Boxing’s Greats of the States | Louisiana: Willie Pastrano

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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When boxing junkies talk about the greatest light heavyweights of all-time, the names of Roy Jones Jr., Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks and others immediately spring to mind. Willie Pastrano rarely gets mentioned, but he was among the best of the best at 175 pounds and remains one of the most overlooked and underappreciated fighters in the sport’s history.

Born in New Orleans on Nov. 27, 1935, Pastrano began his career as a heavyweight before dropping down to face men closer to his size. His decision paid off, and like most great fighters of the 1950s and 1960s, he clubbed his way through a seemingly endless supply of tough opponents. Finally, after grinding away for 12 years, Pastrano received a shot at a world title and snatched it with both hands. He edged Harold Johnson by split decision for the WBA and WBC light heavyweight championships on June 1, 1963 in Las Vegas. He made two successful title defenses before losing to Jose Torres by ninth-round TKO in what was his final professional appearance.

Pastrano had a 62-13-8 record with 14 KOs at the time of his retirement. He was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001, some four years after his death.

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