Tommy Collins vs. Willie Pep

Willie Pep 127 lbs lost to Tommy Collins 131 lbs by TKO at 0:55 in round 6 of 10

• Date: 1952-06-30
• Location: Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Referee: Joe Zapustas

Notes

• There was a crowd of 6,590. [1]
• In a photo published around the world, Collins sat in the ring and wept after knocking out Pep, thinking he had severely hurt Pep after catching him with a vicious left hook. [2]
• Pep was accused of throwing this fight. [3]
• The Associated Press reported:

Hard-punching Tommy Collins of Boston took a boxing lesson from Willie Pep for three rounds and then gained a six-round technical knockout verdict over the former featherweight champion in their scheduled 10-round feature boxing bout tonight at the Boston Garden. Collins weighed 130½ to the Hartford, Conn., veteran's 126¾. The actual end for Pep, however, came very late in the fifth round after he had lashed Collins' head with a series of lefts and rights. As Pep stepped back to see what damage he had done, Collins dropped him with a terrific left flush to the jaw. Referee Joe Zapustas managed to count seven before the bell clanged to end the round. It took two of Pep's handlers to lift him bodily to his corner. After much frantic relief work, Pep was still wobbly when he came out for the sixth. The former champion was unable to lift his arms as Collins belted him about the head with a merciless two-fisted attack. After 55 seconds of such one-sided action, the referee intervened to deny Collins a clearcut knockout triumph. [4]