Lulu Perez vs. Willie Pep

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The first of three knockdowns Pep suffered in the second round.

Willie Pep 127 lbs lost to Lulu Perez 127 lbs by TKO at 1:53 in round 2 of 10

  • Date: 1954-02-26
  • Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
  • Referee: Al Berl

Notes

  • The gate was $32,808. Pep collected about $11,000 and Perez $9,000.
  • Pep entered the fight ranked as the No. 1 featherweight contender, and Perez was ranked fourth among the 126-pounders.
  • Pep was 31 years old and Perez was 20.
  • This was Pep's 190th professional fight.
  • Perez was a 6-5 favorite on the afternoon of the fight. However, just before the start of the fight, some bookmakers had Perez as a 3½-1 favorite and some had taken the fight "off the boards," meaning no more bets were taken.
  • Perez floored Pep three times in the second round and won on the three-knockdown rule.
  • After the fight, Dr. Vincent Nardiello, the New York State Athletic Commission physician, said, "Willie can't take a punch anymore. I won't pass him in a physical."
  • Pep was suspended indefinitely by the New York State Athletic Commission after the fight. Dr. Ira McCown, medical director of the commission, said he and Dr. Mal Stevens, head of the medical advisory board to the commission, recommended the suspension because Pep's actions in the Perez fight showed "Pep was unable to defend himself and his reflexes had slowed perceptibly." Massachusetts and the National Boxing Association concurred in the suspension. In February 1955, the NBA lifted the suspension after physicians in Boston found Pep fit to resume boxing. Pep would fight 51 times after losing to Perez, but he would never again box in New York.
  • It has been alleged that Pep took a dive against Perez. Boxing historian Bert Sugar said of the fight: "It just smelled."
  • A July 1980 Inside Sports magazine article by writer Paul Good alleged that a boxer, identified as "The Champ," threw a fight against Lulu Perez in 1954 for $16,000. The article was titled "The Fix." Good wrote: "The story, I believe, is true all the way. You could guess who 'The Champ' is, pull out some old clippings, read about a certain fight and confirm it. I won't name him because it could cost him his job." Pep's lawyer, Norman Ebenstein, said: "You cannot be of Wilie's generation and mine and not read that article and immediately say, 'Hey, that's Willie Pep.' For those who know boxing, there is no other person in the world who fits that description." Pep, who vehemently denied that he threw the fight, filed a $75 million libel suit against Good and Newsweek Inc., which owned Inside Sports. After a two-week trial in February 1984, the jury deliberated for just 15 minutes and ruled against Pep.

External Links

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