Boxing Memorabilia > Boxing Gloves / Trunks / Robes >
Pernell Whitaker Everlast Boxing Glove Autograph
A red Everlast Boxing Glove Signed in Black
Sharpie by six time World Champion Pernell Whitaker. Sweet
Peas in one of Boxing's all time greats.
Pernell Whitaker
£65.00
Pernell Whitaker (born January 2, 1964), nicknamed "Sweet
Pea", is a retired professional boxer, among the greatest
of all-time. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Whitaker was
the lightweight gold medalist in the 1984 Olympics, and
then embarked on a pro career in which he became world champion
of the lightweight and welterweight divisions, and a partial
titlist at junior welterweight and junior middleweight.
Whitaker was arguibly the greatest defensive boxer of all
time. His mastery of the subtle nuances of the sport made
him far less famous among general sports fans than his accomplishments
merited. In his prime years, Whitaker was remarkably consistent
in seeking out the toughest opponents and outclassing them
with his exasperating head movement and crisp counter-punching.
While Whitaker was a genius at presenting a scarce target,
he did so not by retreating, but by slipping and countering
from close range.
In just his eleventh and twelth pro bouts, Whitaker beat
solid journeymen Alfredo Layne in December, 1986, and Roger
Mayweather in March, 1987. On March 12, 1988 he challenged
Jose Luis Ramirez for the WBC Lightweight Championship in
Levallois, France. He suffered his first pro defeat when
the judges rendered a bizarre split decision in Ramirez's
favor. Two of the three judges were apparently watching
a different fight than the rest of the world, to whom it
appeared Whitaker had won easily.
Whitaker trudged on, decisioning tough Greg Haugen for
the IBF lightweight title on February 18, 1989. He added
the WBC belt by avenging his loss to Ramirez on August 20.
Now a champion, Whitaker proceeded to dominate boxing's
middle divisions over the first half of the 1990's. In 1990,
he defended his lightweight title against good journeyman
Freddie Pendelton and featherweight champion Azumah Nelson
of Ghana. His highlight of 1991 was beating Jorge Paez.
In 1992, he began his assent up in weight, winning the IBF
junior welterweight title from Raphael Pineda on July 18.
Boxing's best couldn't touch "Sweat Pea," but
many experts expected that to change when he fought Mexican
legend Julio Cesar Chavez in a welterweight superfight on
September 10, 1993 in San Antonio, Texas. In a career-defining
performance, Whitaker made the undefeated brawler look ordinary,
winning nearly every round in the eyes' of the spectators.
But as in his first fight with Ramirez, Whitaker was robbed
by the judges, and had to settle for a draw.
Whitaker continued to dominate for the next few years,
beating James (Buddy) McGirt for the WBC welterweight belt
on October 1, 1994, the same title he was denied against
Chavez. For good measure, in his next fight on March 4,
1995, Whitaker added Julio Cesar Vasquez's WBA junior middleweight
title to his collection. He moved back down to welterweight
to regain the vacant WBC belt from Scotland's Gary Jacobs
on August 26, 1995.
Despite his success, Whitaker's skills were in gradual
decline, evidenced by lackluster defenses against Wilfredo
Rivera and Diosbelys Hurtado. He met a bigger, younger Oscar
de la Hoya on April 12, 1997 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitaker
succeeded in making De la Hoya look bad through his crafty
defense, but he was unable to mount a sufficient offense
to sway the judges, and De la Hoya won a wide unanimous
decision in a dull, ugly fight.
Following this loss, Whitaker began an unfortunate decline,
personally and professionally. His win over Andrei Pestriaev
was declared a No-Contest after a drug test revealed that
he had used cocaine.
In 1999, Whitaker suffered his first sound defeat against
the much bigger, much fresher Félix Trinidad, gamely
taking the Puerto Rican knockout specialist the distance.
His last fight came on April 27, 2001 against mediocre Carlos
Bojorquez. Whitaker broke his clavicle in round four and
was forced to retire, finishing with an official pro record
of 40-4-1 (17 knockouts). Whitaker has since been in and
out of prison for cocaine possession and is rumored to have
squandered the millions of dollars he earned in fight purses.
