2. Pernell Whitaker
They called the man Pernell Whitaker. They called the fighter “Sweet Pea.” What he did in the ring, however, is much harder to put a name on.
“Pure boxer” would be apt. “Pure poetry” is even more fitting.
Whitaker picked up a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, helping make up the greatest national team in American history.
He debuted in the paid ranks later that year. He wouldn’t be truly “outboxed” through 42 bouts until dropping a unanimous decision against Oscar de la Hoya—nine years his younger—in 1997 and even that decision wasn’t without its controversy.
Not nearly as controversial, of course, as the egregious majority draw Whitaker walked out of the Alamodome with against one Julio Cesar Chavez in 1993—a fight he never officially won but ironically enough defines his entire career.
Chavez, the punch-god of Mexican lore, sporting an eerie record of 87-0 and already a three-weight world champion, had nothing for Whitaker that night.
Here’s how Boxing.com’s Matt McGrain saw it:
“It was a masterful performance ten pounds north of [Whitaker’s] best weight but two judges colluded to rob him once more, ludicrously ruling a majority draw.”
Once more?
Yes, it wasn’t Whitaker’s first time robbed blind of a prizefight.
The Ring called his split-decision “loss” to Jose Luis Ramirez (who promoters were keen on matching up with Chavez) in 1988 the worst decision of the entire 1980s, per BoxRec.com.
Whitaker outclassed Ramirez (again) in the return match a year later and proceeded to clean out the lightweight division, beating 135-pound champions, past or present, Greg Haugen, Freddie Pendelton, Juan Nazario and Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson.
He also lifted world titles at junior welterweight, welterweight and astonishingly even light middleweight.
