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Pernell Whitaker

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Pernell Whitaker
Born(1964-01-02)January 2, 1964
Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
DiedJuly 14, 2019(2019-07-14) (aged 55)
Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Other namesSweet Pea
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)[1]
Reach69 in (175 cm)[1]
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights46
Wins40
Wins by KO17
Losses4
Draws1
No contests1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Lightweight
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1983 Caracas Lightweight
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1982 Munich Lightweight

Pernell Whitaker Sr.[2] (January 2, 1964 – July 14, 2019)[3] was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer. He was a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight; the undisputed lightweight title; and the lineal lightweight and welterweight titles.[4] In 1989, Whitaker was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He currently holds the longest unified lightweight championship reign in boxing history at six title defenses. Whitaker is generally regarded as one of the greatest defensive boxers of all-time.[5]

As an amateur, Whitaker won a silver medal in the lightweight division at the 1982 World Championships, followed by gold at the 1983 Pan American Games and 1984 Olympics. After his retirement in 2001, Whitaker returned to the sport as a trainer. In 2002, The Ring ranked him tenth in their list of "The 100 Greatest Fighters of the Last 80 Years". In 2006, Whitaker was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility.

Amateur career

[edit]

Whitaker had an extensive amateur boxing career, having started at the age of nine. He had 214 amateur fights, winning 201, 91 of them by knockouts, though he said that he had up to 500 amateur fights. He lost to two-time Olympic Gold medalist Ángel Herrera Vera at the final of the World Championships 1982 but beat him four other times, notably in the final of the Pan American Games 1983 in Caracas. He crowned his amateur career with an Olympic gold medal in 1984, beating Puerto Rican Luis Ortiz to obtain it.

Professional career

[edit]

Lightweight

[edit]

In just his eleventh and twelfth pro bouts, Whitaker defeated former world champion Alfredo Layne on December 20, 1986 and former WBA and lineal Super Featherweight and WBC Light Welterweight title holder Roger Mayweather on March 28, 1987. Whitaker won both bouts before hometown crowds at the Norfolk Scope, less than a mile from where he lived as a child in a Norfolk housing project. Whitaker would fight nine times in the Scope arena during his career.

On March 12, 1988, he challenged José Luis Ramírez for the WBC Lightweight title in Levallois, France. He suffered his first pro defeat when the judges awarded a split decision to Ramirez. This was a highly controversial decision, considered one of the worst ever by many analysts, as they felt that Whitaker easily won.[6][7][8]

Undisputed lightweight champion

[edit]

Whitaker trudged on, winning a decision over Greg Haugen for the IBF Lightweight title on February 18, 1989, becoming the first boxer to knock Haugen down by sending him to the mat in the sixth round. He then added the vacant WBC & The Ring belts 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 1990s. In 1990, he defended his Lightweight title against future champion Freddie Pendleton and Super Featherweight Champion Azumah Nelson of Ghana. On August 11, 1990, he knocked out Juan Nazario in one round to win the WBA and vacant lineal lightweight titles,[9] becoming the first Undisputed Lightweight Champion since Roberto Durán. His highlight of 1991 was a win over Jorge Páez and a fight against European Champion Poli Díaz that ended in another win.

IBF light welterweight champion

[edit]

In 1992, he began his ascent in weight, winning the IBF light welterweight title from Colombian puncher Rafael Pineda on July 18.

WBC and lineal welterweight champion

[edit]
Main article: Buddy McGirt vs. Pernell Whitaker

On March 6, 1993, he decisioned Buddy McGirt to become the Lineal and WBC Welterweight Champion.[10]

Whitaker vs. Chávez

[edit]
Main articles: Pernell Whitaker vs. Julio César Chávez and Pernell Whitaker vs. Buddy McGirt II

Whitaker was gaining momentum and boxing experts and fans felt that he needed to win against the pound for pound best boxer in the world: Julio César Chávez. The two met in a welterweight superfight simply named "The Fight"[11] on September 10, 1993 in San Antonio, Texas. In the eyes of many of the spectators, Whitaker outboxed the Mexican legend. While one judge did score the fight in favor of Whitaker (115-113), the other 2 judges saw an even bout (115-115), resulting in a majority draw. Sports Illustrated's post-fight edition had "ROBBED!" across the cover and they believed that Whitaker had won no less than 9 of the 12 rounds in the fight.[12] The now-defunct “Bert Sugar's Boxing Illustrated" magazine had a heading on the cover of its post-fight edition telling readers not to buy the issue if they really believed "The Fight" was a draw.[13]

Whitaker continued on to dominate for the next few years, defending his welterweight title against Santos Cardona on April 9, 1994 and in a rematch against McGirt on October 1, 1994.

WBA super welterweight champion

[edit]
Main article: Julio César Vásquez vs. Pernell Whitaker

In his next fight on March 4, 1995, Whitaker added Julio César Vásquez's WBA super welterweight title to his collection. Early on, Vasquez was the aggressor, and scored a flash knockdown on Whitaker in the 4th round; but Whitaker settled in & used his accuracy and defense to take over and outpoint Vasquez en route to a unanimous decision win. This was a history making fight for Whitaker, as he became only the fourth fighter in history - joining Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roberto Durán - to have won a legitimate world title in four different weight classes. However, he chose to move back to welterweight.[14][15]

Return to welterweight

[edit]
Main articles: Pernell Whitaker vs. Gary Jacobs and Pernell Whitaker vs. Jake Rodríguez

Whitaker successfully defended his WBC belt against Scotland's Gary Jacobs on August 26, 1995. In January, 1997, Whitaker put his title on the line against Cuban fighter Diosbelys Hurtado. Hurtado gave Whitaker all he could handle and then some. Hurtado had Whitaker down on all the judges scorecards going into the 11th round: Hurtado scored flash knockdowns against Whitaker in rounds 1 and 6, and Whitaker had a point deducted in the 9th round for hitting Hurtado behind the head. But midway in the 11th round, Whitaker landed a left hook that hurt Hurtado and, in a rare display of aggression and power, unleashed a barrage of left-handed power shots, pummeling Hurtado into the ropes, knocking Hurtado out and almost completely out of the ring before referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the fight at the 1:52 mark, giving Whitaker the come-from-behind TKO win.[16][17] The win set up a showdown with undefeated 1992 Olympic gold medalist Oscar De La Hoya.

Whitaker vs. De La Hoya

[edit]
Main article: Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya

He met Oscar De La Hoya on April 12, 1997, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitaker, defending his WBC championship and the mythical status as the best boxer in the world, pound for pound, succeeded in making De La Hoya look bad through his crafty defense, but he was unable to mount a sufficient offense to convince the judges. Whitaker was awarded an official knockdown in the 9th round and, according to CompuBox stats, outlanded De La Hoya in overall punches and connect percentage, using the jab as his primary weapon; but De La Hoya threw and landed almost twice as many power punches and had a slightly higher power punch connect percentage than Whitaker and showed more aggression in the fight, which may have factored into De La Hoya winning by a disputed unanimous decision. At the end of the fight, the judges' scores were 115-111, 116-110, 116-110. The fight was much closer than what the scorecards showed, and many observers felt that Whitaker won the fight. It was another controversial decision against Whitaker, but it wasn't seen as a blatant robbery like the Ramirez or Chavez decisions.[18]

For his part, De La Hoya wasn't too pleased with his own performance against Whitaker and had hinted at a possible rematch to prove that he could do better against him. But Bob Arum, De La Hoya's promoter at that time, decided against it. [19][20][21]

Whitaker's next bout was against Russian-born fighter Andrey Pestryayev in a world title elimination fight, where the winner would earn an automatic #1 contender spot for the WBA Welterweight crown, held at the time by Ike Quartey. Whitaker originally won the fight, but the win was nullified & changed to a No Decision after he failed a post-fight drug test.[22][23] Whitaker was suspended for six months, but the commission lifted the suspension after he agreed to random testing and his title bout with Quartey was to proceed as scheduled, however, the bout was cancelled after Whitaker tested positive for a second time.[24]

Whitaker vs. Trinidad

[edit]
Main article: Félix Trinidad vs. Pernell Whitaker

On February 20, 1999, Whitaker suffered his first convincing defeat against the much bigger, much fresher Félix Trinidad, gamely taking the Puerto Rican the distance in an attempt to win Trinidad's IBF welterweight title.[25] The fight began with both boxers displaying aggressive styles, which included excessive pushing. In the following rounds, both boxers used their jabs most of the time, with Trinidad gaining an advantage when Whitaker attempted to attack inside, eventually scoring a knockdown in round two.[25] In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds the fighters exchanged combinations.[25] Later in the fight, both boxers fell to the canvas in what were ruled as "accidental slips."[25] In the seventh round, Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control of the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth and tenth rounds.[25] In the last round, Whitaker, with a badly swollen right eye, displayed a purely defensive stance, avoiding his opponent throughout the round while Trinidad continued on the offensive until the fight concluded. The judges gave the champion scores of 117–111, 118–109 and 118–109.[25]

His last fight came on April 27, 2001, against journeyman Carlos Bojorquez. Whitaker, the former lightweight, entered the ring at 155 pounds. He broke his clavicle in round four and was forced to retire; at the time of the stoppage Whitaker was trailing in all the judges' scorecards by 28-29. Following this fight, Whitaker officially announced his retirement. He finished his professional career with an official record of 40-4-1 (17 knockouts).

In 2002, The Ring ranked Whitaker as the 10th Greatest Fighter of the Last 80 Years.

On December 7, 2006, Whitaker was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame along with contemporaries Roberto Durán and Ricardo López. They were all elected in their first year of eligibility.

Boxing style

[edit]

A southpaw, Whitaker was known for his outstanding defensive skills and for being a strong counterpuncher. He was not a particularly hard puncher or knockout artist, but applied a consistent offense while being extremely elusive and difficult for his opponents to hit with a solid punch.

Career as a trainer

[edit]

In December 2005 Whitaker became a boxing trainer in his home state of Virginia. While the decline of speed and agility pushed him into retirement, his knowledge of the ring and competitive boxing's components led him to seek out up-and-coming boxers to train to fight in the manner in which he did.

His first fighter, Dorin Spivey fought matches in 2006. He later trained young prospect Joel Julio.

Whitaker was also the trainer for heavyweight Calvin Brock who, as recently as November 2006, fought for the IBF and IBO titles against Wladimir Klitschko, wherein Brock was knocked out in the 7th round.

Whitaker also trained former IBF world champion Paul Spadafora between 2009 and 2010 for 3 fights in which Spadafora won all three.

In 2010, Whitaker was inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, honoring those who have contributed to sports in southeastern Virginia.

Whitaker also became the head trainer of former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah,[26] who defeated Kaizer Mabuza in March 2011 to win the vacant IBF light welterweight title.

Personal life

[edit]

Pernell Whitaker was born in Norfolk, Virginia on January 2, 1964, the son of Raymond Whitaker Sr. and his wife, Novella.[2] He had two brothers and four sisters.[citation needed]

Pernell married Rovanda Anthony on December 21, 1985 in the boxing ring at the Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center.[27] The couple later divorced. They had four children together. Pernell also had a daughter from a prior relationship.[citation needed]

Pernell graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1982 and later received an honorary bachelor's degree from Norfolk State University. His humble beginnings started in Youngs Park Housing Community where he was inspired to start his boxing career. Outside of the ring, Sweet Pea served his community and the youth in everything that he did. He sponsored many events at Norfolk State University and spent countless hours training youth at boxing camps and gyms. He also remained active in Norfolk and spoke at city council meetings on behalf of the residents in support of community improvements.[28]

Pernell had personal struggles and in June 2002 was convicted of cocaine possession after a judge found he violated the terms of a previous sentence by overdosing on cocaine in March.[29] In February 2014, Pernell made national headlines after he evicted his mother, Novella Whitaker, out of the house he purchased for her shortly after he turned pro. Apparently, back taxes were owed on the house and Pernell said that neither his mother nor his siblings, who also stayed in the house, were doing anything to help keep the house afloat financially. Pernell's lawyers said that he is not making the same kind of money as a trainer that he was as a boxer, and needed to sell off the home to satisfy the tax debt owed in order to prevent the property from being seized and put into foreclosure. Outside of the Virginia courtroom where the eviction proceedings took place, he called the ruling in his favor "a beautiful moment."[30]

Death

[edit]

At about 10 p.m. on July 14, 2019, Whitaker was crossing the street in Virginia Beach, at the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and Baker Road, when he was struck and killed by a vehicle.[31] He was 55. An autopsy stated that the cause of Whitaker's death was "multiple blunt force trauma."

Professional boxing record

[edit]
46 fights 40 wins 4 losses
By knockout 17 1
By decision 23 3
Draws 1
No contests 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
46 Loss 40–4–1 (1) Carlos Bojorquez TKO 4 (10), 0:27 Apr 27, 2001 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
45 Loss 40–3–1 (1) Félix Trinidad UD 12 Feb 20, 1999 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. For IBF welterweight title
44 NC 40–2–1 (1) Andrey Pestryayev UD 12 Oct 17, 1997 Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S. Originally a UD win for Whitaker, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test
43 Loss 40–2–1 Oscar De La Hoya UD 12 Apr 12, 1997 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Lost WBC welterweight title
42 Win 40–1–1 Diosbelys Hurtado TKO 11 (12), 1:52 Jan 24, 1997 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBC welterweight title
41 Win 39–1–1 Wilfredo Rivera UD 12 Sep 20, 1996 James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida, U.S. Retained WBC welterweight title
40 Win 38–1–1 Wilfredo Rivera SD 12 Apr 12, 1996 Atlantis World Casino, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles Retained WBC welterweight title
39 Win 37–1–1 Jake Rodríguez KO 6 (12), 2:54 Nov 18, 1995 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBC welterweight title
38 Win 36–1–1 Gary Jacobs UD 12 Aug 26, 1995 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBC welterweight title
37 Win 35–1–1 Julio César Vásquez UD 12 Mar 4, 1995 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Won WBA super welterweight title
36 Win 34–1–1 James McGirt UD 12 Oct 1, 1994 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. Retained WBC welterweight title
35 Win 33–1–1 Santos Cardona UD 12 Apr 9, 1994 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. Retained WBC welterweight title
34 Draw 32–1–1 Julio César Chávez MD 12 Sep 10, 1993 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Retained WBC welterweight title
33 Win 32–1 James McGirt UD 12 Mar 6, 1993 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Won WBC welterweight title
32 Win 31–1 Ben Baez KO 1 (10), 0:37 Dec 1, 1992 Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
31 Win 30–1 Rafael Pineda UD 12 Jul 18, 1992 The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Won IBF junior welterweight title
30 Win 29–1 Jerry Smith KO 1 (10) May 22, 1992 El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico
29 Win 28–1 Harold Brazier UD 10 Jan 18, 1992 Pennsylvania Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
28 Win 27–1 Jorge Páez UD 12 Oct 5, 1991 Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF lightweight titles
27 Win 26–1 Poli Díaz UD 12 Jul 27, 1991 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF lightweight titles
26 Win 25–1 Anthony Jones UD 12 Feb 23, 1991 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF lightweight titles
25 Win 24–1 Benjie Marquez UD 10 Nov 22, 1990 Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid, Spain
24 Win 23–1 Juan Nazario KO 1 (12), 2:59 Aug 11, 1990 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBC and IBF lightweight titles;
Won WBA lightweight title
23 Win 22–1 Azumah Nelson UD 12 May 19, 1990 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBC and IBF lightweight titles
22 Win 21–1 Freddie Pendleton UD 12 Feb 3, 1990 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBC and IBF lightweight titles
21 Win 20–1 Martin Galvan TKO 3 (?) Dec 11, 1989 Les Pyramides, Le Port-Marly, France
20 Win 19–1 José Luis Ramírez UD 12 Aug 20, 1989 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. Retained IBF lightweight title;
Won vacant WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
19 Win 18–1 Louie Lomeli TKO 3 (12), 2:37 Apr 30, 1989 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. Retained IBF lightweight title
18 Win 17–1 Greg Haugen UD 12 Feb 18, 1989 Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia, U.S. Won IBF lightweight title
17 Win 16–1 Antonio Carter TKO 4 (10), 2:37 Nov 2, 1988 Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
16 Loss 15–1 Jose Luis Ramírez SD 12 Mar 12, 1988 Stade de Levallois, Levallois-Perret, France For WBC lightweight title
15 Win 15–0 Davey Montana TKO 4 (10), 2:14 Dec 19, 1987 Paris, France
14 Win 14–0 Miguel Santana TKO 6 (12), 1:02 Jul 25, 1987 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. Retained NABF lightweight title;
Won vacant USBA lightweight title
13 Win 13–0 Jim Flores TKO 1 (10) Jun 28, 1987 Las Americas Arena, Houston, Texas, U.S.
12 Win 12–0 Roger Mayweather UD 12 Mar 28, 1987 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. Won vacant NABF lightweight title
11 Win 11–0 Alfredo Layne UD 10 Dec 20, 1986 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
10 Win 10–0 Rafael Gandarilla UD 10 Oct 9, 1986 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 Rafael Williams UD 10 Aug 16, 1986 Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 John Montes UD 10 Mar 9, 1986 Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Jesus De la Cruz TKO 1 (8), 2:22 Nov 12, 1985 Country Connection, Pasadena, Texas, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Teddy Hatfield KO 3 (8), 2:42 Aug 29, 1985 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 John Senegal TKO 2 (8), 1:29 Jul 20, 1985 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Nick Parker UD 6 Apr 20, 1985 Memorial Coliseum, Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Mike Golden TKO 4 (6), 2:54 Mar 13, 1985 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Danny Avery TKO 4 (6) Jan 20, 1985 Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Farrain Comeaux TKO 2 (6), 2:50 Nov 15, 1984 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.

Pay-per-view bouts

[edit]
Date Fight Billing Buys Network
April 12, 1997
 Whitaker vs. De La Hoya Pound for Pound 720,000[32] HBO

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b HBO Sports tale of the tape prior to the Félix Trinidad fight.
  2. ^ a b Rawling, John (2019-07-16). "Pernell Whitaker obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  3. ^ "Pernell Whitaker Dead At 55, Boxing Legend Hit By Car". TMZ. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  4. ^ "The Lineal Boxing World Champions". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  5. ^ "Floyd Mayweather Jr. and 25 Best Defensive Boxers in History". Bleacher Report.
  6. ^ McRae, Kevin. "Ranking the 15 Worst Judging Decisions in Boxing History". Bleacher Report.
  7. ^ Parkhurst, Bryan (July 15, 2011). "5 More Of the Worst Decisions in Boxing". Proboxing-fans.com.
  8. ^ "The List: The 10 Worst Decisions in Boxing History". Interaksyon.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
  9. ^ "The Lineal Lightweight Champions". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  10. ^ "The Lineal Welterweight Champs". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  11. ^ "The Fight" (JPG). Eyeonthering.com. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  12. ^ Beaten To The Draw
  13. ^ Unwin, Jack (August 5, 2019). "Pernell Whitaker V Julio Ceasr [sic] Chavez: Boxing's Controverisal [sic] Scorecards". Archived from the original on 2020-11-30.
  14. ^ "Julio Cesar Vasquez vs. Pernell Whitaker". Boxrec.com.
  15. ^ Pernell Whitaker vs Julio Cesar Vasquez - HBO World Championship Boxing
  16. ^ Cavanaugh, Jack (January 25, 1997). "Whitaker, Knocked Down, Comes Back to Knock Out Challenger". The New York Times.
  17. ^ "Pernell Whitaker vs Diosbelys Hurtado-part 5/6". YouTube. March 21, 2008. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22.
  18. ^ Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya
  19. ^ OSCAR TIME IT WASN'T AN AWARD-WINNING PERFORMANCE, BUT OSCAR DE LA HOYA TOOK PERNELL WHITAKER'S WELTERWEIGHT TITLE
  20. ^ Goldstein, Alan (13 April 1997). "De La Hoya beats Whitaker He takes WBC crown by unanimous decision". baltimoresun.com.
  21. ^ "Archives | The Philadelphia Inquirer". Inquirer.com.
  22. ^ "Pernell Whitaker vs. Andrey Pestryaev". Boxrec.com.
  23. ^ Harding, Compiled by Jim (2 November 1997). "EX-CHAMP WHITAKER COULD FACE 6-MONTH SUSPENSION FOR DRUGS". Chicagotribune.com.
  24. ^ Smith, Timothy W. (March 5, 1998). "PLUS: BOXING; Whitaker Fails Drug Test". The New York Times.
  25. ^ a b c d e f Luis Escobar (1999-02-20). "Trinidad Outduels The Master". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
  26. ^ Velin, Bob (March 4, 2011). "Zab Judah continues his personal road to redemption". USA Today. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  27. ^ "Sports Shorts". Associated Press. December 6, 1985. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  28. ^ ""Sweet Pea" Whitaker Sr". Legacy. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  29. ^ Wallechinsky, David (2012). The Book of Olympic Lists. London: Aurum Press Ltd. pp. 233. ISBN 9781845137731.
  30. ^ Fields, Liz (February 27, 2014). "Ex-Millionaire Boxer 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker Says Evicting Mom Is 'Beautiful Moment'". ABC News. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  31. ^ Dan Rafael (15 July 2019). "Former champion Whitaker hit by car, dies". Espn.com. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  32. ^ Pay-Per-View History Archived 2007-06-06 at the Wayback Machine at about.com
[edit]
Sporting positions
Amateur boxing titles
Previous:
Joe Manley 		U.S. lightweight champion
1982 		Next:
Clifford Gray
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Greg Haugen 		NABF lightweight champion
March 28, 1987 – October 1987
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Primo Ramos
Vacant
Title last held by
Terrence Alli 		USBA lightweight champion
July 25, 1987 – September 1987
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Freddie Pendleton
World boxing titles
Preceded by
Greg Haugen
 IBF lightweight champion
February 18, 1989 – February 28, 1992
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Freddie Pendleton
Vacant
Title last held by
Julio César Chávez 		WBC lightweight champion
August 20, 1989 – April 13, 1992
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Miguel Ángel González
The Ring lightweight champion
August 20, 1989
Title discontinued until 2002 		Vacant
Title next held by
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Preceded by WBA lightweight champion
August 11, 1990 – April 20, 1992
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Joey Gamache
Vacant
Title last held by
Roberto Durán 		Undisputed lightweight champion
August 11, 1990 – February 28, 1992
Titles fragmented 		Vacant
Title next held by
Devin Haney
Preceded by IBF junior welterweight champion
July 18, 1992 – March 6, 1993
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Charles Murray
Preceded by WBC welterweight champion
March 6, 1993 – April 12, 1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by WBA super welterweight champion
March 4, 1995 – March 8, 1995
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Carl Daniels
Awards
Previous:
Julio César Chávez 		The Ring pound for pound #1 boxer
September 1993 – May 1997 		Next:
Roy Jones Jr.
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