Pernell
“Sweet Pea” Whitaker, a boxing legend and reflected as one of the greatest
defensive expert (the best ever to do it), dies after getting hit by a pickup
truck in Virginia on Sunday.
Per
authorities, “Sweet Pea” (55) was crossing the intersection of Northampton
Boulevard and Baker Road in Virginia Beach past 10 p.m. when he was hit.
He was
pronounced lifeless on the scene and the driver of the truck remains in custody
for interrogations, the Virginia Beach Police Department reported.
“On Sunday,
July 14, 2019, at 10:04 p.m., Emergency Communications received a call for
vehicle/pedestrian accident in the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and
Baker Road. 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. The driver of the vehicle remained on scene with police,” - L.M. Bauder (VBPD spokesman)
This is an
earth-shattering newsflash to everyone who knows and follows Whitaker.
His youngest
son Devon, recalled his dad being a cool guy.
"I guess
he was wearing dark clothes, the road was dark and the driver didn't see
him," "That's all I can say about him," he said. "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." – Devon Whitaker
Pernell
Whitaker wasn’t just a decorated boxer, but a global icon from T. Washington
High School.
“Sweet Pea”
from Virginia won a gold medal in 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
And in that
same year, after taking 214 amateur contests (winning 201 with 91 KOs), He had
decided to go professional.
Five years
after turning pro, Pernell Whitaker was named “Fighter of the year” by the
Boxing Writers Association of America in 1989.
The Ring
ranked Him the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world from 1993 to 1997.
Whitaker had
fought fighters like Oscar De La Hoya, Roger Mayweather, Jose Luis Ramirez and
Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.
He retired in
2001 with 40 wins (17 Kos) 4 losses and 1 draw.
But Pernell
never leaves the game, the member of Hall of Fame class of 2006 In fact, spent
more than 6 years helping to promote and train young fighters (includes Zab
Judah in 2011) in his home state of Virginia.
He’s a
four-weight word champion netting WBC Lightweight, Light Welterweight, Welterweight
and Light Middleweight for span of 15 years.
“Sweet Pea”
was known for being a skillful counter puncher and His exceptionally good
defensive skills.
"He
wasn't a big puncher. ... His whole thing was making you miss," "You
couldn't hit him. When he was at the top of his game, he was at the top."
- Mark Breland in 2001.
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