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Pernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker (born January 2, 1964), nicknamed "Sweat Pea", is a retired professional boxer, among the greatest of all-time. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Whitaker was the lightweight gold medalist in the 1984 Olympics, and then embarked on a pro career in which he became world champion of the lightweight and welterweight divisions, and a partial titlist at junior welterweight and junior middleweight. Whitaker was a defensive wizard with modest punching power. His mastery of the subtle nuances of the sport made him far less famous among general sports fans than his accomplishments merited. In his prime years, Whitaker was remarkably consistent in seeking out the toughest opponents and outclassing them with his exasperating head movement and crisp counter-punching. While Whitaker was a genius at presenting a scarce target, he did so not by retreating, but by slipping and countering from close range. In just his eleventh and twelth pro bouts, Whitaker beat solid journeymen Alfredo Layne in December, 1986, and Roger Mayweather in March, 1987. On March 12, 1988 he challenged Jose Luis Ramirez for the WBC Lightweight Championship in Levallois, France. He suffered his first pro defeat when the judges rendered a bizarre split decision in Ramirez's favor. Two of the three judges were apparently watching a different fight than the rest of the world, to whom it appeared Whitaker had won easily. Whitaker trudged on, decisioning tough Greg Haugen for the IBF lightweight title on February 18, 1989. He added the WBC belt by avenging his loss to Ramirez on August 20. Now a champion, Whitaker proceeded to dominate boxing's middle divisions over the first half of the 1990's. In 1990, he defended his lightweight title against good journeyman Freddie Pendelton and featherweight champion Azumah Nelson of Ghana. His highlight of 1991 was beating Jorge Paez. In 1992, he began his assent up in weight, winning the IBF junior welterweight title from Raphael Pineda on July 18. Boxing's best couldn't touch "Sweat Pea," but many experts expected that to change when he fought Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez in a welterweight superfight on September 10, 1993 in San Antonio, Texas. In a career-defining performance, Whitaker made the undefeated brawler look ordinary, winning nearly every round in the eyes' of the spectators. But as in his first fight with Ramirez, Whitaker was robbed by the judges, and had to settle for a draw. Whitaker continued to dominate for the next few years, beating James McGirt for the WBC welterweight belt on October 1, 1994, the same title he was denied against Chavez. For good measure, in his next fight on March 4, 1995, Whitaker added Julio Cesar Vasquez's WBA junior middleweight title to his collection. He moved back down to welterweight to regain the vacant WBC belt from Scotland's Gary Jacobs on August 26, 1995. Despite his success, Whitaker's skills were in gradual decline, evidenced by lackluster defenses against Wilfredo Rivera and Diosbelys Hurtado. He met a bigger, younger Oscar de la Hoya on April 12, 1997 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitaker succeeded in making De la Hoya look bad through his crafty defense, but he was unable to mount a sufficient offense to sway the judges, and De la Hoya won a wide unanimous decision in a dull, ugly fight. Following this loss, Whitaker began an unfortunate decline, personally and professionally. His win over Andrei Pestriaev was declared a No-Contest after a drug test revealed that he had used cocaine. In 1999, Whitaker suffered his first sound defeat against the much bigger, much fresher Flix Trinidad, gamely taking the Puerto Rican knockout specialist the distance. His last fight came on April 27, 2001 against mediocre Carlos Bojorquez. Whitaker broke his clavicle in round four and was forced to retire, finishing with an official pro record of 40-4-1 (17 knockouts). Whitaker has since been in and out of prison for cocaine possession and is rumored to have squandered the millions of dollars he earned in fight purses. While Pernell "Sweat Pea" Whitaker's future seems uncertain, his record in the ring speaks for itself. He will undoubtedly be inducted into any boxing hall of fame there is at the earliest eligibility. Whitaker, Pernell Whitaker, Pernell
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