Pernell Whitaker’s tragic death in July felt like a punch in the gut for boxing fans. “Sweet Pea” was only 55 years old when he died in a traffic accident. Arguably the greatest defensive fighter of all time, Whitaker was a 4-division world champion, an Olympic gold medalist and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. To celebrate a legendary life, here are five of Pernell Whitaker’s greatest moments.
1. Sweet Pea gets his ‘sweet’ revenge
In 1988, Whitaker tasted his first defeat to Jose Luis Ramirez, despite a dominant performance. While that fight is seen as one of the worst boxing decisions of all-time, Whitaker set the record straight by securing and easily winning a 1989 rematch against his Mexican opponent.
2. Landing 286 jabs in a fight… against a Hall of Famer
While Azumah Nelson isn’t a household name in the United States, he’s widely considered Africa’s boxing G.O.A.T. Whitaker made him look ordinary, landing an astonishing 286 jabs in the fight, roughly 24 per round, the second most in boxing history, which earned him a close decision.
3. Becoming the undisputed champion at 135
While the 80’s was about the “4 Kings of Boxing,” Whitaker quietly cleaned out the post-Roberto Duran lightweight division. At the end of the decade, only the WBA and lineal lightweight titles eluded him. That changed on August 11, 1990, when “Sweet Pea” unified the weight class with a resounding first-round KO of Puerto Rico’s Juan Nazario.
4. (Unofficially) Winning “The Fight”
Simply known as “The Fight,” this 1993 dream match pitted Whitaker, widely considered boxing’s P4P premiere fighter, against the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, who brought an astounding 87-0 record into the ring. A relentless pressure fighter, Chavez watched helplessly as his famed onslaught was made null by Whitaker’s defensive brilliance. A perpetual victim of screwy judging, Whitaker was robbed of a clear victory after “The Fight” was scored a draw.
5. Becoming a four-division world champ
In 1995, Whitaker got payback against Julio Cesar. Well, sort of. “Sweet Pea” outclassed another Julio Cesar Velasquez of Argentina. This time the judges got it right. Punching above his usual weight, the southpaw took the WBO light-middleweight title, winning a world title in his fourth weight class, a rare feat and another reason why his pugilist peers (like Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr. Floyd Mayweather), believe he’s one of the greatest ever to lace up the gloves.
