Paul Pender
Encyclopedia
Paul Pender was an American middleweight
boxer
.
, the son of William and Anna (Liecester) Pender. A 1949 graduate of Brookline High School
, Pender was recruited as an all American football player at Michigan State University and Penn State, but chose instead to enter professional boxing, while attending Staley college. Although a champion, he regarded boxing as his second job and being a Brookline Fire Fighter his first. As an amateur, he won the New England welterweight championship.
as middleweight champion. Gene Fullmer
and Carmen Basilio
fought for the vacant NBA title, and Fullmer won. Pender beat Robinson for the disputed middleweight championship.
He fought a set of three matches against English boxer Terry Downes
, of which only the third (on April 7, 1962) went the full distance. He won the first and the third bout, but the last would prove to be the only fight of that year for Pender and the last of his career. The New York Boxing Commission stripped Pender of his title for not defending it against Dick Tiger
. Pender sued and won on appeal.
His career was hampered by his brittle hands. He retired May 7, 1963 as the current world middleweight champion.
His career record was 40 wins (20 by KO), 6 losses, and 2 draws.
on January 12, 2003, at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/Paul_Pender.
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
.
Early life
He was born in Brookline, MassachusettsBrookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, the son of William and Anna (Liecester) Pender. A 1949 graduate of Brookline High School
Brookline High School
Brookline High School is a four-year public high school in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts, in the United States.As of the 2007-08 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,826 students and 136 teachers , for a student-teacher ratio of 13.4 to 1 teacher.-Education:Almost every senior in...
, Pender was recruited as an all American football player at Michigan State University and Penn State, but chose instead to enter professional boxing, while attending Staley college. Although a champion, he regarded boxing as his second job and being a Brookline Fire Fighter his first. As an amateur, he won the New England welterweight championship.
Pro career
In 1959, the National Boxing Association withdrew its recognition of Sugar Ray RobinsonSugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
as middleweight champion. Gene Fullmer
Gene Fullmer
Gene Fullmer is a former American middleweight boxer and world champion.-Professional career:Fullmer began his professional career in 1951 and won his first 29 fights, 19 by knockout...
and Carmen Basilio
Carmen Basilio
Carmine Basilio better known in the boxing world as Carmen Basilio, is an American former professional boxer who was a two weight world boxing champion...
fought for the vacant NBA title, and Fullmer won. Pender beat Robinson for the disputed middleweight championship.
He fought a set of three matches against English boxer Terry Downes
Terry Downes
Terry Downes is a retired British middleweight boxer. He was nicknamed the "Paddington Express" for his aggressive fighting style. As of 2008, Downes was Britain’s oldest surviving former world champion...
, of which only the third (on April 7, 1962) went the full distance. He won the first and the third bout, but the last would prove to be the only fight of that year for Pender and the last of his career. The New York Boxing Commission stripped Pender of his title for not defending it against Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger CBE was a boxer from Ubahu village, Amaigbo, Nigeria, who emigrated to Liverpool and later to the United States of America. Tiger was a member of the Igbo ethnic group...
. Pender sued and won on appeal.
His career was hampered by his brittle hands. He retired May 7, 1963 as the current world middleweight champion.
His career record was 40 wins (20 by KO), 6 losses, and 2 draws.
Death
He died in Bedford, MassachusettsBedford, Massachusetts
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 13,320 at the 2010 census.- History :...
on January 12, 2003, at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/Paul_Pender.