Sandy Saddler vs Salvador Sanchez 126 Primes

Sanchez didn't live long enough to have a "prime", therefore a prime vs prime match cannot be envisioned, therefore this thread is null and void.

 

Head to head means against each other. It’s not that hard. They fought. Who knocked who out? Who made who quit?

I think Saddler (past his earliest days when he was weighing in at 116-119, so really a bantam) only ever lost twice at featherweight, right? He also beat a lot of ATGs himself, Joe Brown among them.

Fact is, Saddler’s three wins over Pep are greater than any three wins on Willie’s resume.

 

So Brown had only 22 fights under his belt?
Nelson had 14 when he fought Sanchez.
Be consistent FFS!

 

Terranova 129 1/2 (lightweight in those days), Saddler 125 (comfortably below the featherweight limit)

I overlooked Chico Rosa, both were under the featherweight limit when the Hawaiian won a close home-island decision in Honolulu. You are correct here.

Sierra was 130 to Saddler’s 125 3/4.

Pep won once and lost three. We know this of course.

And Saddler KTFO Elorde in a featherweight title fight when both made the weight. Elorde won a decision in a fight where both weighed above 129.

Saddler was one of the hardest puncher of all time. He also beat quality lightweights like Paddy DeMarco (and, yes, lost to him) and Brown (who was coming off a win over Jimmy Carter, which makes me think he was pretty decent by then — and Saddler drew with Carter, yet another top-notch lightweight). Just like Pep lost to Angott, and, later, to others above feather.

My belief and observation is that Saddler was a rough guy who wasn’t liked much by the opinion-makers of his day who wanted to discredit him because Pep was their boy. Both fought dirty when they faced each other, which is well-documented (after the last fight Pep was the one who had his license revoked, while Saddler’s was merely suspended), but you don’t read a lot about Pep’s dirty tactics. Wonder why that is?

My take is that Pep was suddenly damaged goods AFTER he lost to Saddler. Find me accounts going INTO the first fight with Saddler lamenting what a shell of himself Willie already was if you want to make a case. Not retro history after he lost.

 

Battle of the SS’s...

 

stunning scarily special slugfest

 

I think Salvador, with that chin of his, and his stunning transitions from counter offense to defensive movement, would be able to win a 15 round decision.

I believe he would lose to Pep, however.

 

Enough that contemporary newspapers of the era pointed it out.

I haven't seen enough pre crash Pep footage other than Walton, but based on that scant footage and reading an excellent biography on him by Brian Hughes, I'm going to speculate 5-10% ? Pep's upper body movement seemed to have diminished, much like Tyson's did after 1986. Is that enough to tip the scales in Pep's favor? Hard to say. But my own thoughts on the matter are that Pep was exhausted in fights #3 & #4, and more importantly mentally broken by the overwhelming pressure Saddler applied. I've watched those fights many times because I initially couldn't grasp why Pep tapped out twice while winning wide. The excuse for the 3rd fight was a wrenched shoulder I believe from Saddler's roughhousing in a clinch in round # 7, but Pep didn't seem to be visibly bothered by that in the round before quitting on his stool. These are just impressions, and I wasn't in the ring with the Ring Magazine's #5 puncher of all time, but this impression was reinforced after the 4th fight ended on Pep not leaving his stool.

The argument against what I've just written is that he won the 2nd fight in what is considered one of the master classes in boxing history by those who watched it. But even in winning that 2nd fight, Pep took damage and gave his all.

So my best guess is this. If there is no plane crash, Pep still gets knocked out in fight #1, wins fight #2, and in fight #3 & 4 his superior physical condition likely avoids some of the damage he took in the actual fights, and I think he has a good chance of going the distance in one of them to split the series which would probably result in a 5th fight.

I discussed these fights with Pep 30 years ago, and he had nothing but praise for Saddler. I wish I knew then what I know how so I would have asked him some of these questions.