The tragedy that cut short the life of the titled American boxer Pernell Whitaker happened late at night in the resort town of Virginia Beach. At 22:04 the local police station received a call about an accident with casualties. Arrived in a few minutes on the scene, police and doctors found the absolute world champion in critical condition. Attempts to reanimate 55-year-old Whitaker were unsuccessful - he died on the spot from his injuries.
According to the American portal TMZ, the investigation of the incident has already begun and will not take much time. The driver who shot down the boxer did not try to escape and was expecting the arrival of law enforcement officers at the scene.
Thus, it remains only to find out the real culprit of the accident. According to the North American media, the investigation intends to establish the degree of guilt of the driver and understand the circumstances of how and in what state Pernell Whitaker was on the roadway.
The fact is that during the life of the boxing legend has repeatedly been found to be in the use of alcohol and prohibited substances. In many ways, precisely because of his addictions, the legendary champion was forced to end his sports career.
So, in the late 1990s, one of Whitaker's doping tests showed a positive drug test, after which the athlete was disqualified for a long time and deprived of a title fight for the WBA belt.
Compulsory rehabilitation did not help either. During the following years, the champion was forced to repeatedly refer to drug treatment specialists, but he did not get rid of the dependence.
In this regard, Whitaker became involved in scandals after the completion of his professional career. Boxer repeatedly attracted for the storage and use of prohibited drugs.
Olympic title and stolen victory
Pernell Whitaker left a significant mark in the history of both amateur and professional boxing.
For the first time the world started talking seriously about the American boxer in 1984. At the Olympics in Los Angeles, the 20-year-old US representative reached the final, leaving behind eminent champions. An inexperienced newcomer did not stumble at the crucial moment - in the main fight, Whitaker knocked out Puerto Rican Luis Ortiz in the second round and won the Olympic champion title.
After the Olympic triumph Whitaker, nicknamed "Sweet Peas", was in the interests of promoters and decided to move from amateurs to professionals.
In the professional ring "Sweet Peas" he had 46 fights, in which he won 40 victories, including 17 by knockout. He suffered only four defeats and one match ended in a draw.
Whitaker was able to become a world champion in lightweight (IBF version, WBC, WBA), first welterweight (IBF version), welterweight (WBC version) and first middle (WBA version) weight categories. In 2002, the authoritative magazine "Ring" put him on the 10th place in the list of the 100 best boxers over the past 80 years.
At the same time, experts and fans claim that there could have been more victories, but the judges sometimes deprived the American of success.
The most scandalous fight with his participation took place in 1988, when Whitaker entered the ring against WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Ramirez. Ramirez almost could not deliver accurate shots, he could not keep up with a young rival and looked much less confident. However, following the results of 12 rounds, the victory was given to the Mexican. The controversial result raised a wave of indignation and scandal, and in the March release of "Ring," the decision was called "the worst in the past decade in the battle of lightweight."
"I've always been so calm and personable."
About the sudden death of the legendary athlete of the 90s grieve the main stars of the world of boxing. So, one of the first to speak about Whitaker’s death was the famous Mike Tyson.
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We really lost one of the greatest fighters of all time. I remember watching him as a kid. We fought in the amateurs together. He was as a pro. He was just a real down home person. I wasn’t surprised because most of those people were amateurs. He was always so cool and personable. He was just a great fighter. I never saw anyone better. He was always great. At his best he was flawless. I'm not longer anymore. Rest In Peace Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker.
Publication from Mike Tyson (@miketyson) July 15, 2019 at 12:00 PDT
“We really lost one of the greatest fighters of all time. I remember watching him in childhood. After we fought together in amateurs. He was great. Simple, real and homely person, not as arrogant as most. He has always been so calm and personable. He was just a great fighter. Never seen anyone better. I am very sad to hear that he is no longer with us. Rest in peace, ”Tyson wrote in his Instagram.
Undefeated Floyd Mayweather published the latest photo with the dead. It is noteworthy that it was made on the eve of Whitaker's death at a joint autograph session.
“Rest in peace, champion, one of the best fighters who have ever come to martial arts,” the boxer said.
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RIP champ, one of the best fighters to ever do it. This photo was taken 7/13/19.
Posted by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Jul 15, 2019 at 6:44 am PDT
The famous entertainer of boxing fights Michael Baffer, who admitted that the death of a long-time friend shocked him, did not stay aside. The showman attached an archival photo to his farewell post.
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It was a day of his death and it was lb 4 lb. I'm crushed, just gutted w / this! RIP Dear Friend💔🕊Love You Pete🧡💔
Posted by Michael Buffer (@realmichaelbuffer) Jul 15, 2019 at 7:11 am PDT
“This picture was taken about 25 years ago, and its print version was gone, but my memories of Pernell Whitaker are as fresh as ever. My heart is broken because of the news of his unexpected death. He was the best in his era! I just destroyed. May you rest in peace, dear friend, I love you, ”wrote Buffer.