Willie Pastrano

Willie Pastrano
Statistics
Real name Wilfred Raleigh Pastrano
Rated at Light heavyweight
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Nationality American
Born (1935-11-27)November 27, 1935
New Orleans, Louisiana,
United States
Died December 6, 1997(1997-12-06) (aged 62)
New Orleans, Louisiana,
United States
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 83
Wins 62
Wins by KO 14
Losses 13
Draws 8

Wilfred Raleigh Pastrano (November 27, 1935 – December 6, 1997) was a professional boxer who held the world light heavyweight crown from 1963 until 1965. He is the grandfather of New Orleans rapper Mr. Pastrano.

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.

The talented 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.[1]

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 1967–1971.[2]

In 1964, Pastrano appeared on the Jackie Gleason Show.[2]

Pastrano's best regarded acting role was in the "B" motorcycle gang film, The Wild Rebels, which starred Steve Alaimo.

Pastrano said in a 1980 interview he was a heroin addict from 1966–1969.[3] 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[3]

His well-documented party life-style led to health problems, and Pastrano's film career ended. While living in Las Vegas in the early 1970s, he claimed to be training for a comeback when interviewed for the book, In This Corner.

Pastrano was reported to be boxing in Puerto Rico in 1972, but a fighter was using a name similar to the former champion, Willie Pastrana. Pastrano never made a comeback.

In 1980, Pastrano was the manager for pro-boxer, Chubby Johnson in New Orleans.[3]

After many years of failing health, Pastrano died of liver cancer on December 9, 1997 at the age of 62.[4]

Professional boxing record

62 Wins (14 knockouts), 13 Losses (2 knockouts), 8 Draws[5]
Res. Record Opponent Type Round
Time		 Date Location Notes
Loss62–13–8Puerto Rico José Torres TKO 9 (15)
3:00		 1965–03–30 United States Madison Square Garden,
New York City		 Lost WBA, WBC and Lineal Light heavyweight titles.
Win62–12–8England Terry Downes TKO 11 (15)
1:17		 1964–11–30 England Kings Hall,
Manchester, North West England		 Retained WBA, WBC and Lineal Light heavyweight titles.
Win61–12–8Argentina Gregorio Peralta TKO 5 (15)
3:00		 1964–04–10 United States Municipal Auditorium,
New Orleans, Louisiana		 Retained WBA, WBC and Lineal Light heavyweight titles.
Win60–12–8South Africa Mike Holt PTS 10 1963–11–30 South Africa Rand Stadium,
Johannesburg, Gauteng		 Non-title fight.
Loss59–12–8Argentina Gregorio Peralta UD 10 1963–09–20 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida		 Non-title fight.
Win59–11–8United States Ollie Wilson UD 10 1963–08–31 United States Jacksonville Coliseum,
Jacksonville, Florida		 Non-title fight.
Win58–11–8United States Harold Johnson SD 15 1963–06–01 United States Las Vegas Convention Center,
Paradise, Nevada		 Won WBA, WBC and Lineal Light heavyweight titles.
Win57–11–8United States Wayne Thornton MD 10 1963–05–04 United States Las Vegas Convention Center,
Paradise, Nevada
Draw56–11–8United States Wayne Thornton MD 10 1963–03–23 United States Madison Square Garden,
New York City
Loss56–11–7United States Wayne Thornton UD 10 1963–02–09 United States Madison Square Garden,
New York City
Win56–10–7Argentina Rodolfo Diaz SD 10 1962–09–08 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win55–10–7United States Billy Ryan UD 10 1962–06–25 United States Municipal Auditorium,
New Orleans, Louisiana
Draw54–10–7United States Archie Moore MD 10 1962–05–28 United States Los Angeles Sports Arena,
Los Angeles
Win54–10–6United States Tom McNeeley UD 10 1962–05–01 United States Boston Arena,
Boston
Draw53–10–6Sweden Lennart Risberg PTS 12 1961–08–06 Sweden Stockholm Olympic Stadium,
Stockholm, Södermanland
Loss53–10–5United States Jesse Bowdry UD 10 1960–12–27 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Loss53–9–5Scotland Chic Calderwood PTS 10 1960–09–16 Scotland Kelvin Hall, Glasgow
Win53–8–5United States Sonny Ray UD 10 1960–06–01 United States Chicago Stadium,
Chicago, Illinois
Win52–8–5United States Alonzo Johnson UD 10 1960–05–06 United States Fairgrounds Coliseum,
Louisville, Kentucky
Win51–8–5United States George Kartalian RTD 6 (10) 1960–04–09 United States Bell Auditorium,
Augusta, Georgia
Win50–8–5United States Jerry Luedee UD 10 1960–01–20 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win49–8–5Canada Charley Pavlis UD 10 1959–12–07 United States Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory,
Tampa, Florida
Win48–8–5United States Tom Davis TKO 3 (10) 1959–08–20 United States Knoxville, Tennessee
Loss47–8–5United States Alonzo Johnson UD 10 1959–07–24 United States Freedom Hall State Fairground,
Louisville, Kentucky
Loss47–7–5Wales Joe Erskine PTS 10 1959–02–24 England Wembley Stadium,
London
Loss47–6–5England Brian London TKO 5 (10) 1958–09–30 England Harringay Arena,
London
Win47–5–5United States Tommy Thompson KO 4 (10)
2:31		 1958–08–25 United States City Auditorium,
Columbus, Georgia
Win46–5–5Italy Franco Cavicchi PTS 10 1958–06–15 Italy Sports Palace,
Bologna
Win45–5–5Jamaica Joe Bygraves PTS 10 1958–04–21 England Granby Halls,
Leicester
Win44–5–5England Brian London PTS 10 1958–02–25 England Harringay Arena,
London
Win43–5–5Germany Willi Besmanoff UD 10 1957–11–27 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win42–5–5Wales Dick Richardson PTS 10 1957–10–22 England Harringay Arena,
London
Win41–5–5United States George Peyton TKO 8 (10) 1957–09–10 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Loss40–5–5United States Roy Harris UD 10 1957–06–11 United States Houston
Win40–4–5United States Neal Welch UD 10 1957–05–14 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win39–4–5United States John Holman UD 10 1957–02–20 United States State Fairgrounds,
Louisville, Kentucky
Win38–4–5United States Charley Norkus UD 10 1956–12–26 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win37–4–5United States Pat McMurtry UD 10 1956–08–24 United States Lincoln Bowl,
Tacoma, Washington
Win36–4–5United States Chuck Spieser SD 10 1956–05–30 United States Municipal Auditorium,
New Orleans
Win35–4–5South Africa Johnny Arthur UD 10 1956–04–04 United States Municipal Auditorium,
New Orleans
Draw34–4–5United States Chuck Spieser PTS 10 1956–01–27 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win34–4–4United States Rex Layne UD 10 1955–12–19 United States Municipal Auditorium,
New Orleans
Win33–4–4United States Joey Rowan UD 10 1955–11–18 United States Madison Square Garden,
New York City
Win32–4–4United States Paddy Young UD 10 1955–10–03 United States Municipal Auditorium,
New Orleans
Win31–4–4United States Chuck Spieser UD 10 1955–07–27 United States Chicago Stadium,
Chicago
Win30–4–4United States Joey Maxim UD 10 1955–06–28 United States Municipal Auditorium,
New Orleans
Draw29–4–4United States Willie Troy PTS 10 1955–04–22 United States Chicago Stadium,
Chicago
Win29–4–3United States Al Andrews UD 10 1955–03–23 United States Chicago Stadium,
Chicago
Win28–4–3United States Tony Johnson UD 10 1955–03–01 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win27–4–3United States Bobby Dykes UD 10 1954–11–23 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win26–4–3United States Jackie LaBua SD 10 1954–09–14 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win25–4–3United States Jimmy Martinez PTS 10 1954–08–24 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win24–4–3United States Tommy Bazzano TKO 8 (10) 1954–08–09 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win23–4–3United States Tommy Hatcher KO 1 (10) 1954–06–18 United States Abba Temple Auditorium,
Mobile, Alabama
Win22–4–3France Jacques Royer-Crecy UD 10 1954–04–12 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win21–4–3United States Jimmy Martinez UD 10 1954–03–29 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Loss20–4–3Italy Italo Scortichini SD 10 1953–11–30 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win20–3–3United States Elmer Beltz MD 8 1953–10–05 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Draw19–3–3United States Elmer Beltz PTS 10 1953–09–22 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Loss19–3–2United States Del Flanagan SD 8 1953–07–14 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Loss19–2–2United States Johnny Cesario MD 8 1953–05–25 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win19–1–2Mexico Chato Hernandez UD 8 1953–04–06 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win18–1–2United States Roger Trevino UD 8 1953–03–16 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win17–1–2United States Chick Boucher TKO 3 (10)
1:08		 1953–03–03 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win16–1–2United States Emerson Butcher UD 8 1953–02–24 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win15–1–2Italy Alfredo LaGrutta UD 8 1953–01–26 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Draw14–1–2United States Alvin Pellegrini MD 8 1952–12–15 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win14–1–1United States Alvin Boudreaux TKO 2 (6)
1:59		 1952–11–24 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win13–1–1United States Alvin Pellegrini UD 6 1952–11–17 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win12–1–1United States Lonnie Rylant KO 3 (6)
1:44		 1952–10–14 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Loss11–1–1United States Alvin Pellegrini PTS 6 1952–10–06 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win11–0–1United States Johnny Capitano PTS 6 1952–09–08 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win10–0–1United States Sonny Luciano PTS 8 1952–08–19 United States Miami Beach, Florida
Win9–0–1United States Sonny Luciano PTS 8 1952–08–05 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win8–0–1United States Jimmy Carter KO 4 (6)
1:00		 1952–07–28 United States Sports Palace,
Pensacola, Florida
Win7–0–1United States Al McCoy KO 2 (6) 1952–07–22 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win6–0–1United States John Chaney PTS 6 1952–07–08 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Win5–0–1United States Buzz Brown KO 2 (4)
2:56		 1952–07–01 United States Miami Beach Auditorium,
Miami Beach, Florida
Draw4–0–1United States Alvin Pellegrini PTS 4 1952–04–21 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win4–0United States Alvin Boudreaux PTS 4 1952–04–01 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win3–0United States Jimmy Conino PTS 4 1951–10–01 United States Coliseum Arena,
New Orleans
Win2–0United States Frankie Speed PTS 4 1951–09–17 United States Municipal Auditorium,
New Orleans
Win1–0Puerto Rico Domingo Rivera PTS 4 1951–09–10 United States Municipal Auditorium,
New Orleans

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UYtRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tRAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7148,6091873&dq=willie+pastrano+1968&hl=en
  2. 1 2 http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665157/
  3. 1 2 3 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=amwaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wSsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6084,5704387&dq=willie+pastrano+1969&hl=en
  4. ↑ Willie Pastrano, 62, Boxing Champ in 1960's
  5. ↑ "Willie Pastrano boxing record". BoxRec.com.
Achievements
Preceded by
Harold Johnson		 World Light Heavyweight Champion
1 Jun 1963 – 30 Mar 1965 		Succeeded by
José Torres
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