Pastor, Bob

Robert E. Pastor

Pastor was a heavyweight in the 1930s and 1940s. In September 1939, he fought Joe Louis for the world championship and was knocked out in the 11th-round. The bout was scheduled for 20-rounds and is the last title fight to be scheduled for more than 15-rounds.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. January 26, 1914 - d. 1996

Career Highlights:
Pastor, whose father was Jewish, was a Golden Gloves champion in 1933 and 1934 before he began his professional career in 1935. He weighed 180 pounds in his debut as a light-heavyweight and won his first fight in a six-round decision. In January 1937, he fought the great Joe Louis and lost a 10-round decision (Pastor was outweighed by over 20 pounds); the bout took place five months before Louis won the title. The following year, he fought two great Jewish boxers, Al McCoy, and Hall of Famer Maxie Rosenbloom. Pastor defeated McCoy in a 10-round decision and drew with Rosenbloom.

After defeating McCoy again in March 1939, Pastor fought Joe Louis for the heavyweight crown later that year. On September 20, in Briggs Stadium in Detroit (it was Louis' eighth title defense, but first one in his hometown), Pastor was knocked down four times in the first-round, but was able to finish the round. After getting knocked down again in the second-round, Pastor seemed to gain confidence and avoided much damage in rounds 3-10. With only a small gash under his left eye lid, it looked like Pastor would remain standing for the rest of the fight. Suddenly, in the 11th-round, Louis rocked Pastor with a right to the jaw and Bob was counted out.

Pastor continued to fight for another three years, although he did not receive another title shot. He was knocked out in the 13th-round of a non-title bout with light-heavyweight champ Billy Conn in September 1940, but defeated Hall of Famer Jimmy Bivins in April 1942 in a 10-round decision. Bivins, who was ranked the No. 1 contender in both the light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions by Ring magazine in 1942, then defeated Pastor in a rematch in October of that year. It was the last fight of Pastor's career and he retired with a 53 wins in 65 decisions.

Origin:
New York City

Physical description:
5'11-1/2"

Career Statistics:
Professional record:
Wins: 53 (17 by knockout)
Losses: 7
Draws: 5

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