Pernell Whitaker 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.
42 Facts About Pernell Whitaker
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In 1989, Whitaker was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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Pernell Whitaker currently holds the longest unified lightweight championship reign in boxing history at six title defenses.
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Pernell Whitaker is generally regarded as one of the greatest defensive boxers of all-time.
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In 2006, Pernell Whitaker was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility.
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Pernell Whitaker had an extensive amateur boxing career, having started at the age of nine.
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Pernell Whitaker had 214 amateur fights, winning 201,91 of them by knockouts, though he said that he had up to 500 amateur fights.
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Pernell Whitaker lost to two-time Olympic Gold medalist Angel 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.
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Pernell Whitaker crowned his amateur career with an Olympic gold medal in 1984, beating Luis Ortiz to obtain it.
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In just his eleventh and twelfth pro bouts, Pernell 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.
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Pernell 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.
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Pernell Whitaker would fight nine times in the Scope arena during his career.
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Pernell Whitaker suffered his first pro defeat when the judges awarded a split decision to Ramirez.
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Pernell 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.
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Now a champion, Pernell Whitaker proceeded to dominate boxing's middle divisions over the first half of the 1990s.
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Pernell Whitaker's highlight of 1991 was a win over Jorge Paez and a fight against European Champion Poli Diaz that ended in another win.
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Pernell 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 Cesar Chavez.
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Pernell 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.
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Pernell Whitaker successfully defended his WBC belt against Scotland's Gary Jacobs on August 26,1995.
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In January, 1997, Pernell Whitaker put his title on the line against Cuban fighter Diosbelys Hurtado.
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Pernell Whitaker met Oscar De La Hoya on April 12,1997, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Pernell 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.
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Pernell 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 the bout was cancelled after Pernell Whitaker tested positive for a second time.
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On February 20,1999, Pernell Whitaker suffered his first convincing defeat against the much bigger, much fresher Felix Trinidad, gamely taking the Puerto Rican the distance in an attempt to win Trinidad's IBF welterweight title.
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Pernell Whitaker's last fight came on April 27,2001, against journeyman Carlos Bojorquez.
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On December 7,2006, Pernell Whitaker was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame along with contemporaries Roberto Duran and Ricardo Lopez.
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Pernell Whitaker 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.
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In December 2005 Pernell Whitaker became a boxing trainer in his home state of Virginia.
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Pernell Whitaker was 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.
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Pernell Whitaker trained former IBF world champion Paul Spadafora between 2009 and 2010 for 3 fights in which Spadafora won all three.
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In 2010, Pernell Whitaker was inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, honoring those who have contributed to sports in southeastern Virginia.
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Pernell Whitaker became the head trainer of former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah, who defeated Kaizer Mabuza in March 2011 to win the vacant IBF light welterweight title.
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Pernell Whitaker was born in Norfolk, Virginia on January 2,1964, the son of Raymond Whitaker Sr.
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Pernell Whitaker had six siblings, two brothers, Raymond Whitaker, Jr, Raynell Whitaker; and four sisters; Zelda Brown, Sylvonia Whitaker, Lucinda Manley, and Monique Williams.
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Pernell Whitaker married Rovanda Anthony on December 21,1985 in the boxing ring at the Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center.
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Pernell Whitaker sponsored many events at Norfolk State University and spent countless hours training youth at boxing camps and gyms.
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Pernell Whitaker remained active in Norfolk and spoke at city council meetings on behalf of the residents in support of community improvements.
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Pernell Whitaker 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.
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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.
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Apparently, back taxes were owed on the house and Pernell Whitaker said that neither his mother nor his siblings, who stayed in the house, were doing anything to help keep the house afloat financially.
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Pernell Whitaker'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.
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At about 10 pm on July 14,2019, Pernell Whitaker was crossing the street in Virginia Beach, at the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and Baker Road, when he was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle.