A troubled champ
Whitaker, 55, remembered for the legend he could have been, tough losses that tormented him
WHEN a casual sports fan is asked to name the recent legends of boxing, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather might come to mind. Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker won’t make the list — and that’s a shame. Whitaker, 55, died Sunday night after being hit by a car while walking through an intersection in Virginia Beach, Va. Whitaker was reportedly wearing dark clothing when he was struck. He died at the scene. A native of nearby Norfolk, Whitaker was one of the most admired f ighters by those who follow the sport. A world amateur champion in 1983, Whitaker was part of the storied 1984 Olympic boxing team that captured a record nine gold medals at the Olympics in Los Angeles. Using his fast hands and unsolvable defense, Whitaker breezed through the 132-pound division to win gold. He then signed with New Jersey-based Main Events along with Holyfield, Mark Breland, Tyrell Biggs and Meldrick Taylor. Under t he t ute l a ge of Hall of Fame trainer George B e nto n, Whita ke r b e c a me a dominant force, capturing the lineal and WBC welterweight championships in 1993 by defeating James “Buddy” McG i r t . He would go on to win titles in four weight classes. “Between his nat ura l a bi l i t y and Georgie Benton, that was a combination that was unbelievable,” McGirt told The Post. “The guy would sit in the ring and make you miss, and when you missed, he made you pay.” But it was two losses and a draw that marred Whitaker’s career and played a part
in him spiraling into alcohol addiction following his retirement in 2001. Whitaker should have won the lightweight title in 1988, but Jose Luis Ramirez was awarded the decision in a clear robbery. He was victimized again in 1993, when his boxing wizardry overwhelmed Julio Cesar Chavez. But that bout was ruled a draw.
It was even worse in 1994, when Whitaker suffered a controversial loss by decision to the thenunbeaten De La Hoya. Whitaker (40-4-1 with 17 KOs) thought he won those bouts and never seemed to recover. A year following his retirement, he was convicted of cocaine possession.
“The Chavez one stung because he really deserved to have his hand raised that night,” said Kathy Duva of Main Events. “I’m sure it affected him in his life, and he paid a price for that. Being the best was so much of his identity.”
Whitaker was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006, but if he gets those decisions against Ramirez, Chavez and De La Hoya, he would be mentioned among the greats of all time.
“If you know what you’re looking at in boxing,” McGirt said, “you know he got robbed in at least two of those fights.”
Whitaker turned to training and helped guide Zab Judah to a world championship in 2011. But to make big money, he had to move to a boxing hotbed like Las Vegas. Whitaker didn’t want to leave Virginia. He was crossing the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and Baker Road on Sunday night when he was struck by a vehicle.
Whitaker’s battle with alcohol addiction was ongoing, though he was beginning to enjoy the fruits of his legacy by making public appearances. His reliability was always an issue. He was scheduled to attend this Saturday’s fight in Las Vegas between Pacquiao and Keith Thurman.
“Pernell was an alcoholic and it’s not something that goes away,” Duva said. “He was making his life work within the confines that he had. We were always very careful about handing him his money all at once.”
The tributes began pouring in once news of Whitaker’s death hit social media Monday morning.
“Pernell showed us that boxing could be an art as well as a sweet science,” Pacquiao tweeted.
“It was an honor to share the ring with him,” tweeted De La Hoya. “In terms of defense and ring generalship Pernell Whitaker was the best fighter that I ever fought. “