BoxRec

Throughout Willie Pep's professional boxing career, he fought Sandy Saddler 4 times. Willie lost 3 times to Sandy. But, when Pep fought Saddler, Willie was older and way more battle worn. Also, prior to Pep's first fight with Sandy, Willie had been in a plane crash, miraculously survived.


Had Pep been younger, less battle worn, in his prime, not been in a plane crash, and fought Saddler 4 times. ---------------

Do you think that Willie would have beaten Sandy 4 times? Or, was Saddler's height, reach, punching power, & boxing style always going to be very problematic for Pep?



Who would have won? Why?


Please explain.

Pep would have won every Saddler fight... He lamented the plane crash not only because it killed several people and knocked him out for hours -- and left him in a complete body cast for 5 months -- it also severely damaged some internal organs and left one leg a little shorter than the other one. But the worst thing is it took away his chin. You need a chin in Boxing whether you're a brilliant defender or not. EVERYONE gets hit. Every pitcher gives up runs, just not as many.

I remember an interview he did in the 60’s and this isn't verbatim, but the gist.

"I could never take a punch after the plane crash. In 110 fights nobody ever hurt me. I didn't think anyone ever could. After the crash light punches hurt me. Just before the crash I was coming into my own as a puncher. I was punching better and harder than ever and sitting down on my shots.. I got Chalky out early and a bunch of other guys I would never have tried to KO when I had 70 fights. I was on top of the world cuz I never aspired to knock people out. All I wanted was to outsmart opponents, make them miss, counter them silly, and slip away like a ghost. Suddenly I was knocking people out. I was getting stronger and seeing everything sharper.

After the crash and rehabilitation I was done. I traded 3 shots and I was out on my feet. My opponents didn’t know it. All they had to do was push me over because I couldn’t feel my legs. It was a miracle I won some of those fights -- sheer willpower. I would have quit but boxing was the only thing I ever wanted to do. I was terrible at everything else. I had a lot of medical bills. I was flat busted and in debt up to my eyebrows.”

Kalan wrote:Pep would have won every Saddler fight... He lamented the plane crash not only because it killed several people and knocked him out for hours -- and left him in a complete body cast for 5 months -- it also severely damaged some internal organs and left one leg a little shorter than the other one. But the worst thing is it took away his chin. You need a chin in Boxing whether you're a brilliant defender or not. EVERYONE gets hit. Every pitcher gives up runs, just not as many.

I remember an interview he did in the 60’s and this isn't verbatim, but the gist.

"I could never take a punch after the plane crash. In 110 fights nobody ever hurt me. I didn't think anyone ever could. After the crash light punches hurt me. Just before the crash I was coming into my own as a puncher. I was punching better and harder than ever and sitting down on my shots.. I got Chalky out early and a bunch of other guys I would never have tried to KO when I had 70 fights. I was on top of the world cuz I never aspired to knock people out. All I wanted was to outsmart opponents, make them miss, counter them silly, and slip away like a ghost. Suddenly I was knocking people out. I was getting stronger and seeing everything sharper.

After the crash and rehabilitation I was done. I traded 3 shots and I was out on my feet. My opponents didn’t know it. All they had to do was push me over because I couldn’t feel my legs. It was a miracle I won some of those fights -- sheer willpower. I would have quit but boxing was the only thing I ever wanted to do. I was terrible at everything else. I had a lot of medical bills. I was flat busted and in debt up to my eyebrows.”

This Times article suggests that Pep's injuries were 'not serious.' Of course back trouble (especially back then) could be a life long aliment - but the Times report doesn't suggest anything like a body case; the Times chose not to include him with the 'serious injured.' - The crash took place sometime in the first week of January '47 - he fought gain on July 17th which seems to suggest something more happened, but not body case level.

That gives a false impression.. For the purposes of an immediate story, they're not going to know all the injuries everybody gets or how serious those injuries are. It's says nothing of a concussion, broken back, broken vertebrae, or the body cast Pep was in for 5 months.

Here's just a little bit about the real story behind Pep's convalescence.

http://www.thesportsfanjournal.com/spor ... s-history/

Quoting Pep and the story... “ “I woke up on my stomach. People were moaning and groaning. The plane was ripped to shreds. My back was killing me.”

The back pain was undoubtedly the result of his two broken vertebrae. That pain masked the compound fracture in this left leg and his severe chest injuries. The doctors didn’t think he’d walk again, much less fight. Pep spent five months in a leg and a body cast.”