Willie Pastrano

Wilfred Raleigh Pastrano (November 27, 1935 – December 6, 1997) was an American professional boxer who held the unified world light heavyweight titles (WBA, WBC, The Ring) from 1963 until 1965, defending his titles three times before losing them to José Torres. He is the grandfather of New Orleans rapper Mr. Pastrano^{[citation needed]}.

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 to 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 to 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[]

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
83	Loss	62–13–8	José Torres	TKO	9 (15) 3:00	1965–03–30	Madison Square Garden, New York City	Lost WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal light heavyweight titles
82	Win	62–12–8	Terry Downes	TKO	11 (15) 1:17	1964–11–30	Kings Hall, Manchester, North West England	Retained WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal light heavyweight titles
81	Win	61–12–8	Gregorio Peralta	TKO	5 (15) 3:00	1964–04–10	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana	Retained WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal light heavyweight titles
80	Win	60–12–8	Mike Holt	PTS	10	1963–11–30	Rand Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng
79	Loss	59–12–8	Gregorio Peralta	UD	10	1963–09–20	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
78	Win	59–11–8	Ollie Wilson	UD	10	1963–08–31	Jacksonville Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
77	Win	58–11–8	Harold Johnson	SD	15	1963–06–01	Las Vegas Convention Center, Paradise, Nevada	Won WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal light heavyweight titles
76	Win	57–11–8	Wayne Thornton	MD	10	1963–05–04	Las Vegas Convention Center, Paradise, Nevada
75	Draw	56–11–8	Wayne Thornton	MD	10	1963–03–23	Madison Square Garden, New York City
74	Loss	56–11–7	Wayne Thornton	UD	10	1963–02–09	Madison Square Garden, New York City
73	Win	56–10–7	Rodolfo Diaz	SD	10	1962–09–08	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
72	Win	55–10–7	Billy Ryan	UD	10	1962–06–25	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana
71	Draw	54–10–7	Archie Moore	MD	10	1962–05–28	Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles
70	Win	54–10–6	Tom McNeeley	UD	10	1962–05–01	Boston Arena, Boston
69	Draw	53–10–6	Lennart Risberg	PTS	12	1961–08–06	Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, Södermanland
68	Loss	53–10–5	Jesse Bowdry	UD	10	1960–12–27	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
67	Loss	53–9–5	Chic Calderwood	PTS	10	1960–09–16	Kelvin Hall, Glasgow
66	Win	53–8–5	Sonny Ray	UD	10	1960–06–01	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
65	Win	52–8–5	Alonzo Johnson	UD	10	1960–05–06	Fairgrounds Coliseum, Louisville, Kentucky
64	Win	51–8–5	George Kartalian	RTD	6 (10)	1960–04–09	Bell Auditorium, Augusta, Georgia
63	Win	50–8–5	Jerry Luedee	UD	10	1960–01–20	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
62	Win	49���8–5	Charley Pavlis	UD	10	1959–12–07	Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida
61	Win	48–8–5	Tom Davis	TKO	3 (10)	1959–08–20	Knoxville, Tennessee
60	Loss	47–8–5	Alonzo Johnson	UD	10	1959–07–24	Freedom Hall State Fairground, Louisville, Kentucky
59	Loss	47–7–5	Joe Erskine	PTS	10	1959–02–24	Wembley Stadium, London
58	Loss	47–6–5	Brian London	TKO	5 (10)	1958–09–30	Harringay Arena, London
57	Win	47–5–5	Tommy Thompson	KO	4 (10) 2:31	1958–08–25	City Auditorium, Columbus, Georgia
56	Win	46–5–5	Franco Cavicchi	PTS	10	1958–06–15	Sports Palace, Bologna
55	Win	45–5–5	Joe Bygraves	PTS	10	1958–04–21	Granby Halls, Leicester
54	Win	44–5–5	Brian London	PTS	10	1958–02–25	Harringay Arena, London
53	Win	43–5–5	Willi Besmanoff	UD	10	1957–11–27	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
52	Win	42–5–5	Dick Richardson	PTS	10	1957–10–22	Harringay Arena, London
51	Win	41–5–5	George Peyton	TKO	8 (10)	1957–09–10	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
50	Loss	40–5–5	Roy Harris	UD	10	1957–06–11	Houston
49	Win	40–4–5	Neal Welch	UD	10	1957–05–14	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
48	Win	39–4–5	John Holman	UD	10	1957–02–20	State Fairgrounds, Louisville, Kentucky
47	Win	38–4–5	Charley Norkus	UD	10	1956–12–26	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
46	Win	37–4–5	Pat McMurtry	UD	10	1956–08–24	Lincoln Bowl, Tacoma, Washington
45	Win	36–4–5	Chuck Spieser	SD	10	1956–05–30	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
44	Win	35–4–5	Johnny Arthur	UD	10	1956–04–04	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
43	Draw	34–4–5	Chuck Spieser	PTS	10	1956–01–27	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
42	Win	34–4–4	Rex Layne	UD	10	1955–12–19	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
41	Win	33–4–4	Joey Rowan	UD	10	1955–11–18	Madison Square Garden, New York City
40	Win	32–4–4	Paddy Young	UD	10	1955–10–03	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
39	Win	31–4–4	Chuck Spieser	UD	10	1955–07–27	Chicago Stadium, Chicago
38	Win	30–4–4	Joey Maxim	UD	10	1955–06–28	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
37	Draw	29–4–4	Willie Troy	PTS	10	1955–04–22	Chicago Stadium, Chicago
36	Win	29–4–3	Al Andrews	UD	10	1955–03–23	Chicago Stadium, Chicago
35	Win	28–4–3	Tony Johnson	UD	10	1955–03–01	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
34	Win	27–4–3	Bobby Dykes	UD	10	1954–11–23	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
33	Win	26–4–3	Jackie LaBua	SD	10	1954–09–14	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
32	Win	25–4–3	Jimmy Martinez	PTS	10	1954–08–24	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
31	Win	24–4–3	Tommy Bazzano	TKO	8 (10)	1954–08–09	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
30	Win	23–4–3	Tommy Hatcher	KO	1 (10)	1954–06–18	Abba Temple Auditorium, Mobile, Alabama
29	Win	22–4–3	Jacques Royer-Crecy	UD	10	1954–04–12	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
28	Win	21–4–3	Jimmy Martinez	UD	10	1954–03–29	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
27	Loss	20–4–3	Italo Scortichini	SD	10	1953–11–30	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
26	Win	20–3–3	Elmer Beltz	MD	8	1953–10–05	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
25	Draw	19–3–3	Elmer Beltz	PTS	10	1953–09–22	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
24	Loss	19–3–2	Del Flanagan	SD	8	1953–07–14	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
23	Loss	19–2–2	Johnny Cesario	MD	8	1953–05–25	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
22	Win	19–1–2	Chato Hernandez	UD	8	1953–04–06	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
21	Win	18–1–2	Roger Trevino	UD	8	1953–03–16	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
20	Win	17–1–2	Chick Boucher	TKO	3 (10) 1:08	1953–03–03	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
19	Win	16–1–2	Emerson Butcher	UD	8	1953–02–24	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
18	Win	15–1–2	Alfredo LaGrutta	UD	8	1953–01–26	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
17	Draw	14–1–2	Alvin Pellegrini	MD	8	1952–12–15	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
16	Win	14–1–1	Alvin Boudreaux	TKO	2 (6) 1:59	1952–11–24	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
15	Win	13–1–1	Alvin Pellegrini	UD	6	1952–11–17	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
14	Win	12–1–1	Lonnie Rylant	KO	3 (6) 1:44	1952–10–14	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
13	Loss	11–1–1	Alvin Pellegrini	PTS	6	1952–10–06	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
12	Win	11–0–1	Johnny Capitano	PTS	6	1952–09–08	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
11	Win	10–0–1	Sonny Luciano	PTS	8	1952–08–19	Miami Beach, Florida
10	Win	9–0–1	Sonny Luciano	PTS	8	1952–08–05	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
9	Win	8–0–1	Jimmy Carter	KO	4 (6) 1:00	1952–07–28	Sports Palace, Pensacola, Florida
8	Win	7–0–1	Al McCoy	KO	2 (6)	1952–07–22	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
7	Win	6–0–1	John Chaney	PTS	6	1952–07–08	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
6	Win	5–0–1	Buzz Brown	KO	2 (4) 2:56	1952–07–01	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
5	Draw	4–0–1	Alvin Pellegrini	PTS	4	1952–04–21	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
4	Win	4–0	Alvin Boudreaux	PTS	4	1952–04–01	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
3	Win	3–0	Jimmy Conino	PTS	4	1951–10–01	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
2	Win	2–0	Frankie Speed	PTS	4	1951–09–17	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
1	Win	1–0	Domingo Rivera	PTS	4	1951–09–10	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans

See also[]

• List of light-heavyweight boxing champions

References[]

External links[]

• Boxing record for Willie Pastrano from BoxRec
• Willie Pastrano at IMDb
• Willie Pastrano - CBZ Profile