SANDY SADDLER 1926-2001
By Tony Nobbs
22.10.01 - Boxing lost one its
greatest ever warriors this week when Hall of
Fame Former Featherweight Champion Sandy Saddler
died peacefully in his sleep at a New York nursing
home where he had stayed after a cowardly attack
by a gang of thugs several years ago. He was
75.
The son of West Indian immigrants
Joseph 'Sandy' Saddler was born in Boston, Mass.
on June 23 1926. Saddler was widely underated
despite being a 2 time Featherweight Champion,
his reigns spanning 9 years, holding a 3-1 advantage
over fellow all time great Willie Pep and being
one of the toughest, meanest and most devastating
pound for pound punchers the game has seen,
scoring 103 knockouts and amassing a 144-16-3
record in a 12 year career. Because of the savagery
of his 4th foul-infested war with Pep their
names will be linked forever but Saddler also
had many other notable victims on his list.
He dismantled Old Bones Brown in 3 rounds,drew
with Jimmy Carter, Brown and Carter were Lightweight
Champions. He defeated 'Red Top' Davis, Lauro
Salas and Ray Famechon whose nephew Johnny won
the Featherweight Crown in 1969. Sandy also
won the Junior Lightweight Title from the tough
Orlando Zul;ueta in '49. It was at that weight
he beat Gabriel Flash Elorde.
Sandy Saddler was your typical
old school pro coming up through the hard slog,
dropping the odd decision in the early days
,using it as a learning experience,in his second
fight last inside the distance to Jock Leslie.
As well as being a brutal puncher he could box
clean and fight dirty when necessary. Alexis
Arguello and Eusebio Pedroza rolled into one!He
stood 5'8 and a half but was more comfortable
in the trenches where he could use his large
book of tricks,most invented during hids days
on the way up.He tuned pro in 1944 and captured
the 126 lb Belt for the first time in the first
Pep fight in 1948 ,ko 4 ,putting Will o the
wisp down 3 times.At the time Pep
was 135-1 ,Sandy had a slate of 84-6-2. 92 fights
in 4 years!. Most of todays stars don't even
have 92 fights in their lives.He lost it in
a rematch to Pep by decision then got it back
in 8 rds in '50 and retained it in 10in the
4th and final meeting between the pair on Sept.26
1951, a fight that goes down as histories dirtiest.
Although he had Willie's measure, Pep is generally
regarded as the greater fighter as most
regarded Pep as pas his best when Saddler came
along.He had injured his back in a plane crash
and was the ancient age of 26! Sadly Willie
who turned 79
on Wednesday is also dangerously ill.
In 1956 while still Champion
his eyesight was severely damaged in a traffic
accident and he was forced into retirement while
still in his prime.When Sandy fought the lower
weight fighters never got the huge purse they
do today and he began working as a trainer-manager.In
the early '70s he helped his cousin Dick Saddler
and former Lt.Heaveyweight great,the ol Mongoose,
Archie Moore steer young George Foreman to the
Heaveyweight Throne. Sandy Saddler was inducted
into Canastota in 1990.
