Willie Pep - Best BOXER Of All Time !

Pep was great indeed, though i've always thought the winning a round without throwing a punch thing was just laughable in every respect.

One of the lamest of all boxing stories.

 

A lot of what you said was false, but yeah Pep was definitely among the best pure boxers of all time.

 

He's up there, right behind Whitaker.

 

http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/4690/artistry-willie-pep/

Indeed, he was not a bum. In fact, for years legend had it that Pep actually won a round without throwing a single punch. That myth was debunked when a member of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) researched Pep’s fight against Jackie Graves in 1946.


http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/w0403-jw.html

Jake Wegner: Willie says that in your fight, he won the third round without ever throwing a punch. Is that true? Do you remember? I don’t remember. It seems like that would be a very hard thing to do, but maybe it happened. A lot of times I can’t remember things anymore…I guess I would say that it probably did happen.

Jake Wegner: And why would you say that Jackie?

JG: Because I remember that it was really hard to hit him during that fight. The times that I did, I hit him pretty hard I think. But I do remember feeling confused and frustrated during the fight. I remember feeling embarrassed because I was fighting here in Minnesota with all my friends and family watching, and I felt foolish missing on my punches so much, and with so many watching.



Jackie Graves went on to have a stellar professional career, competing in the most talent-rich Featherweight era of all time, compiling a respectable 82-11-2 (48) record. He met the great Willie Pep in a non-title bout in 1946, twice knocking down the Featherweight King before succumbing to the Wisp’s assault, via TKO in the 8th. This was the legendary fight in which Pep allegedly won the third round without throwing a single punch. And until now, 99% of the boxing community has believed it. Including yours truly. But right after doing the Graves interview, I did something no one else has done up to this point…I read the newspaper’s round-by-round fight description by Joe Hennessy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press from the day after the fight (7-26-46). And guess what? Not only is there no mention at all in the entire sports section about the famous feat in the third round, but the exact opposite seems to have occurred. According to Hennessy, who sat ringside to report on the fight, this is what happened in the third round. “Graves pounded a left to the stomach that made Pep wince in the third. They mixed wildly. A clicker couldn’t count the blows. Pep punched Jack into the ropes as the most even round of the evening ended”. Not only is there no mention that Pep didn’t throw a punch, there is also no mention of defensive wizardry, no feints, no slips, no hiding behind the referee, no nothing!
In fact, Hennessy says that this was one of most fiercely fought rounds of the fight. “A clicker could not count the blows”, he said. And he specifically makes mention that it was Pep who, “punched Jack into the ropes as the most even round of the evening ended.” Still don’t believe it? I thought some may not. So I have provided below a scanned microfilm of the round by round by Hennessy. What makes this more interesting though, is the fact that the Pioneer Press is the newspaper that the well-known sports writer, Don Riley wrote for. Don Riley is the one most commonly credited for saying that Pep told him before the fight that he would not throw a punch in the third. But yet, no mention of a punchless Pep in the third round even by Riley himself. Pep himself after the fight says in Riley’s small piece on the fight that it took in four rounds to figure out Graves’ style.

 

Willie pep is underated offensivley, and extremley talented combination puncher. what pep accomplished after surviving a plane crash with a broken back is remarkable itself.

 

The only thing pep's behind whitaker in is most lines blowed in one day.

 

Most of the people that have seen both Whitaker and Pep fight in their primes agree that Pep is the better boxer.

I've seen pretty much all there is to see of Pep on film and he does not look a better boxer than Whitaker. I can never understand people that try and make out a case that the post plane crash Pep that we see on film looks a better fighter than Whitaker. It's plain bull****.

 

He clearly looks on a special fighter(a bit like BUrley wiht the limited footage of him does).

But technically i don't really see anything that puts him above most of the other fighters i consider great defensively.Call me cynical, but i do tend to think that if some good prime footage of Pep surgaced where he happened to look identical to what Canto, Zapata, Whitaker or whoever did against random opponent Z. then you would get a certain contingent making "greatest boxing exhibition of all time " type claims...old school moves forgotten in the mists of time etc etc.

Obviously he will look better in his prime, but what sets him apart for me is his accomplishments with those skills.HE simply had a great, great career.

 

If Whitaker happened to be around in the 40's and 50's the his stock would rise. Even if he still only had 40+ fights with the same opponents on his record.

Some people just come to the conclusion Pep was better because he happened to be around boxing 50-60 years ago.

Even though Pep had over 200 fights his resume isn't better than Whitaker's although it's arguable.

 

And in the ability to not get ko'ed, quit or throw fights :good

 

We haven't seen Pep in his prime or the level of many of his opponents so we can't really say definitively but there could be some truth to what you say.

 

How do you assess his career accomplishments in comparison to Whitaker's? Assume (as I think you believe) he beat DLH. Does Pep still have the better career?

 

Willie Pep was the best pure boxer ever and he still had power but he was a master in the ring, head and shoulders over the rest. he was 62-0 before his 1st loss a close decision to Sammy Angott (Angotti) then went to 134-1-1- before losing to Sadler but beat Sadler in the rematch. His fights vs Sadler were gruiling and dirty but Pep still went on to have a final 229-11-1 record one of the best ever in boxing...Sugar Ray, Archie Moore had that type of steady longevity in boxing...Ray could be a devastating puncher and Moore was a slick fighter with a devastating punch but Pep was the master boxer # 1