On This Day In Boxing History!

Paul Williams vs Antonio Margarito

WBO Welterweight World Championship

July 14th, 2007

Home Depot Center, Carson, California

2019: Pernell Whitaker Passes!

Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker Sr. (January 2, 1964 – July 14, 2019) was an American professional boxer widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive fighters and pure technicians in boxing history. A masterful southpaw from Norfolk, Virginia, Whitaker combined extraordinary reflexes, flawless footwork, exceptional ring intelligence, and pinpoint counterpunching to become one of the sport's premier pound-for-pound fighters. During a remarkable professional career that spanned from 1984 to 2001, he captured legitimate world championships in four weight classes—lightweight, light welterweight (junior welterweight), welterweight, and light middleweight (junior middleweight)—while establishing a lasting reputation as one of boxing's finest defensive craftsmen.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, to Raymond Whitaker Sr. and Novella Whitaker, Whitaker grew up in the Youngs Park housing projects, where he began boxing at the age of nine. He quickly emerged as one of America's most gifted amateur fighters, compiling an outstanding amateur record officially listed at 201 victories and 14 defeats, with 91 knockouts, although Whitaker himself often claimed to have fought well over 500 amateur bouts. His amateur accomplishments were among the finest of his generation. He won a silver medal at the 1982 World Amateur Championships, captured gold at the 1983 Pan American Games, and reached the pinnacle of amateur boxing by winning the lightweight gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, defeating Puerto Rico's Luis Ortiz in the championship bout. His extraordinary amateur success established him as one of the world's premier prospects entering the professional ranks.

Whitaker made his professional debut on November 15, 1984, and immediately showcased the elusive style that would define his career. Standing 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) with a 69-inch (175 cm) reach, he relied on superior timing, defensive awareness, slick head movement, lightning-fast reflexes, and exceptional footwork rather than knockout power. Nicknamed "Sweet Pea" after a childhood mispronunciation of the cartoon character "Sweet Pea," Whitaker possessed an uncanny ability to make opponents miss while landing clean, accurate counterpunches. His mastery of defensive boxing, often utilizing elements of the Philly Shell (crab) defense alongside his own unique movement and positioning, frustrated even the sport's elite fighters and earned him recognition as one of the greatest defensive boxers of all time.

After steadily climbing the lightweight rankings, Whitaker challenged WBC lightweight champion José Luis Ramírez in 1988 but suffered a highly controversial split-decision defeat that many observers believed he deserved to win. Rather than allowing the setback to define his career, Whitaker responded emphatically. In February 1989, he defeated Greg Haugen to win the IBF lightweight championship, securing his first professional world title. Later that year, he avenged the disputed Ramírez loss with a convincing unanimous decision victory to capture the WBC lightweight title. In 1990, Whitaker unified the division by knocking out WBA champion Juan Nazario in the opening round, becoming the undisputed and lineal lightweight champion. His reign at lightweight featured six successful title defenses—then the longest undisputed lightweight championship reign in modern boxing—and included victories over elite opponents such as Azumah Nelson, Freddie Pendleton, Jorge Páez, and Poli Díaz.

Never content to remain in one division, Whitaker moved through multiple weight classes while continuing to defeat top-level competition. In 1992, he captured the IBF light welterweight championship with a victory over Rafael Pineda before moving to welterweight, where he defeated Buddy McGirt in 1993 to win the WBC and lineal welterweight championships. That same year, Whitaker participated in one of the most controversial fights in boxing history when he faced undefeated Mexican superstar Julio César Chávez. Despite outboxing Chávez for much of the contest and leading on many unofficial scorecards, the bout was ruled a majority draw, a verdict widely condemned by boxing writers, fans, and analysts. The decision became one of the sport's most infamous judging controversies, with many believing Whitaker had clearly earned the victory.

Whitaker continued adding to his legacy by moving up once more in 1995 to defeat Julio César Vásquez for the WBA light middleweight championship, becoming just the fourth boxer—after Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roberto Durán—to win recognized world titles in four different weight divisions. He later returned to welterweight, where he successfully defended his WBC championship several more times, including an impressive comeback stoppage victory over Diosbelys Hurtado in 1997 after surviving an early knockdown.

Although Whitaker remained among boxing's elite throughout the 1990s, the latter stages of his career included several notable setbacks. In 1997, he lost a disputed unanimous decision to Oscar De La Hoya in a fight many observers felt was significantly closer than the official scorecards indicated. Later that year, a scheduled title defense against Andrei Pestriaev was declared a no contest after Whitaker tested positive for cocaine, resulting in the loss of his WBC welterweight title. In 1999, he dropped a unanimous decision to undefeated welterweight champion Félix Trinidad. Whitaker's final professional bout came in April 2001 against Carlos Bojorquez, ending in a technical knockout after Whitaker suffered a broken clavicle. He retired with an official professional record of 40 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw, with 17 victories by knockout and 1 no contest.

Whitaker's greatest legacy rests not merely in his championships but in the artistry of his boxing. Universally admired for his defensive brilliance, he possessed extraordinary anticipation, balance, spatial awareness, and the rare ability to avoid punches by fractions of an inch while remaining in position to counter effectively. His blend of speed, timing, precision, and ring generalship made him one of the most difficult fighters to hit cleanly, and many boxing historians consider him among the greatest defensive fighters the sport has ever produced. His influence can still be seen in generations of boxers who study his movement, defensive positioning, and counterpunching techniques.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Whitaker was named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year and the Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year in 1989. In 2002, The Ring ranked him among the ten greatest fighters of the previous eighty years, and in 2006 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He is also recognized as a former undisputed lightweight champion and lineal champion at both lightweight and welterweight.

Outside the ring, Whitaker married Rovanda Anthony in 1985 in a ceremony held inside a boxing ring. The couple had four children before later divorcing, and Whitaker also had a daughter from a previous relationship. Following his retirement, he remained active in boxing as a trainer and mentor, working with young fighters while giving back to the Norfolk community through local gyms, youth boxing programs, and charitable initiatives. He also received an honorary degree from Norfolk State University in recognition of his achievements and community service.

On July 14, 2019, Whitaker was tragically killed at the age of 55 after being struck by a vehicle while crossing a street in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His death was ruled accidental, with the cause determined to be multiple blunt force injuries.

Pernell Whitaker remains one of boxing's true all-time greats. A four-division world champion, Olympic gold medalist, undisputed lightweight champion, and universally respected defensive virtuoso, "Sweet Pea" elevated the craft of boxing through intelligence, precision, and unmatched defensive skill. His ability to neutralize elite opponents while making the sport's most difficult techniques appear effortless has secured his place among the finest technicians ever to step into the ring, and his influence continues to inspire boxers, trainers, and fans around the world.

Pernell Whitaker

Birth Place: Norfolk, Virginia

Residence: Norfolk, Virginia

Career: 1984-2001

Amateur Record: 201-14

Pro-Debut: November 15th, 1984

Division: Welterweight

Alias: Sweet Pea

Stance: Southpaw

Height: 5′ 6″  

Reach: 69″  

Bouts: 46

Rounds: 379

Ko’s: 42.5%

Died: July 14th, 2019

Lightweight Gold Medalist for the United States at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California

IBF Lightweight Champion

1989 Feb 18 – 1992

WBC Lightweight Champion

1989 Aug 20 – 1992

WBA Lightweight Champion

1990 Aug 11 – 1992

IBF Light Welterweight Champion

1992 Jul 18 – 1993

WBC Welterweight Champion

1993 Mar 6 – 1997 Apr 12

WBA Light Middleweight Champion

1995 Mar 4 – 1995

July 14th

1919: Harry Greb NWS6 Battling Levinsky

1925: Pancho Villa, age 23, passess from blood poisoning caused by an ulcerated tooth

1932: Maxie Rosenbloom W15 Lou Scozza

1965: Lou Savarese born.

1973: Ernesto Marcel KO12 Antonio Gomez

1985: Milton McCrory KO3 Carlos Trujillo

1994: Anaclet Wamba D12 Adolpho Washington

1995: Acelino Freitas debuts KO1 Jose Adriano Soares

1996: Marco Antonio Barrera TKO7 Orlando Fernandez

Michael Carbajal KO1 Manuel Sarabia

2005: Roman Karmazin W12 Kassim Ouma

2006: Mikey Garcia debuts age 19 W4 Herrera Mendoza

2007: Paul Williams W12 Antonio Margarito

Kermit Cintron K 2 Walter Matthyssee

Alfonso Gomez KO7 Arturo Gatti

Steve Molitor KO9 Takalani Ndlovu, Orilla

Fernando Montiel TKO10 Cecilio Santos

Amir Khan RTD8 Willie Limond

2009: Elio Rojas W12 Takahiro Ao

Roman Gonzalez W12 Katsunari Takayama     

Hozumi Hasegawa TKO1 Nestor Rocha

2011: Ismael El Massoudi TKO12 Souleymane M'baye          

2012: Danny Garcia TKO4 Amir Khan

Alejandra Marina Oliveras TKO5 Migdalia Asprilla

Jesus Silvestre W12 Edwin Diaz

Vitalii Kopylenko KO3 Vitor Sa

Mariana Juarez WSD10 Shindo Go

2019: IBF/WBC/ WBA Lightweight Champion Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker as he was involved in a fatal car accident as he was hit by a car as he was crossing the street in Virginia Beach. He was attended to by the paramedics at the scene of the incident but succumbed to the injuries at age 55