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A Tribute to The Legendary Doctor Ferdie Pacheco (1927-2017)

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Every time I enter an arena where there is to be boxing I spend most of my time looking at places outside of the ring. Of course when the fight is on there is enough to occupy my curiosity and after all it is the main reason we are all there BUT I find what happens around a fight fascinating.

Over the last few years there have been people I have seen who have turned up to be the seconds, the cutman, the cornerman and the trainer. As a registered MC I am always interested to see how their MC does his stuff – and always think I could have done better…

When I hear of people having passed who were part of that very busy retinue behind boxers I think I know how important they were because I know how many people it takes to get a guy in shape, to mentally prepare them and to make sure that, whilst they are in the ring, they are switched on to what they ought to be doing. That care and duty to care happens to extend far beyond that ring too.

To that end, the news that boxing recently lost one of a kind in Ferdie Pacheco caught me with no end of understanding as I saw tribute after tribute pour towards a man whose name was never on many of our lips but whose dedication was evident for all when we sat and watched with awe at the fights where his expertise gave one particular fighter more than just a fighting chance.

At 89 years of age, this was someone who wore the title veteran with poise and grace. The announcement of his death being relayed to the world through Facebook testimony to how we ought to pay attention to this new world and not be fooled into thinking the old world cannot cope with it.

In that very Facebook post his daughter wrote touchingly of a man who had such a varied life that to simply repeat of him being a pharmacist, a doctor, a writer, a painter and a commentator was enough to intrigue, fascinate and hook me from hundreds of miles away.
As I looked deeper into this monumentally important man I realized that whilst his name had not graced my lips it had graced the lips of giants of this sport, had spoken hallowed words and been a colossus in the graced halls of commentary and analysis as he had an insight that went far beyond an insider and into the realms of a man who just knew.

Born in Tampa, Florida and qualified through the University of Miami as a doctor, Pacheco found himself in the company of Cassius Clay in 1960 when Clay was training at the 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach. The legend goes that Angelo Dundee offered him free tickets if he would help stitch up his fighters – as introductions goes this must be right up there with the best of them!

In just over 2 years he was to be found in the Cassius Clay corner and stayed there up until 1977 when he left, citing as his reasons, the fact he thought Ali should retire, or at least take on guys he could beat easily. Alongside Angelo Dundee in the corner, when Ali fought Sonny Liston the first time, Pacheco was to prove his worth. Ali’s blood pressure apparently rose exponentially at the weigh-in and Pacheco was asked to examine Ali away from the crazy atmosphere. Ali admitted to him that he was acting “crazy” to scare Liston. Pacheco’s examination showed that Ali’s blood pressure reading was normal.

The first time he had tried to get Ali to stop, was in 1975 straight after the Thrilla in Manilla with Joe Frazier. Pacheco had become concerned about the increasing blows absorbed by Ali and begged him to give it all up. Ali refused. By 1977 though Pacheco was unable to put to the side his concerns and found himself on the outside, advocating retiral. Ali would still not heed him and fought on. Pacheco tried one more time and when he wrote to Ali and got no reply he realized that there was no chance of him succeeding in getting Ali to give it all up.

Later on in life he was fairly sanguine about his former colleague. When asked if he felt sorry for Ali who now suffered from Parkinson’s he replied in an interview with USA Today, “He chose to pay for it, that’s true. Am I sorry for him? No. He had the greatest life any human being can have. There’s no way — no way — he could have lived better”

Despite their disagreement, Pacheco and Ali remained friends and came together again in 2002, when Ali, told his former doctor, “You was right.” Not, I am sure the ending Pacheco would have wanted.

“The Fight Doctor”, as he was dubbed, though was so much more than Ali’s doctor. He forged a successful Emmy Award winning career, one award gained for a series on Ali’s career, and as a boxing commentator after splitting with The Greatest. There is little doubt that a guy who was part of that massive Ali entourage, who claimed he did it all for free, would have had plenty to contribute about the sport from a very unique and knowledgeable perspective.

He was the author of several books, plays, screenplays, and short stories. Many of them are set in the Ybor City neighborhood where he grew up including a memoir (Ybor City Chronicles), an autobiography (Blood in My Coffee) and a cookbook (The Columbia Restaurant Spanish Cookbook, co-authored with Adela Gonzmart). He was also an award-winning self-taught artist!

Once again you scratch the surface of someone closely associated with the sweet science and it is the science of deep and hidden depths in amongst the savagery that draws you in. Ten bells would be the beginning of recognizing this gentleman of the sport; and then we should celebrate his achievements. I am off to Amazon to find that autobiography… RIP Ferdie Pacheco.

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