Athletes - Pernell Whitaker

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	Athletes - Pernell Whitaker

Pernell Whitaker (born January 2, 1964), nicknamed "Sweet 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 in four different weight divisions.

Whitaker was arguably the greatest defensive boxer of all time. 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 twelfth 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 super featherweight champion Azumah Nelson of Ghana. On August 11, 1990 he knocked out Juan Nazario in one round to add the WBA title and become undisputed lightweight champ. His highlight of 1991 was beating Jorge Paez. In 1992, he began his ascent up in weight, winning the IBF junior welterweight title from Raphael Pineda on July 18. On March 6, 1993 he decisioned James (Buddy) McGirt to become the linear and WBC welterweight champion.

Boxing's best couldn't touch "Sweet 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, defending his welterweight belt in a rematch against McGirt on October 1, 1994. 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 successfully defend his WBC belt against 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 by a disputed unanimous decision. Many felt Whitaker had done enough to retain his title, but the decision wasn't as controversial as his loss to Ramrez or his draw with Chavez.

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 Félix 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 "Sweet 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.

As of December 2005 Whitaker has taken on the role as trainer in his home state of Virginia. While the decline of speed and agility have pushed him into retirement, his knowledge of the ring and components have lead him to seek out up-and-coming boxers and train them to fight the way he did.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Pernell Whitaker ]

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Athletes - Pernell Whitaker

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