#PernellWhitaker pic.twitter.com/IZv3IQOo2f He was 55 years old.. R.I.P. Whitaker won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics and became a champion in four weight classes as a professional. He passed away on Sunday, July 14, 2019. Max Kellerman (@maxkellerman) July 15, 2019 Whitaker, 50, bought the two-story brick home near the Botanical Garden in Norfolk, Va., for his mother in 1984 when he was still flush from his many wins in the ring. He was born on 2 January 1964, in Norfolk, Virginia. "[25] In the seventh round, Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control of the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth and tenth rounds. Pernell Whitaker was born in Norfolk, Virginia on January 2, 1964, the son of Raymond Whitaker Sr. and his wife, Novella. Whitaker was not boxing on the show, but his Olympic teammates and good buddies Holyfield, Mark Breland, Meldrick Taylor and Tyrell Biggs were. We share so many great memories. The judges gave the champion scores of 117111, 118109 and 118109.[25]. As an amateur, Whitaker won a silver medal at the 1982 World Boxing Championships, a gold at the Pan-American Games in 1983 and a gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, all in the 132-pound lightweight division. Pernell Whitaker, widely considered to be one of the greatest defensive boxers of all time, has died after being hit by a car. Three months after the Olympics, he and several other members of the United States boxing team, among them Evander Holyfield and Mark Breland, made their professional debuts at Madison Square Garden in New York. Unclear if the driver of the car was arrested but he did stay on the scene to speak with police. RIP Sweet Pea. The American was known as a brilliant defensive boxer with many opponents struggling to lay a hand on him. Speaking of his persona life, he had married Rovanda Anthony. Pernell married Rovanda Anthony on December 21, 1985 in the boxing ring at the Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center. In 1984, he won his amateur career with an Olympic gold medal. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. #Boxing has lost one of its best and Ive lost a friend. He also won a gold medal as a lightweight at the 1984 Olympics. We send our condolences to his family, as well as his extended family at Main Events and throughout the boxing community.". Pernell'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. Whitaker lost his first chance at a championship in 1988, but he rebounded the next year to win the International Boxing Federation world lightweight title from Greg Haugen. Its sad for him to have to take action against his mother, but none of the family would contribute to the real estate and he had no alternative but to use the court process, Gould said. Examined. In recent years, with the millions he had earned largely gone, Whitaker trained fighters, including Zab Judah, who won the I.B.F. Mauricio Sulaiman. He was 55. He broke his clavicle in round four and was forced to retire; at the time of the stoppage Whitaker was trailing in all the judges' scorecards by 28-29. July 15, 2019 Pernell Whitaker, a left-handed defensive master in the boxing ring who won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics and became a champion in four weight classes as a. mourned his death. Felix Trinidad throws a punch during a fight against Pernell Whitaker. "From Olympic gold to world championships in four weight divisions, Pernell Whitaker was one of the greatest boxers to ever lace up a pair of gloves," Hall of Fame executive director Edward Brophy said. It was the first of Whitakers 15 consecutive victories through 1988, a pace that was slowed temporarily by an injury that kept him from fighting on a card at the Pavilion Convention Center in Virginia Beach in December 1985. Former boxing champion Pernell Whitaker has died after he was hit by a car in Virginia. Where Tyson was a savage wrecking ball, Whitaker was smooth and an untouchable thief in the night. Whitaker died on July 14, 2019 after being stuck by a vehicle in Virginia Beach, Virginia. After his retirement in 2001, Whitaker returned to the sport as a trainer. [12] The now-defuncted Bert Sugar's Boxing Illustrated" magazine had a heading on the cover of its post-fight edition telling readers not to buy the issue if they really believed "The Fight" was a draw.[13]. He was a successful trainer after his retirement although he became involved in an ugly dispute with his mother over money in recent years. He retired in 2001 after three defeats in his final four fights with but he was in his prime in the 80s and 90s. Rest in Peace my friend. Though he was not particularly hard puncher still considered as a strong counterpuncher. In terms of his defense and ring generalship, Pernell Whitaker was the best fighter that I ever fought. Moreover, in 2002, he was convicted of possessing cocaine after the judge found him violating the terms of his previous sentence in the month of March. Getty We're told officials received a call around 10:04. Pernell Whitaker is legally having his mother evicted from a home she's been living in since 1984. A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Jul 15, 2019 at 6:44am PDT, I'm deeply saddened by the loss of this great champion, who gave a tremendous amount of joy to those who watched him. Thank you for inspiring me and all the future champions to do the sport that we love. Get TMZ breaking news sent right to your browser! This is insanely sad. Name: Pernell Whitaker Alias: Sweet Pea Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia, USA Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, USA Died: 2019-07-14 (Age:55) Stance: Southpaw Height: 168cm Reach: 175cm Pro Boxer: Record . He was small in statue but yet so big in heart and skills inside the ring, there will never be another like him, he will truly be missed pic.twitter.com/IqmXkqpqkG. Whitaker and Chavez, who was 87-0 at the time, were considered two of the greatest boxers, pound for pound, of their day. TMZ Sports provided details from the autopsy Tuesday and noted investigators don't believe alcohol, drugs or speed were factors, with one official calling the death a "horrible accident.". In January, 1997, Whitaker put his title on the line against Cuban fighter Diosbelys Hurtado. Pernell Whitaker, a former boxing champion and Olympic medalist, has died after he was hit by a car in Virginia Beach. ABC News' calls to a number listed for Pernell Whitaker went unanswered today. He jumped at it, and Rovanda loved it also. On Wednesday, a Norfolk General District Court judge ruled in Whitakers favor, ordering Novella Whitaker and two other children and their families also living in the home to leave the house by March 31. Pernell Whitaker Wife When he returned to the ring in early 1999, he fractured his jaw in a decisive loss to Felix Trinidad for the I.B.F. Pernell's passing is a great loss. Former boxing champion Pernell Whitaker has died after he was hit by a car in . He added: I mentally and physically beat him. Pernell Whitakerwas born on January 2, 1964, and he is an American professional boxer and four-weight world champion. Legendary boxer Pernell Whitaker suffered "multiple blunt-force injuries" leading to his death at the age of 55 after being struck by a car while walking Sunday night in Virginia Beach,. ", I'm deeply saddened by the loss of this great champion, who gave a tremendous amount of joy to those who watched him. Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker, One of the All-Time Greats, Olympic boxing champions men's lightweight, Pan American Champions in Boxing Men's Lightweight, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pernell_Whitaker&oldid=1149470046, International Boxing Federation champions, Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in boxing, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers, AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists, World light-welterweight boxing champions, World light-middleweight boxing champions, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 13:03. In 2002, The Ring ranked him tenth in their list of "The 100 Greatest Fighters of the Last 80 Years". Glad I got to sit next to him at the Ward v Kovalev fight in Las Vegas. ", Magic Johnson added "Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker was in the class of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard as one of the most entertaining fighters in my lifetime. Rate Pernell Whitakers Career from 1-10 #fight #ko #tko #streetfight #knockout #mma #ufc #fitness #excercise #brutal #sport #punch #punches #belator #pernellwhitaker #workout #heavyweight #strength #boxing #power #miketyson #royjonesjr #train #motivation #combat #conormcgregor #anthonyjoshua , A post shared by Pernell Whitaker Fan Page (@pernellwhitakerr) on Feb 11, 2018 at 3:08pm PST. Feb. 27, 2014— -- Former welterweight boxing champ Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker's latest battle was a court fight to evict his mother from her house and he described his court victory as a "beautiful moment.". Outside of the ring, Sweet Pea served his community and the youth in everything that he did. What happens when a boxer kills his opponent? 11:09. He lost to two-time Olympic Gold medalist ngel 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. Powered by. During his long and successful career I never missed one of his fights. Moreover, from the age of nine, he started his training in an amateur boxing career. Whitaker also became the head trainer of former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah,[26] who defeated Kaizer Mabuza in March 2011 to win the vacant IBF light welterweight title. He later trained young prospect Joel Julio. Its significantly diminished over the years and hes not able to maintain this $400,000 house for his mother and siblings to live in.. Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. He then faced the undefeated Oscar De La Hoya in 1997 for the W.B.C. On behalf of everyone at Golden Boy, we send our prayers and condolences to his family and friends. We have just received the sad news informing us that Pernell Whitaker has passed. However, at the time of his demise, his net worth has an estimation of around $5 million. [2] He had six siblings, two brothers, Raymond Whitaker, Jr, Raynell Whitaker; and four sisters; Zelda Brown, Sylvonia Whitaker, Lucinda Manley, and Monique Williams. Last night it was like someone put a knife in me and twisted it, Whitaker told Sports Illustrated the next day, irate at the decision. pic.twitter.com/Zsgqa66FKF, When Pernell Whitaker was world champion from lightweight to light middleweight, he was something special. welterweight belt. My prayers are with his family and loved ones. Boxing community reacts to tragic death of Pernell Whitaker, Pernell Whitaker diedafter being struck by a vehicle. On my NY public access TV show "Max on Boxing" (1989-1998), I talked Pernell Whitaker more than any other fighter; it was basically the Pernell Whitaker show. Hes limited to what he can make training other boxers, Gould said. pic.twitter.com/pZZEceN7h2. Condolences to his family. "But we said we can ask him, right? Im still trying to process everything thats going on. A ghetto beating.. When officers arrived on scene they located an adult male victim who had been hit by a vehicle. Whitaker, trained by the longtime team of Lou Duva and George Benton and managed by Shelly Finkel, won his first world title at lightweight by outpointing Greg Haugen in 1989. The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced that it would fly its flags at half-staff in Whitaker's memory. This is insanely sad. He was 55. He passed away on Sunday, July 14, 2019.[27]. [2] He had six siblings, two brothers, Raymond Whitaker, Jr, Raynell Whitaker; and four sisters; Zelda Brown, Sylvonia Whitaker, Lucinda Manley, and Monique Williams. Also, he made national headlines in 2014 when he evicted his mother out of the house he bought in 1984 for her after winning a gold medal. Pernell Whitaker: Bio, Family, Education. . His youngest son, Devon, described his father as a cool guy on Monday. The driver of the car remained at the scene, and the police said they were investigating the incident. It has garnered over 800 reactions, nearly 300 shares and many comments of support. On behalf of everyone at Golden Boy, we send our prayers and condolences to his family and friends. Let us scroll over to know more about his personal details. The 5'6" Virginia native had remarkable quickness and nearly unmatched ring awareness. His problems continued in retirement, when he survived a cocaine overdose and in 2002 was convicted of cocaine possession. Im going to get married in there, Whitaker said. Whitaker finished his career with a record of 40 wins, four losses and that one draw. No matter what he was going through, Pete had a great heart. Devon and Tiara, while Pernell Jr died in 2015 at the age of 31 following a battle with cancer. How good will the promotion be? It was a blowout, a shutout. "Sweet Pea" was one of the most brilliant boxers in the past decades and he was always a great friend of the WBC. In 1990, he defended his Lightweight title against future champion Freddie Pendleton and Super Featherweight Champion Azumah Nelson of Ghana. Kathy Duva, the chief executive of Main Events, which promoted Whitakers fights, recalled telephone conversations between Whitaker and her husband, Dan, the president of Main Events, who died in 1996. He was 55. At the end of the fight, the judges' scores were 111-115, 110-116, 110-116. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. "He was this person who was only comfortable in the ring. Sports Illustrated 's post-fight edition had "ROBBED!" Whitaker successfully defended his WBC belt against Scotland's Gary Jacobs on August 26, 1995. Pernell Whitaker, (born January 2, 1964, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.died July 14, 2019, Virginia Beach, Virginia), American professional boxer, world lightweight (135 pounds), junior welterweight (140 pounds), welterweight (147 pounds), and junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion in the 1980s and '90s.