NORFOLK, Va. – Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker was only 20 years old when he secured his first and only gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games. Even more impressive than that, the Norfolk native had never fought at the pro level.
Whitaker was born on Jan. 2, 1964, in Norfolk. Pernell graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1982, the same year he won a silver medal in the lightweight division at the Men’s Amateur World Championship Games.
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Whitaker’s boxing career started in the neighborhood where he grew up, the Youngs Park Housing Community, at the age of 9. He had an astonishing 214 fights at the amateur level, though he claimed to have had well over 500.
After winning the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, Whitaker turned pro and quickly dominated the Lightweight division, becoming the undisputed Lightweight champion in 1989.
Whitaker continued his ascension through the ranks of boxing, and in 1995, he was able to achieve what only three other boxers before him had achieved. Whitaker became just the fourth boxer to win a legitimate title in four different weight classes.
Whitaker continued boxing for six more years, but age and the physical toll that boxing took on his body became too much to handle, a story that is all too common for most boxers. In 2001, Whitaker fought his last fight. The 155-pound Whitaker broke his clavicle in the fourth round against journeyman boxer Carlos Bojorquez. Following the fight, Whitaker announced his retirement from boxing.
After his retirement, Whitaker stayed close to the sport he loved and became a trainer in 2005. The 41-year-old trained boxers in Virginia and was inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
Just nine years after his induction, tragedy struck when Whitaker was struck and killed by a vehicle while crossing the road on a summer night in Virginia Beach. The International Boxing Hall of Famer was just 55 years old.
Whitaker, the “Defensive Wizard,” as some called him, left an indelible mark on the sport of boxing, amassing 40 wins and four losses in his professional career. Pernell also left his mark in Norfolk. His legacy will continue on through those he coached and mentored at his gym.