- Paul Pender
Paul Pender (
June 20 ,1930 –January 12 ,2003 ) was an Americanmiddleweight boxer.Early life
He was born in
Brookline, Massachusetts , the son of William and Anna (Liecester) Pender. A 1949 graduate ofBrookline 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 aBrookline 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 ofSugar Ray Robinson as middleweight champion.Gene Fullmer andCarmen Basilio fought for the vacant NBA title, and Fullmer won. Pender beat Robinson 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 nine rounds. He won the first and the third bout, but the last would prove to be the only fight of that year for Pender. TheNew York Boxing Commission stripped Pender of his title for not defending it againstDick Tiger . Pender sued and won on appeal.His career was hampered by his brittle hands. He retired
May 7 ,1963 as world middleweight champion, having never lost his title.His career record was 40 wins (20 by KO), 6 losses, and 2 draws.
Life after boxing
He died in
Bedford, Massachusetts on January 12, 2003, at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital [http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/Paul_Pender] .External links
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