Pernell Whitaker is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001….while compiling a 40 wins 4 losses and 1 draw career….who was a four-weight world champion…. having won world titles at lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight….after facing all the legends and super greats of during his time in the ring to include Greg Haugen, Jose Luis Ramirez, Azumah Nelson, Rafael Pineda, James McGirt, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar de la Hoya and Felix Trinidad In 1989, Whitaker was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. From 1993 to 1997, The Ring ranked him as the best active boxer in the world, pound for pound.
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….where Bone Daddy saw him fight at the Los Angeles Games….during the process of setting an Olympic fan record that can never be broken…only tied….but attending a live event in every sport competed (26) at the L A Games. The Ring ranked him tenth in their list of “The 100 Greatest Fighters of the Last 80 Years”….and In 2006, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility. We at ImaSportsphile consider Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker as one of the legends of boxing from the Golden Age of Boxing from 1964 to 1999.
This 1985 fight against Teddy Hatfield….who was a club fighter with a career record of 18 – 12 – 1….while fighting some of the best lightweights of his time like Livingstone Bramble, Gary Hinton and Pernell Whitaker….as seen herewith….was Sweet Pea’s 6th professional fight….on his was to his legendary illustrious career…..which makes this MUST SEE TV for any true boxing fan.
