Pernell Whitaker

Pernell Whitaker
Born(1964-01-02)January 2, 1964
DiedJuly 14, 2019(2019-07-14) (aged 55)
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.

  1. ^ a b HBO Sports tale of the tape prior to the Félix Trinidad fight.
  2. ^ 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.