Boxing great, 55, dies after being hit by car
Pernell Whitaker, an Olympic gold medalist and four-division champion who was regarded as one of the greatest defensive fighters ever, has died after being hit by a car in Virginia. He was 55.
Police in Virginia Beach said the former fighter was hit by a car Sunday night. The driver of the car remained on the scene, and police said they were investigating the circumstances.
Sweet Pea was Mr. Whitaker’s nickname, and it fit perfectly. He was a master of hitting and not getting hit back, a southpaw who slipped in and out of the pocket.
Mr. Whitaker won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He advanced quickly and was fighting for a major title by his 17th fight, a loss to Jose Luis Ramirez that he would avenge the next year.
But Mr. Whitaker was also known as the victim of one of the worst decisions in boxing, a draw that allowed Julio Cesar Chavez to remain unbeaten in their welterweight showdown at the Alamodome in San Antonio in 1993.
Four years later, Mr. Whitaker was on the losing end of another difficult decision against Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas, a fight many ringsiders thought he had won.
“When you see the list of greatest boxing robberies in history they were both No. 1 and No. 2 on the list,” said Kathy Duva, his longtime promoter. “And every list of top 10 fighters of all time he was on, too.”
Mr. Whitaker was a champion in four weight classes in a professional career that spanned 17 years. He finished with a record of 40-4-1.
Whitaker made millions — $6 million for the De La Hoya fight alone — but Duva said he had little left in the end.
“He wasn’t a spender. He was very modest,” she said. “But he was supporting an awful lot of people for a long time.”