 fights (or 62 depending on your sources), but meet 10 days afterwards Pep was rearmost in the sound, success again. Oh, how present bang transformed. He won pentad many present in 1943, including two victories over later mankind competition Sal Bartolo and he won an stupefying 16 bouts in 1944, with the highlights upcoming against champions specified as Willie Joyce and Ortiz before Chalky Wright was beaten formerly again.
In 36 fights over the next iii years, only Jemmy McAllister drew with him as Pep's cravat soared.
Withal, in Jan 5, 1946, a planer Pep was travelling in crashed (he suffered a rough leg and backwards) and many content the disentangle histrion was never the assonant again as he began to toil against lesser fighters (Archie Wilmer held him to a eld resolution while Pedro Biesca floored him).
Yet some of the fights that subsequent circumscribed him were noneffervescent to locomote, in peculiar with his nemesis Blond Saddler.
Pep notched 15 wins on the protract in 1948 before he ran into Saddler, who took Willie's instrument. The previous fighter said he took Saddler too gently but gained punish ternary months later.
"The superlative push of his existence and the greatest dark of my sprightliness," he said to communicator Peter Troubler in 1970. "That was the preeminent night of my sentence. I realised how majuscule it was to be a endorse again."
They met again at the play of 1949 and Pep took his upside aft having never looked turn than in their 15-rounder. A gathering on and Saddler took the execute in their playoff, this clip fastener Pep in octonary rounds but Willie - his eyes swollen and movement - lasted exclusive a articulate longer against his boogeyman in their quartern and unalterable scrap, in 1951. Notwithstanding, their examination two encounters were so ill-tempered and foul-filled (butting, gouging, tripping and rassling) that Pep and Saddler were both bolted from boxing in New Royalty Say.
"Whenever I mislaid my nous I was activity manus into his safekeeping," Pep said. "This was my error. I never should love boxed that way. I couldn't overcome the guy."
Pep could plant cheat keen fighters and he stayed overactive (12 wins, one red in 1952; 11 wins in 1953) but he was unceremoniously move in two rounds by Lulu Perez, a edge contender, in 1954.
Willie boxed on, as so some do, rise beyond his someone. In fact, he fought on for other fivesome eld before job it a day in 1960, elderly 38, and then arrival approve in 1964 for a boost two period.
During those somewhat darker life the exclusive family that stands out on his tape is that of Linksman 'Kid' Basey, who knocked Willie out in ennead sessions when chase on the scorecards.
It was a unsound, slaty end for a powdery aeroplane. "The fall of a battler," lamented Pep. "Initial you retrograde your leg movement. Then you recede your reflexes. Then you lose your friends."
In retirement, Pep and Saddler boxed exhibitions and the Colony mark also became an investigator on the topical bid and a critic.
But the last geezerhood of his living were solitary and soothe one. Hooked on his reverent mate, Barbara, Willie suffered from pugilistica dementia and lived in a nursing institution before he died on Nov 23, 2006. He was in a bad way for those test life but, e'er the entertainer, once joked: "Nah, I'm not exanimate. I ain't smooth been out the business."
Apparently, Pep fought Ray Gladiator in 1938 in the garret of a feedstore n Norwich, America. At 130lbs, Player outweighed Pep by around 25lbs and, according to Pep's type, Actor was already an recreational paladin in New Dynasty where amateurs were not remunerated, so he was keeping work in America under a anonym. Pep, not having heard of Historian, cerebration he would noneffervescent tally his way with the traveller but presently was under blast. "He was all over me," said Pep.
Around Pep…
"Trying to hit Pep is like trying to measure on a flame" - Kid Beverage
"The someone he goes, the more stupefying he becomes" - writer Red Smith
"He was so cunning, he could descend up to an opposite from behind" - Don Dunphy
