Sweet Pea 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.
Posted on 07/15/2019 8:26:17 AM PDT by ScottinVA
Pernell Whitaker, a longtime pound-for-pound king and one of the greatest boxers in history, was killed Sunday night when he was hit by a car in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was 55.
The Virginia Beach Police Department said that the incident remains an active investigation but that Whitaker was apparently hit by a vehicle at around 10 p.m. Sunday when he was walking at an intersection.
"When officers arrived on scene they located an adult male victim who had been hit by a vehicle. The victim succumbed to his injuries on the scene," Virginia Beach Police Department spokesman L.M. Bauder said in a statement. "The driver of the vehicle remained on scene with police."
Known as "Sweet Pea," Whitaker, a southpaw from Norfolk, Virginia, was revered as perhaps the best defensive fighter in history as his slick moves confounded opponent after opponent.
Whitaker, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006, won world titles in four weight classes. He was the undisputed lightweight world champion and also won titles at junior welterweight, welterweight and junior middleweight as the one of the dominant forces in boxing for much of the 1980s and 1990s. He won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics.
Whitaker's youngest son, Devon Whitaker, told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper that his dad was a "cool guy."
"That all I can say about him," he told the newspaper. "I can't really say how I'm feeling because I'm feeling shocked. I'm still trying to process everything that's going on. But he was a cool guy."
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
American lives matter.
I’m guessing as to the races and nationalities involved.
ESPN has a story but can’t be bothered to find a picture or a clip.
Whitaker was black; not sure about the driver.
That was my guess. I’d also bet he’s American—the safest of the four things to bet on.
My guess is that the driver is neither.
American Lives Matter.
I’ve heard of Joe Foreman, and I’ve heard of Mohammed Ali. But somehow the name Pernell Whitaker escapes me. So much for him being “one of the greatest boxers in history.”
So much for you knowing anything about boxing. It’s George Foreman, Joe Frazier, and Muhammed Ali, all of which you managed to botch.
Lotta bad things happening in Va Bch, over the past 12-13mos.
40-4-1-1 is a very good record.
He was a much lighter weight than Heavyweight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pernell_Whitaker
George Foreman.
Whitaker won world titles in four weight classes... he was definitely one of the top fighters ever.
I once saw a fight where he was way ahead by every measure, and he spent the entire last round letting his opponent flail away at him in desperation. He ducked, bobbed, and weaved all over the place, and I don’t think he threw a single punch himself. He even ducked beneath a jab and tried to pull the other guy’s shorts down once, if I remember correctly. LOL.
RIP, Sweet Pea.
“So much for you knowing anything about boxing. It’s George Foreman, Joe Frazier, and Muhammed Ali, all of which you managed to botch.”
He was obviously not a boxing fan lol. I remember “Sweet Pea” well. He was a ring tactician and an absolute joy to watch box.
Have to say he was defensively superior to even Sugar Ray Leonard and that’s saying something.
Sweet Pea 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.
Meghan Rapinoe isn’t fit to tie this man’s shoes.
Saw Sweet Pea knock out an opponent with his very first punch of the bout.
Sad. RIP.
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