ABOUT 10 years ago, Sandy Saddler was mugged and robbed in lower Manhattan. Saddler is one of the greatest champions in boxing history. He was twice featherweight champion, beating Willie Pep in three of four classic mid-century matchups. But by the time he was mugged, Saddler was legally blind in his right eye, needed cataract surgery on the left and was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The old champ was easy prey for the young thugs he would have put in the emergency room in his prime. The punks knocked off Saddler’s glasses, cut off his pants with a box-cutter, took his money and stomped him. Cops found him wandering the streets, half-naked, without any identification. When the cops asked what happened, all he could say, “I was featherweight champion of the world. I’m Sandy Saddler.” The police found his pants in a nearby garbage can. In his pocket there was a business card from Ring 8, the New York chapter of the Veteran Boxers Association. So that’s whom they called. Ring 8’s charitable credo on its business card says: “Boxers helping boxers.” Ring 8 salvaged Sandy Saddler from the brink of homelessness. He was living in a filthy Harlem apartment with no electricity.
A sad story, but at least a little good news at the end. Unfortunately, way too many stories like this in our sport.
Wtf man, thats depressing asf. While today's climate of boxing can be frustrating, its good to see that fighters can make a good amount of income, with fewer fights and in generally safer conditions **** those kids
Saddler is a tiny guy they were probably just some big teens that probably saw him as an easy mark to get some "cred" I would have rushed over the street to shake his hand and escort him home if we had crossed paths! brilliant fighter. I hope those kids get what's coming to them.
C Could not agree more. They sacrifice so much for so little I despised the fact it took so long for Sandy to enter the HOF. At the time of this article Sandy was one year away from passing he was saved at the very last moment...
I remember hearing about this from Jimmy Carter back in the early 90’s. The actual attack happened in 1989. Those punks were very lucky that Saddler was suffering from dementia for years at the time, since even in his 60’s had Saddler been healthy they wouldn’t have had such an easy time mugging him like they did.
