Willie Pep

Willie Pep
Willie Pep
Statistics
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	Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	241
Wins	229
Wins by KO	65
Losses	11
Draws	1
No contests	0

Guglielmo Papaleo (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 1947 and 1950. 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, finess and elusiveness, is considered to be one of the best fighters of the 20th century and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Pep was voted as the #1 featherweight of the 20th Century by the Associated Press^[1] and ranked the #1 featherweight of all-time by the International Boxing Research Organization in 2005.^[2]

Boxing career

Amateur career

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 hit and Pep's father was earning $15 per week at the Works Progress Administration. 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.^[3]

In 1938 Pep fought Sugar Ray Robinson in the attic of a feed store in Norwich, CT.^[4] Outweighing Pep nearly 130 to 105, the bigger Robinson won by decision. 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."^[5]

Professional career

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 at Los Angeles.

By the time Pep stepped up his quality of opposition, when he met world title challenger Joey Archibald in 1942, Pep was already 41-0. 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 kept on rising. 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 World 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.

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 6-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.

1948 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).^[6]

1951 brought over 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, page 3, 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."^[7]

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 met fringe contender Lulu Perez and Pep lost by a knockout in two rounds. Pep ended up winning three more bouts before the end of the year.

Pep went on boxing for 5 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 5, 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 Venezuela, losing to Sonny Leon by a decision in ten, 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 1 draw, with 65 wins by knockout.

Post-career life

After retiring, he and Saddler 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.^[8]

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.

As of March 2006, Pep resided at a nursing home in Connecticut, suffering from dementia pugilistica, before his death on November 23, 2006.^[9] 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. and Holly Miller.^[10]

Honors

In 1990, Pep was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame as a member of the Hall's original class. Pep, who enjoyed signing autographs for his fans, worked there as a volunteer alongside fellow former world champion boxer and friend Carmen Basilio.^{[citation needed]}

Pep was ranked 6th on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years in 2002. Pep was also named the 3rd 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.

References in popular culture

In the episode of the television series M*A*S*H, "The Kids" (Season 4, episode 8) where the camp plays host to a group of Korean orphans with a wounded pregnant woman, Father Mulcahy tells Frank Burns that during his amateur boxing career, "they wanted me in Willie Pep's stable."

In the popular "Spenser" series by author Robert B. Parker, a regular character, Henry Cimoli, gym owner and friend of Spenser, is an ex-boxer who, in his youth fought Willie Pep. This fight is Cimoli's 'claim to fame' and is mentioned in most "Spenser" books when Cimoli is mentioned.

A motion picture about the Willie Pep is planned for 2016 starring James Madio in the main role.^[11]

Willie Pep is mentioned in episode 4 of the second series of Broadchurch. "I'm a prizefighter. I'm Willie Pep. And Willie Pep never liked taking punches… Everything you need to know about a trial can be found in the boxing ring. Now, you study boxing, you'll see who Willie Pep is."

Kris Kristofferson includes a reference to Willie Pep on his "This Old Road" album.

Miscellaneous

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 out of claims that Pep threw a punch. 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.'^[12]

Professional boxing record

229 Wins (65 knockouts, 164 decisions), 11 Losses, 1 Draw
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	229–11–1	Calvin Woodland	UD	6	1966-03-16	City Arena, Richmond, Virginia, United States
Win	229–10–1	Ray Coleman	KO	5 (8)	1965-10-25	Tucson, Arizona, United States
Win	228–10–1	Sergio Musquiz	TKO	5 (10)	1965-10-14	Sportatorium, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win	227–10–1	Tommy Haden	TKO	3 (10)	1965-10-04	Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Win	226–10–1	Willie Little	TKO	3 (10)	1965-10-01	War Memorial Arena, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	225–10–1	Johnny Gilmore	UD	6	1965-09-28	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	224–10–1	Benny Red Randall	UD	10	1965-07-26	Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Win	223–10–1	Johnny Gilmore	UD	6	1965-05-21	Crystal Arena, Norwalk, Connecticut, United States
Win	222–10–1	Jackie Lennon	UD	6	1965-04-26	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	221–10–1	Harold McKeever	UD	8	1965-03-11	Little River Auditorium, Miami, Florida, United States
Loss	220–10–1	Sonny Leon	UD	10	1959-01-26	Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela
Loss	220–9–1	Hogan Bassey	TKO	9 (10)	1958-09-20	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	220–8–1	Al Duarte	UD	10	1958-08-26	Glovers Bowl, North Adams, Massachusetts, United States
Win	219–8–1	Jesse Rodriguez	UD	10	1958-08-09	Painesville, Ohio, United States
Win	218–8–1	Luis Carmona	UD	10	1958-08-04	Presque Isle, Maine, United States
Win	217–8–1	Bobby Bell	UD	10	1958-07-17	Norwood, Massachusetts, United States
Win	216–8–1	Bobby Soares	UD	10	1958-07-01	Memorial Hall, Athol, Massachusetts, United States
Win	215–8–1	Pat McCoy	UD	10	1958-06-23	Sargent Field, New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States
Win	214–8–1	Bobby Singleton	UD	10	1958-05-20	Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	213–8–1	Jimmy Kelly	UD	10	1958-04-29	Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	212–8–1	Cleo Ortiz	UD	10	1958-04-14	Arcadia Ballroom, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Win	211–8–1	George Stephany	UD	10	1958-04-08	Bristol, Connecticut, United States
Win	210–8–1	Prince Johnson	UD	10	1958-03-31	Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Loss	209–8–1	Tommy Tibbs	SD	10	1958-01-14	Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	209–7–1	Jimmy Connors	UD	10	1957-12-17	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	208–7–1	Russell Tague	UD	10	1957-07-23	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	207–7–1	Manny Castro	UD	10	1957-07-16	Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, United States
Win	206–7–1	Manny Castro	UD	10	1957-05-10	Memorial Stadium, Florence, South Carolina, United States
Win	205–7–1	Cesar Morales	UD	10	1957-04-23	War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Win	204–7–1	Hector Bacquettes	TKO	5 (10)	1956-07-04	Roosevelt Stadium, Lawton, Oklahoma, United States
Win	203–7–1	Russell Tague	UD	10	1956-06-19	Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	202–7–1	Manuel Armenteros	RTD	6 (10)	1956-05-22	San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win	201–7–1	Jackie Blair	UD	10	1956-04-17	State Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	200–7–1	Buddy Baggett	UD	10	1956-03-27	Sportatorium, Beaumont, Texas, United States
Win	199–7–1	Kid Campeche	UD	10	1956-03-16	Tampa, Florida, United States
Win	198–7–1	Andy Arel	UD	10	1955-12-28	Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	197–7–1	Leo Carter	TKO	4 (8)	1955-12-13	Houston, Texas, United States
Win	196–7–1	Pappy Gault	UD	10	1955-11-29	Tampa, Florida, United States
Win	195–7–1	Charley Titone	UD	10	1955-10-10	Maple Arena, Brockton, Massachusetts, United States
Win	194–7–1	Pappy Gault	UD	10	1955-09-27	Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	193–7–1	Jimmy Ithia	TKO	6 (10)	1955-09-13	Hedges Stadium, Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States
Win	192–7–1	Hector Rodriguez	UD	10	1955-07-12	Hedges Stadium, Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States
Win	191–7–1	Mickey Mars	TKO	7 (10)	1955-06-14	Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	190–7–1	Joey Cam	TKO	3 (10)	1955-06-01	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	189–7–1	Gil Cadilli	UD	10	1955-05-18	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Loss	188–7–1	Gil Cadilli	SD	10	1955-03-30	San Francisco, California, United States
Win	188–6–1	Charley Titone	UD	10	1955-03-22	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	187–6–1	Merrill Olmstead	UD	10	1955-03-11	Bennington, Vermont, United States
Win	186–6–1	Mario 'Eladio' Colon	UD	10	1954-11-01	Daytona Beach, Florida, United States
Win	185–6–1	Til LeBlanc	UD	10	1954-08-18	Moncton Arena, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Win	184–6–1	Mike Tourcotte	UD	10	1954-07-24	Hartwell Field, Mobile, Alabama, United States
Loss	183–6–1	Lulu Perez	TKO	2 (10)	1954-02-26	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Win	183–5–1	Davey Seabrook	UD	10	1954-01-19	Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win	182–5–1	Tony Longo	UD	10	1953-12-15	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	181–5–1	Billy Lima	KO	2 (10)	1953-12-08	City Auditorium, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	180–5–1	Davey Allen	UD	10	1953-12-04	Legion Arena, West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Win	179–5–1	Sonny Luciano	UD	10	1953-11-21	Armory, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Win	178–5–1	Pat Marcune	TKO	10 (10)	1953-06-05	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Win	177–5–1	Jackie Blair	UD	10	1953-05-13	Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Win	176–5–1	Noel Paquette	UD	10	1953-04-07	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	175–5–1	Joey Gambino	UD	10	1953-03-31	Tampa, Florida, United States
Win	174–5–1	Pepe Alvarez	UD	10	1953-02-10	Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win	173–5–1	Dave Mitchell	UD	10	1953-01-27	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	172–5–1	Billy Lauderdale	UD	10	1953-01-19	Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Win	171–5–1	Jorge Sanchez	UD	10	1952-12-05	Legion Arena, West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Win	170–5–1	Fabela Chavez	UD	10	1952-11-19	Oakland Avenue Arena, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
Win	169–5–1	Manny Castro	TKO	5 (10)	1952-11-05	Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	168–5–1	Billy Lima	UD	10	1952-10-20	Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win	167–5–1	Armand Savoie	UD	10	1952-10-01	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Win	166–5–1	Bobby Woods	UD	10	1952-09-11	Denman Auditorium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Win	165–5–1	Billy Lima	UD	10	1952-09-03	Legion Field, Pensacola, Florida, United States
Loss	164–5–1	Tommy Collins	TKO	6 (10)	1952-06-30	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	164–4–1	Claude Hammond	UD	10	1952-05-21	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	163–4–1	Buddy Baggett	KO	5 (10)	1952-05-10	Eustis Park, Aiken, South Carolina, United States
Win	162–4–1	Kenny Leach	UD	10	1952-05-05	Golden Park, Columbus, Georgia, United States
Win	161–4–1	Santiago Gonzalez	UD	10	1952-04-29	Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida, United States
Loss	160–4–1	Sandy Saddler	RTD	9 (15)	1951-09-26	Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, United States	For World Featherweight Title
Win	160–3–1	Corky Gonzales	UD	10	1951-09-04	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Win	159–3–1	Jesus Compos	UD	10	1951-06-04	Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Win	158–3–1	Eddie Chavez	SD	10	1951-04-27	Cow Palace, Daly City, California, United States
Win	157–3–1	Baby Ortiz	TKO	5 (10)	1951-04-17	Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
Win	156–3–1	Pat Iacobucci	UD	10	1951-03-26	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	155–3–1	Carlos Chavez	UD	10	1951-03-05	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Win	154–3–1	Eddie Webb	TKO	2 (10)	1951-02-26	Legion Coliseum, Sarasota, Florida, United States
Win	153–3–1	Tommy Baker	TKO	4 (10)	1951-01-30	Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Loss	152–3–1	Sandy Saddler	RTD	8 (15)	1950-09-08	Yankee Stadium, New York City, New York, United States	Lost World Featherweight Title
Win	152–2–1	Proctor Heinhold	UD	10	1950-08-02	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	151–2–1	Bobby Bell	UD	10	1950-07-25	Griffith Stadium, Washington D.C., United States
Win	150–2–1	Bobby Timpson	UD	10	1950-06-26	Outdoor Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	149–2–1	Terry Young	UD	10	1950-06-01	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Win	148–2–1	Asuncion Llanos	KO	2 (10)	1950-05-15	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	147–2–1	Ray Famechon	UD	15	1950-03-17	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States	Retained World Featherweight Title
Win	146–2–1	Jimmy Warren	UD	10	1950-02-22	Miami, Florida, United States
Win	145–2–1	Roy Andrews	UD	10	1950-02-06	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	144–2–1	Charley Riley	KO	5 (15)	1950-01-16	Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States	Retained World Featherweight Title
Win	143–2–1	Harold Dade	UD	10	1949-12-12	Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
Win	142–2–1	Eddie Compo	TKO	7 (15)	1949-09-20	Municipal Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States	Retained World Featherweight Title
Win	141–2–1	Jean Mougin	UD	10	1949-07-12	MacArthur Stadium, Syracuse, New York, United States
Win	140–2–1	Johnny LaRusso	UD	10	1949-06-20	Century Stadium, West Springfield, Massachusetts, United States
Win	139–2–1	Al Pennino	UD	10	1949-06-14	Wahconah Park, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States
Win	138–2–1	Luis Ramos	UD	10	1949-06-06	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	137–2–1	Sandy Saddler	UD	15	1949-02-11	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States	Won World Featherweight Title 1949 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	136–2–1	Teddy Davis	UD	10	1949-01-17	Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
Win	135–2–1	Hermie Freeman	UD	10	1948-12-20	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Loss	134–2–1	Sandy Saddler	KO	4 (15)	1948-10-29	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States	Lost World Featherweight Title
Win	134–1–1	Johnny LaRusso	UD	10	1948-10-19	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	133–1–1	Chuck Burton	UD	8	1948-10-12	Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Win	132–1–1	Paddy DeMarco	UD	10	1948-09-10	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Win	131–1–1	Johnny Dell	TKO	8 (10)	1948-09-02	Municipal Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
Win	130–1–1	Teddy Davis	UD	10	1948-08-17	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	129–1–1	Teddy Davis	UD	10	1948-08-03	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	128–1–1	Young Junior	KO	1 (10)	1948-07-28	Utica, New York, United States
Win	127–1–1	Luther Burgess	UD	10	1948-06-25	Flint, Michigan, United States
Win	126–1–1	Miguel Acevedo	UD	10	1948-06-17	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win	125–1–1	Charley Cabey Lewis	UD	10	1948-05-19	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Win	124–1–1	Leroy Willis	UD	10	1948-05-07	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Win	123–1–1	Humberto Sierra	TKO	10 (15)	1948-02-24	Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, United States	Retained World Featherweight title
Win	122–1–1	Joey Angelo	UD	10	1948-01-19	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	121–1–1	Jimmy McAllister	UD	10	1948-01-12	Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
Win	120–1–1	Pedro Biesca	UD	10	1948-01-06	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	119–1–1	Lefty LaChance	TKO	8 (10)	1947-12-30	Manchester, New Hampshire, United States
Win	118–1–1	Alvaro Estrada	UD	10	1947-12-22	City Hall, Lewiston, Maine, United States
Win	117–1–1	Archie Wilmer	MD	10	1947-10-27	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	116–1–1	Jean Barriere	KO	1 (10)	1947-10-21	Portland, Maine, United States
Win	115–1–1	Jock Leslie	KO	12 (15)	1947-08-22	Atwood Stadium, Flint, Michigan, United States	Won Vacant World Featherweight Title
Win	114–1–1	Humberto Sierra	UD	10	1947-07-23	Auditorium Outdoor Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	113–1–1	Paulie Jackson	UD	10	1947-07-15	New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States
Win	112–1–1	Jean Barriere	KO	4 (10)	1947-07-11	North Adams, Massachusetts, United States
Win	111–1–1	Leo LeBron	UD	8	1947-07-08	Crystal Arena, Norwalk, Connecticut, United States
Win	110–1–1	Joey Fontana	KO	5 (10)	1947-07-01	Hawkins Stadium, Albany, New York, United States
Win	109–1–1	Victor Flores	UD	10	1947-06-17	Hartford, Connecticut, United States	Pep's first bout, since he had suffered serious injuries in a plane crash.
Win	108–1–1	Chalky Wright	KO	3 (10)	1946-11-27	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Win	107–1–1	Tomas Beato	KO	2 (10)	1946-11-15	State Armory, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
Win	106–1–1	Paulie Jackson	UD	10	1946-11-01	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win	105–1–1	Lefty LaChance	TKO	3 (10)	1946-09-17	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	104–1–1	Walter Kolby	TKO	5 (10)	1946-09-04	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, United States
Win	103–1–1	Doll Rafferty	KO	6 (10)	1946-08-26	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Win	102–1–1	Jackie Graves	TKO	8 (10)	1946-07-25	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win	101–1–1	Harold Gibson	TKO	7 (10)	1946-07-10	Civic Stadium, Buffalo, New York, United States
Win	100–1–1	Sal Bartolo	KO	12 (15)	1946-06-07	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States	Won NBA & NYSAC World featherweight title
Win	99–1–1	Jimmy Joyce	UD	8	1946-05-27	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win	98–1–1	Jose Aponte Torres	UD	10	1946-05-22	Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
Win	97–1–1	Joey Angelo	UD	10	1946-05-13	Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Win	96–1–1	Ernie Petrone	UD	10	1946-05-06	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	95–1–1	Georgie Knox	TKO	3 (10)	1946-04-08	Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Win	94–1–1	Jackie Wilson	UD	10	1946-03-26	Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win	93–1–1	Jimmy McAllister	KO	2 (10)	1946-03-01	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Win	92–1–1	Jimmy Joyce	UD	10	1946-02-13	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, United States
Win	91–1–1	Johnny Virgo	KO	2 (10)	1946-01-15	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, United States
Draw	90–1–1	Jimmy McAllister	MD	10	1945-12-13	Baltimore Garden, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Win	90–1	Harold Gibson	UD	10	1945-12-05	Lewiston Armory, Lewiston, Maine, United States
Win	89–1	Eddie Giosa	UD	10	1945-11-26	Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	88–1	Mike Martyk	TKO	5 (10)	1945-11-05	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, United States
Win	87–1	Paulie Jackson	UD	8	1945-10-30	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	86–1	Phil Terranova	UD	15	1945-02-19	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States	Retained NYSAC World featherweight title
Win	85–1	Willie Roache	UD	10	1945-02-05	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	84–1	Ralph Walton	UD	10	1945-01-23	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	83–1	Chalky Wright	UD	10	1944-12-05	Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Win	82–1	Pedro Hernandez	UD	10	1944-11-27	Uline Arena, Washington D.C., United States
Win	81–1	Charley Cabey Lewis	UD	10	1944-11-14	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	80–1	Jackie Leamus	UD	10	1944-10-25	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win	79–1	Chalky Wright	UD	15	1944-09-29	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States	Won NYSAC World featherweight title
Win	78–1	Charley Cabey Lewis	TKO	8 (10)	1944-09-19	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	77–1	Joey Peralta	UD	10	1944-08-28	West Springfield, Massachusetts, United States
Win	76–1	Lulu Costantino	UD	10	1944-08-04	Municipal Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
Win	75–1	Manuel Ortiz	UD	10	1944-07-17	Braves Field, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	74–1	Willie Joyce	UD	10	1944-07-07	Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Win	73–1	Julie Kogon	UD	10	1944-06-06	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	72–1	Joey Bagnato	KO	2 (10)	1944-05-23	Buffalo, New York, United States
Win	71–1	Frankie Rubino	UD	10	1944-05-19	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Win	70–1	Jackie Leamus	UD	10	1944-05-01	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	69–1	Harold 'Snooks' Lacey	UD	10	1944-04-20	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	68–1	Leo Francis	UD	10	1944-04-04	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	67–1	Sal Bartolo	UD	15	1943-06-08	Braves Field, Boston, Massachusetts, United States	Retained NYSAC World featherweight title
Win	66–1	Jackie Wilson	UD	12	1943-04-26	Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	65–1	Angel Aviles	UD	10	1943-04-19	Tampa, Florida, United States
Win	64–1	Sal Bartolo	SD	10	1943-04-09	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	63–1	Bobby McIntire	UD	10	1943-03-29	Arena Gardens, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Loss	62–1	Sammy Angott	UD	10	1943-03-19	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Win	62–0	Lou Transparenti	KO	6 (10)	1943-03-02	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	61–0	Bill Speary	UD	10	1943-02-15	Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Win	60–0	Davey Crawford	UD	10	1943-02-11	Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	59–0	Allie Stolz	UD	10	1943-01-29	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Win	58–0	Bill Speary	UD	10	1943-01-19	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	57–0	Vince Dell'Orto	UD	10	1943-01-04	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Win	56–0	Joey Silva	RTD	9 (10)	1942-12-21	Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win	55–0	Jose Aponte Torres	TKO	7 (10)	1942-12-14	Turner's Arena, Washington D.C., United States
Win	54–0	Chalky Wright	UD	15	1942-11-20	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States	Won NYSAC World featherweight title 1942 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	53–0	George Zengaras	UD	10	1942-10-27	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	52–0	Joey Archibald	UD	10	1942-10-16	Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Win	51–0	Bobby McIntire	UD	10	1942-10-05	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	50–0	Vince Dell'Orto	UD	10	1942-09-22	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	49–0	Frank Franconeri	TKO	1 (8)	1942-09-10	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Win	48–0	Bobby Ivy	TKO	10 (10)	1942-09-01	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	47–0	Nat Litfin	UD	10	1942-08-20	White City Stadium, West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	46–0	Pedro Hernandez	UD	10	1942-08-11	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	45–0	Joey Silva	RTD	7 (8)	1942-08-01	Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
Win	44–0	Abe Denner	UD	12	1942-07-21	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States	Won USA New England featherweight title
Win	43–0	Joey Archibald	UD	10	1942-06-23	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	42–0	Joey Iannotti	UD	8	1942-05-26	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	41–0	Aaron Seltzer	UD	8	1942-05-12	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	40–0	Curley Nichols	UD	8	1942-05-04	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	39–0	Spider Armstrong	KO	4 (8)	1942-04-14	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	38–0	Johnny Compo	UD	8	1942-03-18	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	37–0	Willie Roache	UD	8	1942-02-24	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	36–0	Angelo Callura	UD	8	1942-02-10	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	35–0	Abie Kaufman	UD	8	1942-01-27	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	34–0	Sammy Parotta	UD	6	1942-01-16	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Win	33–0	Mexican Joe Rivers	TKO	4 (8)	1942-01-08	Fall River, Massachusetts, United States
Win	32–0	Ruby Garcia	UD	6	1941-12-12	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Win	31–0	Davey Crawford	UD	8	1941-11-24	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	30–0	Buddy Spencer	UD	6	1941-11-07	Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States
Win	29–0	Connie Savoie	TKO	2 (8)	1941-10-21	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	28–0	Carlos Manzano	UD	8	1941-10-09	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	27–0	Jackie Harris	TKO	1 (8)	1941-09-25	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	26–0	Eddie Flores	KO	1 (8)	1941-08-11	Carpet City Arena, Thompsonville, Connecticut, United States
Win	25–0	Paul Frechette	TKO	3 (6)	1941-08-05	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	24–0	Jimmy Gilligan	UD	8	1941-07-15	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	23–0	Eddie DeAngelis	TKO	3 (8)	1941-06-24	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	22–0	Harry Hintlian	UD	6	1941-06-19	Manchester, Connecticut, United States
Win	21–0	Johnny Cockfield	UD	6	1941-05-12	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	20–0	Lou Pugliese	KO	2 (6)	1941-05-06	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	19–0	Joey Silva	UD	6	1941-04-22	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	18–0	Henry Vasquez	UD	6	1941-04-14	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	17–0	Joey Gatto	KO	2 (6)	1941-03-31	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	16–0	Marty Shapiro	UD	6	1941-03-25	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	15–0	Ruby Garcia	UD	6	1941-03-03	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	14–0	Ruby Garcia	UD	6	1941-02-17	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	13–0	Don Lyons	KO	2 (6)	1941-02-10	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	12–0	Augie Almeda	TKO	6 (6)	1941-01-28	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	11–0	Joe Echevarria	UD	6	1941-01-13	Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Win	10–0	Jim Mutane	KO	2 (6)	1940-12-06	New Britain, Connecticut, United States
Win	9–0	Frank Topazio	TKO	5 (6)	1940-11-29	New Britain, Connecticut, United States
Win	8–0	Carlo Daponde	TKO	6 (6)	1940-11-22	New Britain, Connecticut, United States
Win	7–0	Jimmy McAllister	UD	4	1940-10-24	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Win	6–0	Jimmy Riche	TKO	3 (6)	1940-10-03	Randolph-Clowes Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
Win	5–0	Jack Moore	UD	6	1940-09-19	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	4–0	Joey Marcus	UD	4	1940-09-05	Randolph-Clowes Stadium, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
Win	3–0	Tommy Burns	TKO	1 (4)	1940-08-29	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	2–0	Joey Wasnick	KO	3 (4)	1940-08-08	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Win	1–0	Joey Marcus	UD	4	1940-07-25	Bulkeley Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, United States	Pep's professional debut.

References

↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
↑ 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
↑ http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Willie_Pep_vs._Sandy_Saddler_(3rd_meeting)
↑ http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Sandy_Saddler_vs._Willie_Pep_(4th_meeting)
↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..
↑ [1]
↑ http://articles.courant.com/2006-11-25/news/0611240963_1_william-papaleo-willie-pep-wife-international-boxing-hall
↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2352396/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Professional boxing record for Willie Pep from BoxRec
Willie Pep at Find a Grave

Achievements
Preceded by Sal Bartolo	World Featherweight Champion June 6, 1946–October 10, 1948	Succeeded by Sandy Saddler
Preceded by Sandy Saddler	World Featherweight Champion February 2, 1949–September 9, 1950	Succeeded by Sandy Saddler

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[3] Pep, Willie and Robert Sacchi. (2008) "Willie Pep Remembers Friday's Heroes", 5-6. Arborhouse, Bloomington, IN. ISBN 978-1-4343-0182-6

[4] Stanley, Bill. "The night Willie Pep fought Sugar Ray Robinson", "The Day", New London, 20 October 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2012.

[5] Pep, Willie and Robert Sacchi. (2008) "Willie Pep Remembers Friday's Heroes", 7. Arborhouse, Bloomington, IN. ISBN 978-1-4343-0182-6

[6] ttp://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Willie_Pep_vs._Sandy_Saddler_(3rd_meeting)

[7] ttp://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Sandy_Saddler_vs._Willie_Pep_(4th_meeting)

[8] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..

[9] [1]

[10] ttp://articles.courant.com/2006-11-25/news/0611240963_1_william-papaleo-willie-pep-wife-international-boxing-hall

[11] ttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt2352396/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

[12] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

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Willie Pep

Contents

Boxing career

Amateur career

Professional career

Post-career life

Honors

References in popular culture

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