Sweet Pea died Sunday

[the13r]

Got struck by a car...

R.I.P.

[NoPropaganda 253]

Sweet Pea was my favorite fighter in my early teens up to the point he passed the torch to Tito. Underrated offensively, Pernell was a mean when he needed to be southpaw with arguably the best defensive game in the history of the sport. Gave Chavez his first official loss, was robbed vs. Oscar and basically made damn near all his opponents look foolish with his matrix type abilities along the way.

RIP champ, You were one of the all time greats

[Canvas]

Sad to hear. R.I.P.

[ObJuan13]

RIP

One of my all time favorites

[stunna 2.0]

My heart is broken right now pea was one of the reason I started watching boxing in the early 80's damn what a sad situation God bless his family.....REST IN PARADISE SWEET PEA

[soonermark890]

RIP So sad. He was an amazing fighter

[rocketcoe]

RIP....man thats sad

[Just a guy]

This shocked me.

We have lost many, but this one hit me as one of my favorite fighters of all time.

When I think 'sweet science' - this is the guy I think of.

You literally could not hit the guy when he was in his zone - it was crazy how he could masterfully make a really, really good fighter look average and plodding.

It appeared that he had his share of demons... I really hope that this isn't his demons catching up with him.

[Cagiva9]

turned 55 yesterday, very sad news.

I wonder how it happened, the driver remained at scene and no mention of impaired driving or anything yet

[USMILMAN]

Shocking! Just happened here last night. One of my all time favorites.

[gilgamesh]

This one definitely hurts for a lot of us fight fans.

RIP Pernell

[5_burowz]

How can you be that great on defense and then get hit by a car?

Too soon?

[Peat56]

May he rest in peace.

[NoPropaganda 253]

How can you be that great on defense and then get hit by a car?

Too soon?

You're fucking corny, man. Not racy, not edgy, just fucking corny and a wee bit effeminate. Give yourself a hug and tell yourself you love you. You need it.



Yes. Yes, you are.

#1Fredo

[TheSickness316]

Sweet Pea was my favorite fighter in my early teens up to the point he passed the torch to Tito. Underrated offensively, Pernell was a mean when he needed to be southpaw with arguably the best defensive game in the history of the sport. Gave Chavez his first official loss, was robbed vs. Oscar and basically made damn near all his opponents look foolish with his matrix type abilities along the way.

RIP champ, You were one of the all time greats

These GIFs are awesome

[USMILMAN]

This shocked me.

We have lost many, but this one hit me as one of my favorite fighters of all time.

When I think 'sweet science' - this is the guy I think of.

You literally could not hit the guy when he was in his zone - it was crazy how he could masterfully make a really, really good fighter look average and plodding.

It appeared that he had his share of demons... I really hope that this isn't his demons catching up with him.

He was crossing an intersection, so I don’t think it was his fault at all. It happened at night, and apparently he was wearing dark colors. Hopefully it doesn’t come out the driver was drinking, or reckless driving. He stayed on the scene though.

[stunna 2.0]

How can you be that great on defense and then get hit by a car?

Too soon?
When your mother went into labor she should've sat on the toilet pushed and flushed.....YOUR FUCKING WASTE OF SPACE KICK ROCKS

[FightFanAL]

RIP

[Danielk015]

I started to watch boxing a lot in the early 90s and I watching Sweat Pea's master class effort against JCC had my jaw to the floor. It was shocking watching that in a house full of Mexicans as the all day party turned into a funeral home. My jaw went through the floor when He was not given the win.

RIP to a true boxing great.

[NoPropaganda 253]

Here's a look at Sweet Pea's statistical achievements:

• Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker is one of only seven fighters in CompuBox's 26-year history to landed 500 or more punches in a fight.

• Whitaker and 1984 Olympic teammate Meldrick Taylor landed 400-plus punches in a title fight three time each.

• Whitaker LANDED 286 jabs (an average of 24 per round) in his decision win over fellow Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson (5/19/90). The lightweight avg. is 4 landed per round.

• Whitaker's 286 jabs landed vs. Nelson is second all time in CompuBox history. Whitaker also landed 272 jabs in his W 12 over Santos Cardona, the 5th most in CompuBox history. (Ike Quartey holds the record with 313 landed jabs in his draw vs. Jose Luis Lopez (10/10/97)

• Whitaker outlanded Julio Cesar Chavez 311-220 in total punches in their controversial draw on 9/10/93. Whitaker landed 46% of his power punches vs. Chavez. Whitaker landed 50 punches in round 8 vs. Chavez, the 2nd most by a JCC opponent. #1 is the 53 that fellow Olympian Meldrick Taylor landed vs. Chavez in round 10 of their epic fight.

https://www.boxingscene.com/pernell-whi ... ck--140896

Shocked Olympians, Ex-Champs Share Memories of Whitaker
By Lyle Fitzsimmons

It’s counterintuitive to a trained journalist.

Nevertheless, Monday was one of those days where breaking news was a real drag.

Upon learning via social media that gold medalist/hall of famer Pernell Whitaker had been struck and killed by a car in his native Virginia, I immediately scrapped my planned Tuesday morning column and set out scrolling through contacts to solicit reactions from his friends, contemporaries and admirers.

Not surprisingly, the sting was real and raw for those who hadn’t already heard.

“What!!!!!!!” read the text reply of Virgil Hill, an Olympic teammate of Whitaker’s on the history-making 1984 unit that overran the medals stand in Los Angeles with nine golds, a silver and a bronze.

Upon steadying from the initial shock, Hill – himself a two-division champ in a pro career that touched four decades – was reverential in praising Whitaker, labeling him the best of a 12-man U.S. team that saw all but two members challenge for world titles and six others combine for belts in 12 weight classes.

Whitaker was the most decorated pro, becoming a champion at 135, 140, 147 and 154 pounds.

“My favorite fighter,” Hill said.

“Not to take anything away from the amazing group, what he could do in that ring was breathtaking. I don’t ever think we will see one like him in our lifetime. He was blessed with amazing abilities and what he did in the ring you can’t teach. He will be missed by many.”



Veteran writer Tim Smith, who’s since become VP of communications for Premier Boxing Champions, said his lingering memories of Whitaker revolve around the Olympic team’s infectious camaraderie.

“Whenever one of them fought all the other guys would hang out in the same city as the fight,” he said. “When Evander (Holyfield) fought in Atlanta, before the (Dwight Muhammad) Qawi fight, Pernell was part of the group of guys in that camp. He was playful, funny and kept things loose.

“He was always looking for a pickup basketball game. That’s the Pernell that I always remember, the jokester kid who liked to play basketball.”

Whitaker turned pro at lightweight on a primetime broadcast in November 1984, five months after fellow 135-pounder Ray Mancini dropped his WBA championship to Livingstone Bramble.

Mancini lost a return match with Bramble the following February and was no longer a factor in the division by the time Whitaker first fought for a belt three years later, but that didn’t stop “Boom Boom” from pondering what might have happened had he and “Sweet Pea” gotten together at their bests.

The two men last spoke in 2016, when they were jointly enshrined in the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.

“He would’ve been a headache for anyone, including myself,” Mancini said. “The only way you beat a guy like (Whitaker) is with pressure and I was a pressure fighter. That’s why it would’ve been intriguing. You never know until you put the two guys in there together to see what would happen.

“One of the greatest fighters over the last 35 years and one of the greatest lightweights of all time.”

Whitaker was in the homestretch of a 45-fight run by the time light heavyweight Antonio Tarver captured bronze at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, but that didn’t mean the “Magic Man” – even at eight inches taller and boasting a six-inch longer wingspan – was unaware of his fellow southpaw’s mettle.

“A dogged competitor that hated to lose with a passion,” said Tarver, who ultimately became a two-division champ with 31 wins and 22 KOs across his own 18-year career. “Pernell was one of the most gifted pure boxers the ring has known. His timing and reflexes were off the charts.

“His feet were nimble and quick, always on balance and (he) was able to contort his body in positions that allowed him to punch out of weird, awkward angles.

“Mr. Untouchable in his prime. A real defensive wizard.”

https://www.boxingscene.com/shocked-oly ... er--140907

[FightFanAL]

I've never seen a more entertaining defensive fighter. What he did wasnt fighting, it was art.

[straycat]

Saw this in camp but service is crap up there, dropped into take care of biz, I remember being at my brother in laws place for the Chaves fight, house full of Mexicans and I was telling them their boy was getting beat. A few of em started to swell up on me but after checking one my brother in law calmed em down. Anyway sad to hear the news. Max was high on Sweet Pea I bet he is crushed.

[TopNotch86]

How can you be that great on defense and then get hit by a car?

Too soon?

not gonna lie i chuckled a little... sooner or later every fighter runs into someone whos got their number! that car was just a bad style matchup for pea.

RIP to one of the best to ever do it

[TheUltimateFan]

Was one of my all time favorites. he fought real challengers and even Holyfield stated they became friends during the Olympics because everyone else was afraid of him and gave him a dining table to himself, but one day Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker sat down next to Evander, stared him in the eyes, and told him, "I'm not afraid of you". Evander said he couldn't help but to burst out laughing and respect the little guy, that day they became friends.

RIP Sweet pea.

[yoloswaggy911]

How can you be that great on defense and then get hit by a car?

Too soon?

not gonna lie i chuckled a little... sooner or later every fighter runs into someone whos got their number! that car was just a bad style matchup for pea.

RIP to one of the best to ever do it

that's it bud, we're all going to get it one day, RIP Sweet Pea