willie pep's best performance?

His win over Chalky Wright for his first featherweight title I have never seen, but from what I have read, it has to be one of his best. He certainly shocked some reporters with his performance.

 

What do you mean "isn't available" ?

 

Thanks Burt.

Being anal retentive (former auditor), I decided (during my convalescence from a nasty protracted cold) to scrutinize their records, and was stunned to find that Willie actually beat only ONE common opponent during his pre plane crash prime who also defeated Sandy. (This was actually a real shock to me, because of how often they competed in that day and age. I expected many examples of this happening.)

For whatever it's worth, Saddler had six career defeats going into his first match with Pep.

The only stoppage defeat of his entire career came in just his second match against Jock Leslie in March, 1944, in the third round. In August 1947, Pep knocked out Leslie in 12, for his first title defense after the plane crash. Interesting trivia, if not something to draw conclusions from.

Lou Alter handed Saddler his second defeat nine bouts into Sandy's career, in just Lou's fourth professional outing. They drew in a four round rematch. Alter went on to a decent career, but never squared off with Willie.

LW Bobby McQuillar never took on Pep, but with a record of just 16-3-0 behind him, with all three defeats by knockout (including one in three rounds to Ike Williams) somehow managed to pull off a ten round UD over the 44-2-1 Saddler in February 1946. Saddler never rematched him. (McQuillar later posted back to back wins over Joe Brown and Jimmy Carter in May 1948.)

August 1946 saw Saddler drop his next defeat, to Terranova, also by ten round UD, and like McQuillar, in Detroit. Little shame there. Phil, a former NBA FW Champion himself, did square off with Willie for the NYSAC version of that title in February 1945 (dropping a lopsided UD), and was in the midst of a career best 19-0-1 streak when he beat Saddler.

Cuban FW Humberto Sierra decked Sandy in the opening round and took a ten round decision in October 1947, Sierra's first bout since dropping a ten round decision to Willie in Hartford three months earlier. This win helped pave the way to a FW Title rematch with Pep at the Orange Bowl, and Willie produced a tenth round stoppage in his final defense before Saddler challenged him for the first time.

During June 1948, rising 29-1-0 FW Chico Rosa, fighting on native turf in Honolulu, decisioned Sandy over ten for his biggest career win, overcoming numerous low blows in the process. However, Rosa then slid into a, 11 match winless streak, and would prevail only twice more in his final 26 bouts, an untimely decline rivaling the likes of Thad Spencer, and wiping out any chance he had of ever facing Pep. Four months later, Saddler-Pep I took place.

So, prior to Saddler-Pep I, they had three common opponents, Leslie, Sierra and Terranova. Willie actually defeated the first two AFTER his plane crash, making Phil Terranova the only common opponent Pep defeated before both Saddler-Pep I and Willie's near fatal accident.

Paddy DeMarco was defeated by Pep in September 1948, but this was over a year after Willie came back from that crash. DeMarco did take a pair of SD's over Saddler in 1951, after dropping a cut eye stoppage in nine during 1949.

1948 Canadian Olympian Armand Savoie did take a 3rd round DQ from Saddler in 1952, several months before Willie schooled him in Chicago Stadium, but this was five years after that plane crash.

So amazingly, Pep-Terranova was the only time Willie defeated an opponent prior to that plane crash who in turn defeated Saddler.

Tommy Collins and Lulu Perez are the common opponents to defeat Pep then lose to Saddler, so far as I can determine.

 

D, you said it all.The name jock Leslie evokes memory's for me as I saw blond headed Leslie fight in a prelim fight at MSG. As a kid I sparred with a guy who lost a split decision to Paddy DeMarco,in the Golden Gloves semi-finals. DeMarco went on to become a lightweight champion and the poor man's Sammy Angott.
P.S. I would have loved to see the outcome of a Sandy Saddler vs Alexis Arguello bout...Oh my... Take care of the cold !:hi:

 

naseem hamed

 

I gotta say Saddler II...He was obviously not at his peak, but to triumph and master an opponent who looked to have his number in a clear cut and decisive fashion that was evidently also wildly entertaining, would probably stack up for me.


I think it'd be a combination of the performance, who it was against, and when it went down in the combatants careers that makes this just a strong win for me.

 

Pep did outbox Saddler quite easily in their third fight (1950) until he had to retire due to a dislocated shoulder from Saddler. I don't understand why people always refer to that fight as a loss for Pep and never talk about the controversy. Going by today's rules, it would have been a technical decision for Pep, right?

 

:good

 

I dont know as much about Willie Pep`s career as I would like to. Saddler was perhaps his most famous win and a fight he showed great courage and desire but I dont know what his best win is in a pure boxing sense.

I heard it once said that fighting a prime Willie Pep was like trying to stomp out a brush fire.