Background
He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, the son of William and Anna (Liecester) Pender.
He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, the son of William and Anna (Liecester) Pender.
A 1949 graduate of Brookline High School, Pender was recruited as an all American football player at Michigan State University and Penn State, but instead, chose to enter professional boxing, while attending Staley College.
Pender beat Robinson, one of the greatest fighters of all time, for the disputed middleweight championship title. He fought a set of three matches against English boxer Terry Downes, of which only the third (on April 7, 1962) went the full distance. His career was hampered by his brittle hands.
His career record was 40 wins (20 by KO), 6 losses, and 2 draws.
He died in Bedford, Massachusetts on January 12, 2003, at the Veterans Administration (Virginia) Hospital.
He was world Middleweight champion. Although a champion, he regarded boxing as his second job and being a Brookline fire fighter his first. As an amateur, he won the New England welterweight championship. In 1959, the National Boxing Association withdrew its recognition of Sugar Ray Robinson as middleweight champion. Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basilio fought for the vacant National Basketball Association title, and Fullmer won. He won by split decision in 15 rounds. He won the first and the third bout, but the last would prove to be the only fight of that year for Pender and the last of his career. Pender sued and won on appeal. He retired May 7, 1963 as the current world middleweight champion.
Pender fought Robinson once again to defend his title and went on to beat him by split decision. The New York Boxing Commission stripped Pender of his title for not defending it against Dick Tiger.
Pender was a member of the United States Marine Corps.
