Ferdie Pacheco

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Dr. Ferdie Pacheco was the cornerman for multiple boxing champions, most famously Muhammed Ali, for whom he was also a personal physician. Beginning in the late 1970s, Pacheco was a TV boxing analysis for several networks, most notably Showtime. Pacheco is also a prolific author and painter. His nickname is "The Fight Doctor."

Ferdie Pacheco was born on December 8, 1927 in the immigrant community of Ybor City in Tampa, Florida. Boxing was a popular sport in Ybor City, and Pacheco took an early interest. He received his Bachelors degree from the University of Florida, and his Medical Degree from the University of Miami. After graduation, he set up practice in the Little Havana community of Miami and began working with boxers alongside Angelo Dundee at the 5th Street Gym.^[1]

In 1962, Pacheco began working with Muhammed Ali when the then-Cassius Clay was training in Miami. Pacheco became Ali's cornerman and physician and was with him through many championships and controversy. In the late 1970s, Pacheco noticed that Ali's reflexes were slowing and recommended that he retire, but Ali continued to fight. Due to this difference of opinion, Pacheco left Ali's camp in 1977.^[2] However, he and Ali are still friends to this day.

Pacheco moved on to become a television boxing analyst, working for NBC and Univision. He became Showtime's featured boxing analyst in the early 1980s and continued his association with that network until his retirement from TV in the late 1990s, covering many memorable fights along the way.

Pacheco is the author of several books, plays, screenplays, and short stories. Many of them are set in the Ybor City neighborhood where he grew up. Among his works, he has written a memoir (Ybor City Chronicles) and an autobiography (Blood in My Coffee). Pacheco is also an award-winning artist. As with his writing, the subjects of many of his paintings are the two most important influences in his life: boxing and Ybor City.

Pacheco was portrayed by Paul Rodriguez in the 2001 film Ali. A biographical film, "Ferdie Pacheco: The World of the Fight Doctor", was released in 2004.

Today, Pacheco lives in Miami. His wife, Luisita, has co-authored a number of his books and is his official photographer and manager. Daughter Tina Pacheco is a well known feature film editor.