We ended up paying for the wedding and had the reception after the show at the fight hotel.". His last fight came on April 27, 2001, against journeyman Carlos Bojorquez. Whitaker's youngest son, Devon Whitaker, told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper that his dad was a "cool guy. Pound-for-pound rankings: Did Canelo Alvarez's win over Avni Yildirim earn him the top spot? The two met in a welterweight superfight simply named "The Fight"[10] on September 10, 1993 in San Antonio, Texas. The fight was televised to Puerto Rico and the United States on HBO Boxing. "But we said we can ask him, right? He had demons, but when he was in the ring, that was when he was in control and when he was happy and when he was the very best at what he did, and he wanted to show that to everybody.". [21][22][23], Whitaker's next bout was against Russian-born fighter Andrey Pestryayev in a world title elimination fight, where the winner would earn an automatic #1 contender spot for the WBA Welterweight crown, held at the time by Ike Quartey. Following the loss to De La Hoya, Whitaker outpointed Andrey Pestriev but tested positive for cocaine, and the result was changed to a no decision. Whitaker appeared to win handily, but while one judge scored the fight 115-113 for Whitaker, two others scored it 115-115, resulting in a majority draw that remains perhaps the most controversial decision in boxing history. He currently holds the longest unified lightweight championship reign in boxing history at six title defenses. Pernell Whitaker Sr. (January 2, 1964 – July 14, 2019) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer.He was a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight; the undisputed lightweight title; and the lineal lightweight and welterweight titles. He broke his clavicle in round four and was forced to retire; at the time of the stoppage Whitaker was trailing in all the judges' scorecards by 28-29. On July 14, 2019, Whitaker was crossing the street in Virginia Beach, at the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and Baker Road, when he was struck and killed by a vehicle. Jessica McCaskill does it again, beats Cecilia Braekhus in rematch to stay undisputed champion, Behind the scenes at a history-making event -- for Claressa Shields and for women's boxing, Claressa Shields pressures Marie-Eve Dicaire in middle rounds on way to convincing win, Why 50 years later Ali-Frazier I remains the fight that transcends all sports, Boxing, MMA and her own PPV: Claressa Shields bets big on herself in 2021. after the conclusion of this fight[11] and believed that Whitaker had won 9 of the 12 rounds in the fight. (1:45). "I loved Pernell Whitaker, and he loved me -- there was no doubt," Duva, whose late husband, Dan, signed Whitaker out of the amateurs along with several 1984 U.S. Olympians, told ESPN. After his retirement in 2001, Whitaker returned to the sport as a trainer. ", "That's all I can say about him," he told the newspaper. He was not a particularly hard puncher or knockout artist, but applied a consistent offense while being extremely elusive and difficult for his opponents to hit with a solid punch. "An artist in the ring, 'Sweet Pea' appeared on our World Championship Boxing platform for a decade [1990-1999], giving fans many unforgettable moments. "[27] In the seventh round, Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control of the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth and tenth rounds. Example: Thomas Hearns won his first belt at 147 pounds, later he captured the 154 crown, he got the 175 belt and he finally won the 160 title. [27] In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds the fighters exchanged combinations. Whitaker trudged on, winning a decision over Greg Haugen for the IBF Lightweight title on February 18, 1989, becoming the first boxer to knock Haugen down by sending him to the mat in the sixth round. "We thought, hey, here's an idea, but we can't actually do that, can we?" Highlights from Pea's fight with the rough and tough Spaniard Whitaker, who made his professional debut on ABC with several of his Olympic teammates at Madison Square Garden in New York and eventually became a staple on HBO, moved up to junior welterweight in 1992 and outpointed Rafael Pineda to win a 140-pound world title. [12] The now defunct Boxing Illustrated magazine, whose editor-in-chief was boxing historian Bert Sugar, had a heading on the cover of its post-fight edition telling readers not to buy the issue if they really believed "The Fight" was a draw.[13]. We share so many great memories. [27] In the last round, Whitaker, with a badly swollen right eye, displayed a purely defensive stance, avoiding his opponent throughout the round while Trinidad continued on the offensive until the fight concluded. They were all elected in their first year of eligibility. Date: 1991-07-27 Location: Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia, USA Referee: Al Rothenberg Judge: Sheila Harmon 120-107 Judge: Julio Roldan 120-108 Judge: Robert Beeba Exton 120-106 World Boxing Council Lightweight Title (5th defense by Whitaker); World Boxing Association Lightweight Title (2nd defense by Whitaker) He saw it and he did it as a “sweet science, really and truly, he used the angles and made a newbie to the sport understand the term “ring generalship.”. [33] He was 55. Whitaker would fight nine times in the Scope arena during his career. Originally a UD win for Whitaker, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test. Longtime friend, Olympic teammate and former heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield tweeted: I am saddened to learn of my good friend and Olympic teammate Pernell Whitaker's untimely passing last night. In 2002, The Ring ranked Whitaker as the 10th Greatest Fighter of the Last 80 Years. We send our condolences to his family, as well as his extended family at Main Events and throughout the boxing community.". [27] The fight began with both boxers displaying aggressive styles, which included excessive pushing. Bauder said in a statement. Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Whitaker, defending his WBC championship and the mythical status as the best boxer in the world, pound for pound, succeeded in making De La Hoya look bad through his crafty defense, but he was unable to mount a sufficient offense to convince the judges. "He had a lot of problems outside the ring, and those problems probably cut his career short," Duva said. Real or not: Did Ryan Garcia, Jamel Herring and Vasiliy Lomachenko get matched up correctly? Whitaker was awarded an official knockdown in the 9th round and, according to CompuBox stats, outlanded De La Hoya in overall punches and connect percentage, using the jab as his primary weapon; but De La Hoya threw and landed almost twice as many power punches and had a slightly higher power punch connect percentage than Whitaker, which may have been the key factor in De La Hoya winning by a disputed unanimous decision. His first fighter, Dorin Spivey fought matches in 2006. Herring showed he's a top 130-pounder, but can he beat Stevenson, Valdez? Pernell Whitaker, a longtime pound-for-pound king and one of the greatest boxers in history, was killed Sunday night when he was hit by a car in Virginia Beach, Virginia. There is an active ongoing investigation into this tragic situation. "Pernell Whitaker was beautiful -- both as a fighter and as a human being," HBO, his longtime television home, broadcasting 19 of his fights, said in a statement. Cornell sweet pea Whitaker once -- boxing fans of around the pool. Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya, billed as " Pound for Pound ", was a professional boxing match contested on April 12, 1997 for the WBC and lineal welterweight championships. Whitaker, trained by the longtime team of Lou Duva and George Benton and managed by Shelly Finkel, won his first world title at lightweight by outpointing Greg Haugen in 1989. Pernell ‘Sweet Pea’ Whitaker, One of the All-Time Greats, Olympic boxing champions – men's lightweight, Pan American Boxing Champions in Men's Lightweight, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pernell_Whitaker&oldid=1018019539, International Boxing Federation champions, Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in boxing, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers, AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists, World light-welterweight boxing champions, World light-middleweight boxing champions, Articles with dead external links from July 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 April 2021, at 21:28. The autopsy on Pernell Whitaker has been completed -- with officials saying the boxer died from "multiple blunt force injuries" in a car accident that has been labelled an "accident.". His problems continued in retirement, when he survived a cocaine overdose and in 2002 was convicted of cocaine possession. But he was a cool guy.". During his welterweight reign, Whitaker made a one-fight jump to junior middleweight and outpointed Julio Cesar Vasquez in 1995 to win a title in his fourth division. ID# 000555. Whyte gets revenge as Povetkin's corner throws in the towel. How Jamel Herring is using childhood challenges as source of inspiration, Oscar De La Hoya needs to promote his rising stars, not steal their thunder. At the end of the fight, the judges' scores were 111-115, 110-116, 110-116. Main Events promoter Kathy Duva, whose company promoted Whitaker throughout his career and who remained close to Whitaker after his retirement, mourned his death. As an amateur, Whitaker went 201-14 and not only took home gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics but also won gold at the 1983 Pan American Games and a silver medal at the 1982 World Championships when he was 18. This was a history making fight for Whitaker, as he became only the fourth fighter in history - joining Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roberto Durán - to have won a legitimate world title in four different weight classes. Whitaker originally won the fight, but the win was nullified & changed to a No Decision after he failed a post-fight drug test. As great as Whitaker was, many wondered how much greater he could have been without the drug addiction that plagued him throughout his career. He crowned his amateur career with an Olympic Gold Medal in 1984. Pernell was born in Norfolk, Virginia on January 2, 1964, the son of Raymond Whitaker Sr. and his wife, Novella. After the fights, we dropped the ropes, and they got married in the ring. [9], Whitaker was gaining momentum and boxing experts and fans felt that he needed to win against the pound for pound best boxer in the world: Julio César Chávez. The cover of Sports Illustrated days later showed a photo of Whitaker landing a punch with the headline "Robbed!". He has an estimated net worth of $5 million that he earned through his professional boxing career. In terms of his defense and ring generalship, Pernell Whitaker was the best fighter that I ever fought. And those problems probably cut his career decisioned Buddy McGirt to become the Lineal and WBC welterweight champion fighter the... The IBF light welterweight title from Colombian puncher Rafael Pineda on July 18 Gonzalez. Whitaker is a retired American professional Boxer and is now a champion, Whitaker added Julio Vásquez! Greatest boxers of all time elected to the canvas in what were ruled ``. Later, Whitaker officially announced his retirement, when he survived a cocaine overdose in... Televised to Puerto Rico and the boxing community in mourning his passing and offers our condolences to family. 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