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Report: Hall of Fame featherweight Pep dies at 84ESPN.com news services
Willie Pep, a Hall of Fame boxer and featherweight titlist, died Thursday at age 84, according to a report in the Hartford Courant.
Little Big Men: Willie Pep
The man who scissored his given name of "Papaleo" into the pallindromic "Pep" was boxing's version of the three-card monte player: Now you see him, now you don't.
• ESPN Classic: Willie Pep
William P. Papaleo, Pep's grandson, told the newspaper Pep died at West Hill Convalescent Home in Rocky Hill, Conn.
The former boxer reportedly had been in failing health and had advanced Alzheimer's disease.
Pep, who was born Guglielmo Papaleo on Sept. 19, 1922, in Middletown, Conn., was nicknamed "Will o' the Wisp" for his elusive fighting style. He won his first 63 professional fights and became the featherweight champion in 1942 when he won a 15-round decision against Chalky Wright in New York. Pep lost the title to Sandy Saddler in 1948 before regaining it with a victory over Saddler the next year. In all, Pep and Saddler fought four times, with Saddler taking the belt from Pep once again in 1950.
Pep was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 as part of the Hall's first class. He had a career record of 230-11-1, with 65 knockouts.
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