On July 27, 1991, the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, played host to a world title match between the undisputed Welterweight champion Pernell Whitaker and the No. 1 ranked contender, Poli Diaz.
Whitaker, the slick southpaw and defensive whiz, was fighting in his backyard. The Scope Arena was just a short walk from his childhood home. Recognized as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, Whitaker (25-1, 13 KOs) was the undisputed 135-pound Super Lightweight kingpin.
His opponent was largely unknown and unheralded. Diaz (32-0, 21 KOs) proclaimed to have never lost a fight. Undefeated as an amateur in 62 fights, he had traveled from his home just outside of Madrid, Spain to challenge Whitaker.
Prefight buildup described him as a “wild man” who oozed confidence. The Scope Arena was filled with a crowd of about 8,000 fans with somewhere around 150 Diaz supporters waiving Spain’s flag and chanting, “Poli! Poli! Poli!”
Before the main event, the crowd was revved up by a four-round slugfest between Heavyweights Michael Moorer and Alex Stewart. Evander Holyfield was ringside talking about a possible rematch with George Foreman, and an update was provided on Mike Tyson’s legal troubles in Indiana.
The card aired live on HBO with Foreman, Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant on hand to cover the evening’s events.
Diaz, as the challenger, entered the ring first. Wearing red with white trim, he blew kisses to many who booed him as he climbed into the ring.
The champion, donned in all blue with white trim, would enter next. He was preceded by 110 members of the Norfolk State University marching band. The crowd reached a crescendo as the band thundered and the festivities kicked into high gear.
As Whitaker finally came into view of the fans, Foreman reflected, “Somehow this reminds me of Zaire.”
Ring announcer Michael Buffer introduced referee Al Rothenberg and then the fighters. During the introductions, Diaz raced across the ring to meet Whitaker’s trainer, Lou Duva, in the Whitaker corner. Duva appeared amused as Diaz continued talking and blowing kisses.
Scheduled for 12, Round 1 began with Diaz living up to the wild man description. He charged at Whitaker and threw sweeping power punches from the most unorthodox angles. The punches were awkward and wide yet whistled at Whitaker with an almost unexpected quickness.
The fighters banged away at close quarters as Whitaker landed a sharp left hand to Diaz’s chin. Although the fighter’s feet got tangled, Rothenberg ruled Diaz had been knocked down. The action resumed, still at a quickening pace, as Diaz twice pinned Whitaker against the ropes. He nearly floored the champion on both occasions.
The 8,000 strong in the Scope Arena stood for much of the second round leaving Foreman to explain to the viewers at home, “This is not the time to leave your television and go and get a sandwich.”
Whitaker continued to try to create space and use his three-inch reach advantage to stuff his right jab into Diaz’s face. To his credit, Diaz continued to attack and whale away, effectively taking away the Whitaker jab in the early action.
After four rounds, Harold Lederman had the fight scored two rounds apiece, 38-37 in favor of Whitaker. Merchant had also scored the bout two rounds apiece.
The toe-to-toe action continued in the fifth with Whitaker landing a wicked left hook to the body. Diaz, clearly hurt, stood and exchanged with the champion. The crowd rose as Lampley hollered above the roar, “And they’re trading blows to the face! We ‘ve got a full scale brawl!”
As Diaz winced and tried to protect the right side of his body, Foreman wailed, “He’s got a broken rib! He’s got a broken rib!”
The bell sounded to end the round while the Norfolk crowd stood and applauded.
Whitaker now began to slowly take command of the fight. In Round 7, he again banged hard to the body and trapped Diaz in a corner. With seconds remaining in the round, Whitaker pummeled an exhausted Diaz until he crumbled onto the seat of his pants.
The challenger rose and survived as the bell sounded to end the round.
From this point on, the champion took tactical command of the fight. He controlled the late rounds and began to employ his jab that was absent in the early rounds.
Diaz threw everything he had left at the champion in the final round. The challenger used head-butts, punched on the break, and made a desperate attempt to bulldoze the champion clean out of the ring.
Whitaker survived the final three minutes and went on to earn a unanimous decision. Both men embraced as fans were left far more entertained that had been expected.
After meeting Whitaker, Diaz fought another 10 years before retiring in 2001.
Whitaker also retired in 2001 and was inducted into International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006.
