RIP Pernell Whitaker

Boxing legend Pernell Whitaker has died at the age of 55 after being hit by a car.
Whitaker won world titles at four different weights and is considered among the best to have ever laced up a pair of gloves.
According to TMZ, he was hit by a car on Sunday night and later died of his injuries.
Whitaker, nicknamed 'Sweet Pea' won Olympic gold in 1984 before turning professional in the same year.
He lost his first challenge for a world title against Jose Luis Ramirez four years later but won another version two years later against Greg Hauden.
Whitaker then went on an unbeaten run until 1997 when he ran into Oscar De La Hoya before losing two of this final three fights.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/boxin...oxing-18262323

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZsO3PgRbDY

Wow... super sad to hear that. 55 years old. Old for a boxer, but presumably a lot of life still to live.

Gotta wonder about the particulars any time there's a car-pedestrian accident.

R.I.P. champ.

Pernell was an ATG lightweight and was unbeatable at the weight. Really shocked and saddened by the news. The man was a magician as a boxer who opponents could not hit.

He became welterweight champion and then beat the light middleweight champ (who beat Winky Wright) which shows you how great he was p4p. Sweat P had a fabulous career and only age beat him in the ring.

RIP ATG Champ

Sweet Pea could be inside or outside and you couldnt hit him cleanly, ATG / Legend , if he had knockout power we would be morning the greatest fighter of all time.

R.I.P Champ.

Damn hit by a car. That’s a bad day. 55 probably still in great health very sad to hear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-ZL4q_d-xs

https://apple.news/AkA2ONiv6Qp-hsA_2E9_Ytw

So the driver stuck around. Speed and or alcohol don’t appear to be a factor on the drivers side at least. As far as I know sweat pea had cleaned up his act so maybe it was just one of those people not paying attention....sad

RIP Champ

https://media3.giphy.com/media/I7U8S...&rid=giphy.gif

That car would have never got close to him back in his prime. Hey. Sometimes you have to find humor even in sadness and this is sadness to him (at a relatively young age of 55) and his family.

I heard that he took back the house he gave his mum back but you don't know what goes in families. But what I do know is that 1984 USA Olympic team will never be matched.

I know the Cubans boycotted the 84 games (and the Russians and the Germans) and people argue that the 1976 USA boxing with Leonard, the Spinks brothers, Howard Davis, John Tate was better because the Cubans (and all the other strongest boxing nations) were there but the 84 team of Pernell Whitaker Meldrick Taylor, Evander Holyfield, Mark Breland, Virgil Hill, Tyrell Biggs.......Damn !

And if you still doubt how strong that team was then think on this

Mike Tyson couldn't even get in the 1984 USA boxing team

Just let that sink in.

Having said that I'd agree that had Teofilio Stevenson from Cuba turned up in 84 then he not Tyrell Biggs would have won gold. But that's it.

Once of my earliest memories of boxing as a 10 year old was watching Sweet P take the legend Chavez Sr to school like it was parent teachers conference.

He was simply a defensive master.

http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7...yuqxo1_400.gif

Yeah...yeah ..calm down all you boxing nerds..."He's crouching below the waist !! He's crouching below the waist !!"

I know. I know.

Now is not the time though because without Whitaker to serve as inspiration I doubt the likes of Mayweather or Ward would have become as good as they did.

One of the best who ever laced up a pair of gloves. So so tricky, a masterful boxer who made very good fighters look very ordinary indeed. Never ducked anyone.

Had his issues outside the ring when he retired (like so many do)

Gone much too young. Rest in peace, Chanp.

Terrible news.

I forgot what a brutal body puncher Sweet Pea was, what an boxing artist.

He was a legend. It is very sad news. I express my condolences to his family

The terms legend, a great, ring general, robbed and the p4p are all overused when we talk about top fighters. But Pernell Whitaker was unequivocally without a doubt all of the above with room to spare. The man was simply superb and fought all comers. He is the first fighter I can say I came around on when it came to respect and appreciation, from early career to the bitter end. I sat there one day watching him out fight and out tough Haugen and I was seething, then he takes the hof Azumah Nelson and literally clowns with him to the level of disrespect amid dominance. But overtime and over years you know greatness when you see it. He was no backfoot tinker bell simply trying to avoid a fight..he wanted to stand in front of you, flat footed in large spans, and put on a true display of defensive wizardry and make a guy pay for lacking their own. He didn't play tip toe weight classes and pick trinkets from warm bodies..he jumped to 154 to beat the brakes off a buzzsaw in dominate champion Vasquez and he did it just to mess around. He had his own close calls on the cards, his own personal trials and tribulations that caught up and cost him and those around him dearly. But he did what champions in life and in the ring do..he came back, sacked up and fought his arse off with Trinidad through a broken jaw and every odd stacked against him. Short on the cards that night but no shortness on greatness and heart. Thank you Champ, you made more memories for young fans than you probably ever knew and you sir will be truly missed. Rest easy Sweet Pea.

I don't use the word great very often but Whitaker was an all time great. Could not be hit but could hit anybody at will. R.I.P. champ.

Very sad to hear this news, i always enjoyed watching him fight just in case somebody actually did hit him? He was a magnificent boxer and the epitome of the old saying "hit and don't get hit".. He made a fool of Chavez and the judges just didn't understand what boxing was all about that night.... R.I.P. Champ.

Extremely sad, sounds like it was just one of those things.

They should overturn the Chavez fight in light of his passing. The literal definition of a robbery.

I live in Hampton Roads, Va, and would see Pea out regularly. He was one of my favorite fighters growing up so I would always make a point to go shake his hand and talk boxing with him. I’m a nobody, and Pernell never once acted too good, or disturbed/annoyed, and would always take the time to talk to me and whoever I was with. Such a great and humble guy.

I don’t want to turn this into a who was greater post, but I have to say that from my perspective, Pea was the best of his generation (and I realize that is a strong and biased comment). Think of how confident and great he was to move up from 135 to 140 to force the undefeated and great Chavez to fight him (winning a title from a murderous punching Pineda), and then moving up AGAIN to 147 to beat P4P #3 Buddy Mcgirt (behind Chavez and Sweet Pea) to make it happen. He then boxes circles around Chavez, and goes up in weight to fight one of the top two guys at 154 (Terry Norris was likely #1) to win a title. Pure greatness and he was brilliant in the ring.

R.I.P. champ.

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Originally Posted by p4pking

They should overturn the Chavez fight in light of his passing. The literal definition of a robbery.

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Are you kidding?? That would've given JCC the first loss of his career. Unacceptable!

Instead..... it was through clenched teeth that the WBC allowed a decision to be awarded to Frankie Randall a couple of fights later. (And that was only 'cause Frankie knocked his ass down).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by p4pking

They should overturn the Chavez fight in light of his passing. The literal definition of a robbery.

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Are you kidding?? That would've given JCC the first loss of his career. Unacceptable!

Instead..... it was through clenched teeth that the WBC allowed a decision to be awarded to Frankie Randall a couple of fights later. (And that was only 'cause Frankie knocked his ass down).

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Honestly, I don’t think the decision was a travesty. I don’t think it was a good decision, but I could see how a draw could have happened. It’s what I always refer to as a bad decision vs a robbery. A bad decision is where 75% or more viewers score it for one fighter and the other wins. A robbery is when there isn’t really a legitimate case for that fighter to win.

Examples for both. Both GGG and Canelo fights. I could see be results but a majority of fans disagreed with the results. Those were both bad decisions. A robbery is like Paul Williams against Erislandy Lara. There is no way to legitimately give Williams enough rounds to win that fight.

Don’t get confused and think that I thought that Chavez beat Pernell. I had Pernell winning, but there were some close rounds that I could see how a draw could have been scored if you gave Chavez the benefit of the doubt on most rounds.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by powerpuncher

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by p4pking

They should overturn the Chavez fight in light of his passing. The literal definition of a robbery.

---

Are you kidding?? That would've given JCC the first loss of his career. Unacceptable!

Instead..... it was through clenched teeth that the WBC allowed a decision to be awarded to Frankie Randall a couple of fights later. (And that was only 'cause Frankie knocked his ass down).

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Honestly, I don’t think the decision was a travesty. I don’t think it was a good decision, but I could see how a draw could have happened. It’s what I always refer to as a bad decision vs a robbery. A bad decision is where 75% or more viewers score it for one fighter and the other wins. A robbery is when there isn’t really a legitimate case for that fighter to win.

Examples for both. Both GGG and Canelo fights. I could see be results but a majority of fans disagreed with the results. Those were both bad decisions. A robbery is like Paul Williams against Erislandy Lara. There is no way to legitimately give Williams enough rounds to win that fight.

Don’t get confused and think that I thought that Chavez beat Pernell. I had Pernell winning, but there were some close rounds that I could see how a draw could have been scored if you gave Chavez the benefit of the doubt on most rounds.

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Point well taken. But I still feel that Chavez's undefeated record weighed HEAVILY in the minds of the judges.

It was also in San Antonio, Texas....... and for JCC's WBC welterweight title. ;) Talk about a stacked deck.............

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by powerpuncher

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by p4pking

They should overturn the Chavez fight in light of his passing. The literal definition of a robbery.

---

Are you kidding?? That would've given JCC the first loss of his career. Unacceptable!

Instead..... it was through clenched teeth that the WBC allowed a decision to be awarded to Frankie Randall a couple of fights later. (And that was only 'cause Frankie knocked his ass down).

---

Honestly, I don’t think the decision was a travesty. I don’t think it was a good decision, but I could see how a draw could have happened. It’s what I always refer to as a bad decision vs a robbery. A bad decision is where 75% or more viewers score it for one fighter and the other wins. A robbery is when there isn’t really a legitimate case for that fighter to win.

Examples for both. Both GGG and Canelo fights. I could see be results but a majority of fans disagreed with the results. Those were both bad decisions. A robbery is like Paul Williams against Erislandy Lara. There is no way to legitimately give Williams enough rounds to win that fight.

Don’t get confused and think that I thought that Chavez beat Pernell. I had Pernell winning, but there were some close rounds that I could see how a draw could have been scored if you gave Chavez the benefit of the doubt on most rounds.

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Point well taken. But I still feel that Chavez's undefeated record weighed HEAVILY in the minds of the judges.

It was also in San Antonio, Texas....... and for JCC's WBC welterweight title. ;) Talk about a stacked deck.............

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Nah dude, just absolutely not. You can justify seeing a draw if you have NO idea about boxing, but otherwise its nothing but a sham.

one of the best to ever do it. rip sweetpea

Very sad to hear this. He gave so much to the fight community!

Pernell Whitaker obituary

During debates about who is the best boxer of all time, the former four-weight world champion Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker is sometimes overlooked. He was not a fearsome puncher, nor was he a braggart who commanded headlines in the era before social media when newspaper reporters treasured outrageous quotes to sell a fight. But his peers always rated him among the sport’s elite.

Whitaker, who has died aged 55 after being hit by a car while crossing a road in his hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was an Olympic gold medallist for the US at the Los Angeles games of 1984, after which he turned professional, first becoming a world champion as a lightweight in 1989. He eventually quit boxing in 2001, having fought in a total of 23 world title contests, of which he lost only three and drew one, in hugely controversial circumstances against the Mexican fighter Julio César Chávez.

One of his beaten opponents was the Scot Gary Jacobs, who challenged Whitaker for the WBC welterweight title in Atlantic City in August 1995. Jacobs had reigned as a British, Commonwealth and European champion but, like so many others, found Whitaker’s southpaw style and brilliant defensive skills almost impossible to fathom and he lost widely on points.

After learning of his old adversary’s death, Jacobs said: “If you want to learn boxing, watch his fights. His ringcraft was just incredible. He was so clever. He was almost impossible to hit cleanly. His skills were truly remarkable. People talk about great fighters, particularly at lightweight with men like Roberto Durán and Floyd Mayweather, but I think that he was the best of the lot.”

The former world heavyweight champion George Foreman said: “It was like watching a cat with boxing gloves. The best balance I ever saw in a boxer.”

Born in the tough Virginia coastal city of Norfolk, best known for its military bases, Pernell was one of seven children. His parents, Raymond and Novella, encouraged their son to pursue sports and he first went to a boxing gym aged eight, when it was quickly apparent that young Pernell had an aptitude for it. He was known to his family as Pete, after one of his uncles, and at an early boxing show, Whitaker’s mother had been calling out the name “Sweet Pete” only to see it misreported in a local newspaper as “Sweet Pea”. Ever thereafter, it seems, the name stuck.

Whitaker claimed to have had more than 500 contests as an amateur before his Olympic success. In 1984 he was captain of a US team that included Evander Holyfield, Mark Breland, Meldrick Taylor and Frank Tate, all medallists who would go on to become professional world champions.

https://s.yimg.com/it/api/res/1.2/13..._1200/1000.jpg

Whitaker turned pro under the promotion and management of the Duva family, and was trained by the extrovert patriarch Lou. After a run of 15 straight wins, he lost on a dubious points decision in a world lightweight title challenge in France in 1988, but scored a convincing points victory over Greg Haugen to become the IBF lightweight champion the following year.

The win marked the beginning of Whitaker’s era of glory. By the time he fought Chávez in 1993, in front of a 60,000 crowd at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, he had recorded 17 straight victories and had been a world champion at three weights – lightweight, super lightweight and welterweight. Defending the WBC welterweight title against a man who was undefeated in 87 professional contests, Whitaker was awarded a majority draw in an outrageous judging decision when virtually every ringside expert believed Whitaker had won clearly. Whitaker’s verdict was unequivocal: “I whipped his ass.”

In 1995 he took the WBA super welterweight title, but alcohol and drug problems blighted the later stages of his career. After losing his welterweight world title on points in another disputed decision to Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, he was banned from the sport after testing positive for cocaine, and lost again on points in 1999 to the Puerto Rican Félix Trinidad in his comeback for a final world title contest. In all, Whitaker won 40 pro fights, lost four and drew one with one no contest.

After retiring, he worked sporadically as a coach. He was sent to prison in 2003 for violating the terms of a probation order imposed for cocaine possession. As the fortune he earned in boxing was frittered away, he once more was in the headlines in 2014 when he won a court order to have his mother and two of his siblings evicted from a house he had bought 30 years earlier so that he could sell the property to cope with his mounting debts.

His marriage, to his childhood sweetheart, Rovanda Anthony, whom he wed in a boxing ring in Virginia Beach in 1985, ended in divorce. He is survived by his mother, and by three sons, Dominique, Dantavious and Devon, and a daughter, Tiara. Another son, Pernell Jr, predeceased him.

• Pernell Whitaker, boxer, born 2 January 1964; died 14 July 2019

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/per...143805345.html

RIP brother :eek: an ATG ;):cool::eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0tSAifFq04