During his lightweight title reign, Whitaker defeated fellow future Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson by clear decision and stopped Juan Nazario by rare first-round knockout to become the undisputed champion. 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. They brought him to events and scheduled him for personal appearances and autograph signings. The two met in a welterweight superfight simply named "The Fight"[11] on September 10, 1993 in San Antonio, Texas. He finished his professional career with an official record of 40-4-1 (17 knockouts). Known as "Sweet Pea," Whitaker, a southpaw from Norfolk, Virginia, was revered as perhaps the best defensive fighter in history, and his slick moves confounded opponent after opponent. Gould also mentioned that Whitakers money has been drying up since he retired from professional fighting. But he still showed up at the arena to marry his fiance, Rovanda Anthony, in the ring after the evenings last fight. Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) July 15, 2019, It was an honor to share the ring with him. 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. Caption: Pernell Whitaker, late American professional boxer. His first fighter, Dorin Spivey fought matches in 2006. They were all elected in their first year of eligibility. [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. Pernell Whitaker | Biography, Record, & Facts | Britannica "Pernell Whitaker was beautiful -- both as a fighter and as a human being," HBO, his longtime television home, broadcasting 19 of his fights, said in a statement. pic.twitter.com/56T1ueHiLh, So Sad. 9:54. During his long and successful career I never missed one of his fights. He met Oscar De La Hoya on April 12, 1997, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2010, Whitaker was inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, honoring those who have contributed to sports in southeastern Virginia. "The driver of the vehicle remained on scene with police.". With his defensive techniques and skilled counterpunch, he had fought from 1984 to 2001. We share so many great memories. #GoneButNeverForgotten, Rest in eternal peace Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker - IMO the greatest defensive fighter of all time pic.twitter.com/55KnItMmSq, Oh no, no, no Sweet Pea was one of the greatest fighters to ever lace up gloves. Also, Whitaker was known for his outstanding defensive skills who applied a consistent offense which makes it difficult for his opponents to hit with a solid punch. His. Dan said, I can get you a couple of million dollars, but Pete would say, I dont want no easy fights. , Pernell Whitaker, Champion in Four Boxing Classes, Dies at 55, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/sports/pernell-whitaker-champion-in-four-boxing-classes-dies-at-55.html. Legendary boxer Pernell Whitaker suffered "multiple blunt-force injuries" leading to his death at the age of 55 after being struck by a car while walking Sunday night in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His highlight of 1991 was a win over Jorge Pez and a fight against European Champion Poli Daz that ended in another win. What's next for Russia? The Virginia Beach Police Department confirmed the death, saying he was crossing a street at night when he was hit. Once a celebrated millionaire boxer and 1985 Olympic gold medalist, Whitaker is now struggling to pay his bills and needed to sell the house which he gave to his mother nearly 30 years ago, according to his lawyer. The fight was much closer than what the scorecards showed, and many observers felt that Whitaker won the fight. [2] He had six siblings, two brothers, Raymond Whitaker, Jr, Raynell Whitaker; and four sisters; Zelda Brown, Sylvonia Whitaker, Lucinda Manley, and Monique Williams. Thats all I can say about him, he told the Virginian Pilot newspaper. 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. Pernell Whitaker. But Bob Arum, De La Hoya's promoter at that time, decided against it. 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. The accident occurred at approximately 10 p.m . Pernell Whitaker, Champion in Four Boxing Classes, Dies at 55 But Whitaker's final falling out with his family came to an ugly end in a Virginia court on Wednesday. Pernell married Rovanda Anthony on December 21, 1985 in the boxing ring at the Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center. In his next fight on March 4, 1995, Whitaker added Julio Csar Vsquez's WBA super welterweight title to his collection. I could watch hours and hours of him. Wow I cant believe this!!! #PernellWhitaker pic.twitter.com/IZv3IQOo2f, It was an honor to share the ring with him. He had inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Hall of Fame boxer Whitaker hit by car, dies - ESPN He posted a 40-1-1 record across his first 42 fights before failing to win any of his final four bouts, a stretch that featured three losses and a no-contest. After retirement, he also survived a cocaine overdose in 2001. Police in Virginia Beach said Whitaker was killed as he crossed the road at an intersection on Sunday night. Powered by. He would smile at you and demonstrate to you, while smiling, how remarkably easy this was for him.. Whitaker is generally regarded as one of the greatest defensive boxers of all-time.[5]. He was a flawless fighter. Pernell Whitaker, a left-handed defensive master in the boxing ring who won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics and became a champion in four weight classes as a professional, was killed on Sunday when he was struck by a car in Virginia Beach. "We thought, hey, here's an idea, but we can't actually do that, can we?" In terms of his defense and ring generalship, Pernell Whitaker was the best fighter that I ever fought. I was robbed again, Whitaker said afterward. Outside the Virginia court, he said the ruling in his favor a beautiful moment. Once a celebrated millionaire boxer and 1985 Olympic gold medalist, Whitaker is now struggling to pay his bills and needed to sell the house which he gave to his mother nearly 30 years ago, according to his lawyer. Whitaker won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics and became a champion in four weight classes as a professional. Pernell Whitaker Jr Passes Away Today From Rare Cancer Pernell 'Sweat Pea' Whitaker, former boxing champion, dies after being Boxing Legend Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker Dead At 55, Hit By Car - YouTube What happens when a boxer kills his opponent? Boxing community reacts to tragic death of Pernell Whitaker, Pernell Whitaker diedafter being struck by a vehicle. Whitaker, who made his professional debut on ABC with several of his Olympic teammates at Madison Square Garden in New York and eventually became a staple on HBO, moved up to junior welterweight in 1992 and outpointed Rafael Pineda to win a 140-pound world title. He then faced the undefeated Oscar De La Hoya in 1997 for the W.B.C. The rematches that Whitaker wanted against De La Hoya and Chavez never happened. His humble beginnings started in Youngs Park Housing Community where he was inspired to start his boxing career. "I'm going to surviveI'm a survivor..I'm going with my daughtershe is taking me in," said Novella Whitaker told WVEC. The victim succumbed to his injuries on the scene, a Virginia Beach Police Department spokesman said in a statement. His fall from grace and solvency involved numerous incidences of drug abuse and a history of arrests and run-ins with police. pic.twitter.com/pZZEceN7h2. In my Top 2 fave fighters. Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker, One of the All-Time Greats, Olympic boxing champions men's lightweight, Pan American Champions in Boxing Men's Lightweight, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pernell_Whitaker&oldid=1149470046, International Boxing Federation champions, Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in boxing, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers, AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists, World light-welterweight boxing champions, World light-middleweight boxing champions, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 13:03. Legendary boxer Pernell Whitaker suffered "multiple blunt-force injuries" leading to his death at the age of 55 after being struck by a car while walking Sunday night in Virginia Beach,. Moreover, as a professional boxer, he played around 46 fights in which he won 40. After Whitakers death, his son Domonique took to Facebook to announce his fathers passing. He passed away on Sunday, July 14, 2019. He jumped at it, and Rovanda loved it also. He was 55. We are deeply saddened with this new; May the legend rest in eternal peace. In recent years, with the millions he had earned largely gone, Whitaker trained fighters, including Zab Judah, who won the I.B.F. He earned money at autograph shows as well. [2] He had six siblings, two brothers, Raymond Whitaker, Jr, Raynell Whitaker; and four sisters; Zelda Brown, Sylvonia Whitaker, Lucinda Manley, and Monique Williams. Whitaker had been scheduled to fight on a nationally televised card with four other former Olympians Mark Breland, Tyrell Biggs, Meldrick Taylor and Evander Holyfield on that day in the mid-1980s, but the boxing legend had other plans. #ripsweetpea pic.twitter.com/un90hPmIO6. Max Kellerman (@maxkellerman) July 15, 2019 pic.twitter.com/Zsgqa66FKF, When Pernell Whitaker was world champion from lightweight to light middleweight, he was something special. Pernell Whitaker, heralded as one of the greatest boxers to ever lace up a pair of gloves, died Sunday night after he was hit by a pickup truck while walking across a wide thoroughfare in Virginia . Its sad for him to have to take action against his mother, but none of the family would contribute to the real estate and he had no alternative but to use the court process, Whitakers lawyer Bruce Gould told ABC News in 2014. In December 2005 Whitaker became a boxing trainer in his home state of Virginia. [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. Sweet Pea has two siblings: a brother, Raymond, Jr., and a sister, Monique. The cover of Sports Illustrated days later showed a photo of Whitaker landing a punch with the headline "Robbed!". Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Mark Schwarz reflects on Pernell Whitaker's legacy and notes that the fighter's toughest opponent might have been himself. [29], 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. Sixteen months later, Whitaker returned, but he was a shell of himself against Trinidad. Its significantly diminished over the years and hes not able to maintain this $400,000 house for his mother and siblings to live in.. but no information regarding it. No matter what he was going through, Pete had a great heart. After the fights, we dropped the ropes, and they got married in the ring. As great as Whitaker was, many wondered how much greater he could have been without the drug addiction that plagued him throughout his career. Whitaker (who's from Virginia) was a BEAST in the ring winning world titles at 4 different weights -- lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight and light middleweight. #GoneButNeverForgotten, Rest in eternal peace Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker - IMO the greatest defensive fighter of all time pic.twitter.com/55KnItMmSq, Oh no, no, no Sweet Pea was one of the greatest fighters to ever lace up gloves. In 1993, in the fight after the megafight with Chavez, Whitaker notched the first of his two decision wins over Hall of Famer James "Buddy" McGirt to win a welterweight world title, which he defended eight times before losing it to De La Hoya. ABC News' calls to a number listed for Pernell Whitaker went unanswered today. Boxing community reacts to tragic death of Pernell Whitaker Boxing legend Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker dead at 55. I always wanted a church wedding, Ms. Anthony said before the wedding. Whitaker felt like neither his mother or other family members were contributing to the cost of the house, therefore he proceeded with the eviction. Pernell Whitaker, right, fighting Julio Cesar Vasquez in Atlantic City in April 1995. Pernell Whitaker's Death Ruled 'Accident' from Blunt Force Trauma - TMZ He passed away on Sunday, July 14, 2019. Getty However, in his last fight with journeyman Carlos Bojorquezz, he broke his clavicle in fourth round which forced him to retire. Ring Magazine named him the Fight of the Year in 1989. Pernell Whitaker: Bio, Family, Education. The house was always listed under Whitakers name and as there was no written lease or deed of gift, the sons oral promise to his mother is not enforceable under Virginia law, Gould said.

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