Winter Auction 2015 closing February 7
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/8/2015
The diminutive Willie Pep is considered the Number 1 featherweight of All-Time. Pep fought 241 professional bouts, 1,956 rounds with 65 KO's making him not only the best of his weight class, but one of the most prolific fighters in history. A perusal of his fight record show that many of his bouts were held less than a month apart, something unheard of today. Pep's reign as featherweight champ was broken in 1948 by arch-rival Sandy Sadler. The two men would fight four times, each bout more devastating than the last one. Pep ended his career in 1965, a quarter of a century after he began. This robe dates from the 1950's; a decade in which Pep fought 94 bouts, winning all but 8 of them. The belted red terry cloth hooded robe has "Willie Pep" in cream colored letters sewn onto the back, the style easily bringing to mind all the classic black and white fight highlight reels depicting the sport's Golden Age. This piece of boxing history shows heavy use with many frayed ends and loose stitches - just what you'd expect from the robe of the greatest featherweight fighter of all-time. Pep is said to have donated this personally to the Helms foundation. Letter of Authenticity from LA84 Foundation Collection.