Willie Pastrano

Wilfred Raleigh Pastrano (November 27, 1935 – December 6, 1997) was an American former professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1965. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and The Ring light heavyweight titles between 1963 and 1965.

Early life

Pastrano was born in New Orleans. Pastrano's best friend, Ralph Dupas started training in boxing at a local gym. Pastrano, who weighed over 250 pounds, decided to start working out with his friend.

As Willie lost weight, he realized two things. First, he loved boxing. Second, he hated getting hit. So, Pastrano developed a style of boxing in which he hardly got hit, and in return, tried not to hurt his opponent as well.

Pastrano was already married as a teenager, and by 1962, he and his wife Faye had five children: John (born 1955), Donna (1957), Frank (1959), Nicholas (1960), and Angelo (1962).

Pro career

Pastrano began his career at the age of 16. He fought many heavyweights and outpointed heavyweight contenders Rex Layne, Brian London, and Tom McNeeley.

Pastrano won the world light heavyweight championship when he outpointed the great Harold Johnson on a close 15-round decision. He successfully defended his crown by stopping Gregorio Peralta of Argentina on a TKO, and by coming back from a certain defeat on points to KO English challenger Terry Downes in 11 rounds in Manchester, England. Pastrano lost his crown when he was TKOed by José Torres in 10 rounds (the same fight where the ringside doctor asked if he knew where he was, leading to Pastrano's legendary line of "You're damn right I know where I am! I'm in Madison Square Garden getting the shit kicked out of me!"). In the Torres fight, Pastrano was knocked down for the only time in his career by a powerful left hook to the liver. Pastrano retired after that match and never fought again.

Managed by the legendary Angelo Dundee, Pastrano was a smooth, quick boxer with a great left hand. He was a stablemate of Cassius Clay and often sparred with the future champion early in Clay's career. His talent was dissipated by his aversion to training and a fondness for partying and carousing. His success was also limited by his lack of punching power, hence his record of only 14 knockout wins in his 84 fights. Nevertheless, he defeated most of the light heavyweight challengers of his generation. He also outpointed former light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim, and boxed a draw with the legendary Archie Moore. He retired with a record of 63 wins (14 by KO), 13 losses and 8 draws.

Perhaps in the high point of his career, Pastrano appeared on the cover of March 22, 1965, issue of Sports Illustrated with the caption reading "Light Heavyweight Willie Pastrano Ready to Defend His Title".

Life after boxing

After he retired from boxing, Pastrano became a spokesman for a local Miami, Florida milk company. On August 30, 1966, in the Milwaukee Sentinel, it was reported that Pastrano had been secretly training for a comeback, but an auto injury had sidelined it.

In 1967, Pastrano became the official host of the Presidential Steak House in Miami Beach, Florida.

However, urged on by his good friend, singer Steve Alaimo, Pastrano embarked on a film career which spanned from 1967 to 1971.

In 1964, Pastrano appeared on the Jackie Gleason Show. In the same interview, he claimed to have robbed to support his drug addiction.

He became a drifter. Owen Thomas helped him out in his time of need. He worked as a host in a restaurant in Reno, Nevada; a chip runner in Las Vegas, and a bouncer in a strip-club in Miami

Professional boxing record

{|class="wikitable mw-collapsibled" style="text-align:center"

!Result

!Record

!Opponent

!Type

!Round, time

!Date

!Location

!Notes

|83

|Loss

|align=left|José Torres

|TKO

|9 (15)<br />

|Mar 30, 1965

|align=left|

|82

|Win

|62–12–8

|align=left|Terry Downes

|TKO

|11 (15),

|Nov 30, 1964

|align=left|

|81

|Win

|61–12–8

|align=left|Gregorio Peralta

|TKO

|5 (15),

|Apr 10, 1964

|align=left|

|80

|Win

|60–12–8

|align=left|Mike Holt

|PTS

|10

|Nov 30, 1963

|align=left|

|79

|Loss

|59–12–8

|align=left|Gregorio Peralta

|UD

|10

|Sep 20, 1963

|align=left|

|78

|Win

|59–11–8

|align=left|Ollie Wilson

|UD

|10

|Aug 31, 1963

|align=left|

|77

|Win

|58–11–8

|align=left|Harold Johnson

|SD

|15

|Jun 1, 1963

|align=left|

|76

|Win

|57–11–8

|align=left|Wayne Thornton

|MD

|10

|May 4, 1963

|align=left|

|75

|Draw

|56–11–8

|align=left|Wayne Thornton

|MD

|10

|Mar 23, 1963

|align=left|

|74

|Loss

|56–11–7

|align=left|Wayne Thornton

|UD

|10

|Feb 9, 1963

|align=left|

|73

|Win

|56–10–7

|align=left|Rodolfo Diaz

|SD

|10

|Sep 8, 1962

|align=left|

|72

|Win

|55–10–7

|align=left|Billy Ryan

|UD

|10

|Jun 25, 1962

|align=left|

|71

|Draw

|54–10–7

|align=left|Archie Moore

|MD

|10

|May 28, 1962

|align=left|

|70

|Win

|54–10–6

|align=left|Tom McNeeley

|UD

|10

|May 1, 1962

|align=left|

|69

|Draw

|53–10–6

|align=left|Lennart Risberg

|PTS

|12

|Aug 6, 1961

|align=left|

|68

|Loss

|53–10–5

|align=left|Jesse Bowdry

|UD

|10

|Dec 27, 1960

|align=left|

|67

|Loss

|53–9–5

|align=left|Chic Calderwood

|PTS

|10

|Sep 16, 1960

|align=left|

|66

|Win

|53–8–5

|align=left|Sonny Ray

|UD

|10

|Jun 1, 1960

|align=left|

|65

|Win

|52–8–5

|align=left|Alonzo Johnson

|UD

|10

|May 6, 1960

|align=left|

|64

|Win

|51–8–5

|align=left|George Kartalian

|RTD

|6 (10)

|Apr 9, 1960

|align=left|

|63

|Win

|50–8–5

|align=left|Jerry Luedee

|UD

|10

|Jan 20, 1960

|align=left|

|62

|Win

|49–8–5

|align=left|Charley Pavlis

|UD

|10

|Dec 7, 1959

|align=left|

|61

|Win

|48–8–5

|align=left|Tom Davis

|TKO

|3 (10)

|Aug 20, 1959

|align=left|

|60

|Loss

|47–8–5

|align=left|Alonzo Johnson

|UD

|10

|Jul 24, 1959

|align=left|

|59

|Loss

|47–7–5

|align=left|Joe Erskine

|PTS

|10

|Feb 24, 1959

|align=left|

|58

|Loss

|47–6–5

|align=left|Brian London

|TKO

|5 (10)

|Sep 30, 1958

|align=left|

|57

|Win

|47–5–5

|align=left|Tommy Thompson

|KO

|4 (10),

|Aug 25, 1958

|align=left|

|56

|Win

|46–5–5

|align=left|Franco Cavicchi

|PTS

|10

|Jun 15, 1958

|align=left|

|55

|Win

|45–5–5

|align=left|Joe Bygraves

|PTS

|10

|Apr 21, 1958

|align=left|

|54

|Win

|44–5–5

|align=left|Brian London

|PTS

|10

|Feb 25, 1958

|align=left|

|53

|Win

|43–5–5

|align=left|Willi Besmanoff

|UD

|10

|Nov 27, 1957

|align=left|

|52

|Win

|42–5–5

|align=left|Dick Richardson

|PTS

|10

|Oct 22, 1957

|align=left|

|51

|Win

|41–5–5

|align=left|George Peyton

|TKO

|8 (10)

|Sep 10, 1957

|align=left|

|50

|Loss

|40–5–5

|align=left|Roy Harris

|UD

|10}

|Jun 11, 1957

|align=left|

|49

|Win

|40–4–5

|align=left|Neal Welch

|UD

|10

|May 14, 1957

|align=left|

|48

|Win

|39–4–5

|align=left|John Holman

|UD

|10

|Feb 20, 1957

|align=left|

|47

|Win

|38–4–5

|align=left|Charley Norkus

|UD

|10

|Dec 26, 1956

|align=left|

|46

|Win

|37–4–5

|align=left|Pat McMurtry

|UD

|10

|Aug 24, 1956

|align=left|

|45

|Win

|36–4–5

|align=left|Chuck Spieser

|SD

|10

|May 30, 1956

|align=left|

|44

|Win

|35–4–5

|align=left|Johnny Arthur

|UD

|10

|Apr 4, 1956

|align=left|

|43

|Draw

|34–4–5

|align=left|Chuck Spieser

|PTS

|10

|Jan 27, 1956

|align=left|

|42

|Win

|34–4–4

|align=left|Rex Layne

|UD

|10

|Dec 19, 1955

|align=left|

|41

|Win

|33–4–4

|align=left|Joey Rowan

|UD

|10

|Nov 18, 1955

|align=left|

|40

|Win

|32–4–4

|align=left|Paddy Young

|UD

|10

|Oct 3, 1955

|align=left|

|39

|Win

|31–4–4

|align=left|Chuck Spieser

|UD

|10

|Jul 27, 1955

|align=left|

|38

|Win

|30–4–4

|align=left|Joey Maxim

|UD

|10

|Jun 28, 1955

|align=left|

|37

|Draw

|29–4–4

|align=left|Willie Troy

|PTS

|10

|Apr 22, 1955

|align=left|

|36

|Win

|29–4–3

|align=left|Al Andrews

|UD

|10

|Mar 23, 1955

|align=left|

|35

|Win

|28–4–3

|align=left|Tony Johnson

|UD

|10

|Mar 1, 1955

|align=left|

|34

|Win

|27–4–3

|align=left|Bobby Dykes

|UD

|10

|Nov 23, 1954

|align=left|

|33

|Win

|26–4–3

|align=left|Jackie LaBua

|SD

|10

|Sep 14, 1954

|align=left|

|32

|Win

|25–4–3

|align=left|Jimmy Martinez

|PTS

|10

|Aug 24, 1954

|align=left|

|31

|Win

|24–4–3

|align=left|Tommy Bazzano

|TKO

|8 (10)

|Aug 9, 1954

|align=left|

|30

|Win

|23–4–3

|align=left|Tommy Hatcher

|KO

|1 (10)

|Jun 18, 1954

|align=left|

|29

|Win

|22–4–3

|align=left|Jacques Royer-Crecy

|UD

|10

|Apr 12, 1954

|align=left|

|28

|Win

|21–4–3

|align=left|Jimmy Martinez

|UD

|10

|Mar 29, 1954

|align=left|

|27

|Loss

|20–4–3

|align=left|Italo Scortichini

|SD

|10

|Nov 30, 1953

|align=left|

|26

|Win

|20–3–3

|align=left|Elmer Beltz

|MD

|Oct 5, 1953

|align=left|

|25

|Draw

|19–3–3

|align=left|Elmer Beltz

|PTS

|10

|Sep 22, 1953

|align=left|

|24

|Loss

|19–3–2

|align=left|Del Flanagan

|SD

|Jul 14, 1953

|align=left|

|23

|Loss

|19–2–2

|align=left|Johnny Cesario

|MD

|May 25, 1953

|align=left|

|22

|Win

|19–1–2

|align=left|Chato Hernandez

|UD

|Apr 6, 1953

|align=left|

|21

|Win

|18–1–2

|align=left|Roger Trevino

|UD

|Mar 16, 1953

|align=left|

|20

|Win

|17–1–2

|align=left|Chick Boucher

|TKO

|3 (10),

|Mar 3, 1953

|align=left|

|19

|Win

|16–1–2

|align=left|Emerson Butcher

|UD

|Feb 24, 1953

|align=left|

|18

|Win

|15–1–2

|align=left|Alfredo LaGrutta

|UD

|Jan 26, 1953

|align=left|

|17

|Draw

|14–1–2

|align=left|Alvin Pellegrini

|MD

|Dec 15, 1952

|align=left|

|16

|Win

|14–1–1

|align=left|Alvin Boudreaux

|TKO

|2 (6),

|Nov 24, 1952

|align=left|

|15

|Win

|13–1–1

|align=left|Alvin Pellegrini

|UD

|Nov 17, 1952

|align=left|

|14

|Win||12–1–1||align=left|Lonnie Rylant

|KO

|3 (6),

|Oct 14, 1952

|align=left|

|13

|Loss

|11–1–1

|align=left|Alvin Pellegrini

|PTS

|Oct 6, 1952

|align=left|

|12

|Win

|11–0–1

|align=left|Johnny Capitano

|PTS

|Sep 8, 1952

|align=left|

|11

|Win

|10–0–1

|align=left|Sonny Luciano

|PTS

|Aug 19, 1952

|align=left|

|10

|Win

|9–0–1

|align=left|Sonny Luciano

|PTS

|Aug 5, 1952

|align=left|

|Win

|8–0–1

|align=left|Jimmy Carter

|KO

|4 (6),

|Jul 28, 1952

|align=left|

|Win

|7–0–1

|align=left|Al McCoy

|KO

|2 (6)

|Jul 22, 1952

|align=left|

|Win

|6–0–1

|align=left|John Chaney

|PTS

|Jul 8, 1952

|align=left|

|Win

|5–0–1

|align=left|Buzz Brown

|KO

|2 (4),

|Jul 1, 1952

|align=left|

|Draw

|4–0–1

|align=left|Alvin Pellegrini

|PTS

|Apr 21, 1952

|align=left|

|Win

|4–0

|align=left|Alvin Boudreaux

|PTS

|Apr 1, 1952

|align=left|

|Win

|3–0

|align=left|Jimmy Conino

|PTS

|Oct 1, 1951

|align=left|

|Win

|2–0

|align=left|Frankie Speed

|PTS

|Sep 17, 1951

|align=left|

|Win

|1–0

|align=left|Domingo Rivera

|PTS

|Sep 10, 1951

|align=left|

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

WBA light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)
WBC light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

The Ring light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)

Undisputed titles

Undisputed light heavyweight champion

References

External links

Willie Pastrano - CBZ Profile

Early life

Pro career

Life after boxing

Professional boxing record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

The Ring magazine titles

Undisputed titles

See also

References

External links