Ferdie Pacheco

Ferdie Pacheco is a Showtime boxing analyst who was earlier the physician to Muhammad Ali. Pacheco had been interested in boxing since childhood, and worked with many fighters. He began working with Ali, where he gained fame as Ali's cornerman. Pacheco left Ali's team in the late 1970s when it became clear to him that boxing was taking its toll on Ali, and when his warnings that Ali should retire went unheeded. He is still friends with Ali to this day. He became a Showtime analyst in the 1980s and worked for the network until the late 1990s, covering many memorable fights. Pacheco was portrayed by Paul Rodriguez in the 2001 film Ali. His nickname is "The Fight Doctor."

Pacheco is also an author of several books on early 20th century Tampa history, with special emphasis on the cigar manufacturing industry in the Ybor City neighborhood.

Dr. Pacheco is a prolific painter [1] and an avid writer of books, plays and short stories. 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.