Career
In 1962, Pacheco began working with Muhammad Ali when the then-Cassius Clay was training in Miami. Pacheco became Ali's cornerman and physician and would remain so until the latter parts of Ali's career. In 1977, Pacheco was concerned about potential liver and kidney damage and noticed that Ali's reflexes were slowing down. He recommended that Ali retire, but Ali continued to fight. Due to this difference of opinion, Pacheco left Ali's camp. Despite this disagreement, 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 fluent in Spanish and acted as translator for audiences when bouts featured the corners of Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters.
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), an autobiography (Blood in My Coffee) and a cookbook (The Columbia Restaurant Spanish Cookbook, co-authored with longtime friend Adela Gonzmart).
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.
Read more about this topic: Ferdie Pacheco
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