Boxing champ Pernell Whitaker dies; hit by car in Virginia


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"When you see the list of greatest boxing robberies in history they were both No. 1 and No. 2 on the list," said Kathy Duva, his longtime promoter. "And every list of top 10 fighters of all time he was on, too."


His style was unique and effective, a hit-and-don't-be-hit strategy that was later adopted by a rising young fighter named Floyd Mayweather Jr. Whitaker and Mayweather never met in the ring, but Whitaker did win a decision over Mayweather's uncle, Roger, in 1987.



Whitaker came out in his trademark style, confusing Chavez and frustrating the Mexican champion. Chavez stalked Whitaker throughout the fight, but Whitaker wasn't there to be found for the most part, and when he traded punches with Chavez he seemed to get the better of the Mexican. Ringside statistics showed Whitaker landing 311 punches to 220 for Chavez, while throwing 153 more punches.


"He would stand in the pocket and make everybody miss and frustrate the hell out of them," Duva said. "He said it was the most beautiful feeling in the world, to hit the other guy and not get hit."


"Of course (I won) but that really doesn't matter," Whitaker said. "As long as the world saw it, then the people can say who won the fight. I should have gotten 10 out of 12 rounds. It was a shutout. For 12 rounds, he took punishment, he took a beating. He can have the title but we know who the best fighter is."



"When I first saw "Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker" in Training Camp; it was like watching a Cat with boxing gloves," Foreman said. "Best balance I'd ever seen in a Boxer."



"He wasn't a spender. He was very modest," she said. "But he was supporting an awful lot of people for a long time."



"For years he wouldn't do those things," Duva said. "He found out that it was great, everybody was telling him how much they loved him and what a great fighter he was."

Duva said Whitaker was divorced and had four children. His family issued a statement saying the death was "one of the darkest moments in our lives."


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