The bout was all but set in early 1997, though both De La Hoya and Whitaker would first have to get past their mandatory challengers. Pernell Whitaker Sr. (January 2, 1964 – July 14, 2019) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer.He was a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight; the undisputed lightweight title; and the lineal lightweight and welterweight titles. Browsing Tag Oscar De La Hoya. Another look at Jake Paul’s knockdown and stoppage of Askren, Maybe the stoppage wasn’t too soon. And again, Pernell quells that by launching into his own offensive stand. Really? ), Results and highlights: Cunningham wins decision over Mir. Merchant says there have been no positive results from the switch, Lampley continues cheerleading for Oscar, which he's done basically the entire fight. The 1997 Oscar having his left hook basically eliminated is interesting. We were in the third round of a Welterweight title fight between challenger “The Golden Boy,” Oscar De La Hoya (23-0, 20 KOs) and champion Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker (40-1-1, 17 KOs). Whitaker continuing to use his defense, his jab, his timing disruptions, and his flair to control the fight. Oscar De La Hoya Highlights! No one should have beaten him until he met a rising star Oscar De La Hoya in 1997 at welterweight. Oscar might well have won this fight before it even took place, but as much as I genuinely believe Pernell Whitaker won this fight, Whitaker did himself no favors with how he fought. A round-by-round breakdown of the controversial 1997 welterweight title fight between Pernell Whitaker and Oscar de la Hoya. Whitaker pushes Oscar down, and after breaking them up, Lane notices some blood on Oscar, and rules the butt after ruling the slip. Related topic. [11] Whitaker would then enter a drug rehabilitation center and would not fight at all in 1998. Oscar and Whitaker maybe could have met again, but they didn't, and again, Whitaker really has only himself to blame there. This bout featured the two top ranked pound 4 pound fighters in boxing. Watch HBO Boxing - Season 25, Episode 8 - Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar dela Hoya: 12 round battle in the Welterweight Division Oscar tries to unleash a flurry when Pernell gets close again, but little lands. The scores were 115-111, 116-110 and 116-110 in the new champion’s favor, but for the first time, although certainly not the last, major controversy hung over a De La Hoya fight. Whitaker vs Haugen: Pernell Whitaker gives a masterful performance as he defeats tough Greg Haugen to win his first world title. Official Scores: Chuck Giampa: 115-111 Oscar Dalby Shirley: 116-110 Oscar Jerry Roth: 116-110 Oscar. Here, Pernell Whitaker is pretending at all. First minute and change goes much like the first round did, but then Oscar lands a couple of sharp shots, and just misses on a left hook, which for those of you who just came around to boxing in the last two years or so, was Oscar's money punch when he was at his best. Why not another point off? The win was the most controversial of de la Hoya's career. Pretty easy round to score for Whitaker, really. He plain had Oscar going to places he'd never had to go before. It's an art, and it gets Oscar to switch back southpaw again. He's in Oscar's head at least a little bit. His defensive mastery had slowed a bit by 1997, as he was 33 years old and time, clearly, was starting to take a toll. What do you like? Hurtado scored two knockdowns and was ahead on all three official scorecards when Whitaker rallied in the 11th round, scoring 10 unanswered left hooks to Hurtado's head before the referee stopped the fight and awarded Whitaker the technical knockout victory, officially putting the Whitaker–De La Hoya match on. Watching Whitaker can be a real joy. This was a moronic rule thought up by idiots, and made this a 10-8 round for Oscar if you scored it for him, and 9-9 at best for Pernell. As for Oscar, he beat the tar out of David Kamau, Hector Camacho, Wilfredo Rivera, Patrick Charpentier and Chavez in the rematch before he ran into a brick wall in 1999 named Ike Quartey, another controversial win for the "Golden Boy." He's legitimately so stunned he can't help but laugh at the scores. Pernell continues to control where the fight goes, when it goes, and how it goes, and then the feet get tangled and Pernell accidentally tackles Oscar. But there are two strong rights inside for Oscar. Whitaker smells some blood, and senses Oscar is tired, and starts landing some of his best shots of the entire fight, taking over this round in dominant fashion. Whitaker obviously thinks he won this round, but it's quite arguable. Whitaker continues to play strong D, but Oscar takes this round on better punches. Oscar trying open up with good shots early, but it's a Whitaker left that is the first really good punch of the round. Oscar trying to move and stay out of that jab's wheelhouse, but he's not getting anything done. Pernell Whitaker is one of the greatest pure boxers to ever walk the planet. Controversy in Paradise as De La Hoya dethrones P4P king Whitaker (1997) Oscar De La Hoya moved up to the 147lb division and went toe-to-toe with four-weight world champion Pernell Whitaker. This is pretty much the same size difference many thought we'd see in Oscar's fight with Manny Pacquiao, except Oscar isn't shop-worn here and Pernell still had a couple inches of reach more than Pacquiao did/does. Perhaps he could have landed that fight after a close win over Andrei Pestriaev. Pernell fires back, but this time Oscar probably does steal the round, and Pea hadn't done much beforehand to dissuade any judges. Oscar gets feisty and starts throwing bombs, and a left uppercut and left hook both land, though neither caught Whitaker flush. But in this fight especially, his style did not lend itself well to judges, to the crowd that responded and can sway judges, and he was dealing with a stacked deck. De La Hoya would make the first, and only, defense of his super lightweight title against the undefeated Miguel Ángel González, while Whitaker would meet Diosbelys Hurtado, who was also unbeaten, in a welterweight title match the following week[1] De La Hoya would have little trouble with Gonzalez, scoring a lopsided unanimous decision victory and putting the pressure squarely on Whitaker. The Top Twelve 2 Fightful Boxing Retrospective: Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya (April 12, 1997) Here is a brand new section to the newsletter, the boxing retrospective, where I would take one fight from the past, suggested by you, the readers, and I will analyze the fight, the … Whitaker with the jab again. Maybe it was. It's ruled a knockdown, and it was a knockdown. At the time of their fight, De La Hoya and Whitaker were the number two and three ranked pound-for-pound fighters, with only the then-WBC light heavyweight champion Roy Jones, Jr. ahead of them. It's now you start wondering if Oscar's stamina was already a problem. It was Pea's defense that won this round. The man was a genius in the ring. Hell, Oscar had shown no problem taking a second fight with a fading fighter when he mauled Julio Cesar Chavez in a totally unnecessary rematch. Oscar comes out this round in the southpaw stance. Oscar misses two straight rights, and tries to steal the round again. Whitaker swings a big left, misses, and Oscar barely lands a shot and Lampley has a near-orgasm about it. However, these plans were shot down by De La Hoya's promoter Bob Arum, who said that a rematch wouldn't be "good business."[8]. Whitaker is again controllingthe action with his jab and his defense. [9] The WBA lifted the ban in February and agreed to let Whitaker continue forward with his title match with Quartey, provided that Whitaker submit to random drug testing over a six-month period, to which Whitaker agreed. Oscar throwing uppercuts, not landing them. Still, Pernell was regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, and Oscar, at least in his own mind, was coming not just to take Whitaker's welterweight title, but that mythical crown as well. While De La Hoya bled, Whitaker’s left eye swelled from the repeated left jab being pumped into his face. The crowd may "ooh" and "aah" for Oscar, but most of his work here is missing. Video: Jake Paul, Askren in notably different shape at weigh-in. But was Whitaker still truly great? On April 12, 1997, Oscar De La Hoya won the WBC welterweight title when he defeated Pernell Whitaker by a 12-round unanimous decision at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Stream Oscar De La Hoya vs. Pernell Whitaker (1997) on Watch ESPN Results and highlights: Jake Paul stops Ben Askren in first round. Body shots from de la Hoya, kinda, and Whitaker showboats out of it. Jake Paul and Ben Askren hit the scales today in Atlanta. Arguably the most controversial win in the career of Oscar de la Hoya came on April 12, 1997, when the undefeated, barely 24-year old "Golden Boy" squared off with future Hall of Famer Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker, the former lightweight champ and junior welterweight titlist who by then was WBC welterweight titleholder. The legendary boxer passed away late Sunday night at the age of 55. Pernell's landing more punches and at a better connect rate. Whitaker showboating now, trying to draw Oscar in. Switching back to southpaw again. [2] Whitaker, however, would have difficulty with Hurtado. Thirty seconds, three clinches, and you can hear a smattering of boos early as the crowd doesn't appreciate Whitaker's rhythm-disrupting tactics. The major problem I have with how this fight was scored is not SO much that Oscar came out the victor on the record sheets, it's the margins of victory. His defense swagger was on full display as he dipped and dodged, bobbed and weaved, around De La Hoya and … Whitaker did not agree with decision, stating that he "could not have performed better" and he felt the decision should have been a "blowout" in his favor. It left him stone cold off his game. Whitaker keeps wrestling, and Lampley keeps cheering for Oscar, this time drawing the ire of Roy instead of Larry. Though De La Hoya did not land as many punches or jabs as Whitaker, he had a distinct advantage in power punches, landing 146 to Whitaker's 72, which may have swayed the judges in his favor. Oscar keeps on slumping his shoulders, trying to fight at Whitaker's height, and it's just not working for him. [6], Even before their match, Whitaker stated that, win or lose, he wanted a rematch with De La Hoya, and after his loss, he would repeat that sentiment. Oscar De La Hoya vs Pernell Whitaker ... again Dangerous it is and that's the Bell ending the fight well if you're giving and I agree with you the last round to Oscar De La Hoya … Whitaker eats a right to the body, but counters back with a potshot left to the head. Long right comes in for Oscar. Whitaker with a nice body shot, Oscar clips him with a right hand. Both were undefeated during this time. Harold Lederman has it 104-103 for Oscar. For a contemporary comparison, it's sort of like Diaz-Malignaggi, if Diaz was as good as Oscar or Malignaggi was as good as Whitaker. Oscar Dela Hoya was one of the biggest draws in boxing. Oscar keeps feigning and doing nothing with it, then he showboats and pumps his fist after the bell sounds. INJUSTICE was a theme of Pernell Whitaker’s career. Oscar's landing more power shots, at least in the official numbers, though few of them if really any at all are landing hard on Whitaker. Features. Whitaker with a right-left combo, both stinging blows. I'm not saying that Mr. Roth, Mr. Shirley or Mr. Giampa had any bad intentions whatsoever, but judges are human, and they love a good story, perhaps especially if they can be a part of that story. [10] However, Whitaker would fail another drug test shortly after and his title match was cancelled. When decisions are announced, sometimes you get fighters feigning disbelief that they lost. BOXING TRENDZ. There wasn’t much to react to, but there was a little. Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya-Wikipedia 18:24. Pernell starting to really use the jab to control offensively again. Lazy chopping left by Oscar, really nothing on it at all. Frank Mir was game, but Steve Cunningham won a clear decision in Atlanta. Trinidad was the only man to score a solid, clean win over Whitaker, and it came when Whitaker was quite well worn out. Upon hearing the tragic news that Pernell Whitaker died after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street in Virginia Beach on Sunday, members of the boxing community paid tribute to the legend known as "Sweet Pea.". Oscar tries to stick a right hand, but he's short or just over the shoulder too often. De La Hoya vs. Javier Castillejo (June 23, 2001) Having failed to regain the WBC belt … For every 8 misses, dlh would catch him with a decent punch. And he shouldn't have fought any other way, either. Tough round to score, but I felt Whitaker again pretty much controlled the action. The size advantage for Oscar was no joke at all. Frankly, I think the fact that the power connects for Oscar are so ineffective kind of takes the steam out of his argument to be winning this fight at this point, but you could form an argument. Let's take a look back at one of the more controversially-scored fights of the 1990s, and maybe the most controversial fight of Oscar de la Hoya's entire career. Oscar still swinging, but it's Whitaker landing the cleaner shots early in this round. Whitaker wouldn’t lose again until 1997, when Oscar De La Hoya defeated him by another disputed decision, and would finish with a record of 19-3-1 in world-title fights against some of … He's short, so he makes himself even shorter by dipping down almost to where his ass is on the mat, which really throws Oscar's timing. He was in against a younger, bigger, stronger, and supposedly faster man, even though "faster" didn't really turn into a problem at any point, and frankly neither did "bigger," because Oscar didn't use his size worth a crap, and "stronger" didn't really mean much either, since he barely landed anything clean on Whitaker, who could take a shot anyway. Oscar briefly has Pernell backed toward a corner, but doesn't press. Oscar busy in the round, trying to get some combinations going, and this time it's Oscar clinching up on Pernell. In what would be his final title match, Whitaker would lose by unanimous decision. Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya, billed as "Pound for Pound", was a professional boxing match contested on April 12, 1997 for the WBC and lineal welterweight championships. Pernell continues to jab and frustrate with clinches and that great lateral movement. Oscar De La Hoya Greatest Hits! As Oscar de la Hoya showed, movers present Trinidad with an insoluble problem. Closing seconds, and a stealable round -- it's Oscar who takes it home, as Whitaker just stooges. Whitaker with a good left hand, and as Oscar tries to steal another round, Pernell suddenly gets aggressive and seals the round. 7. Plans for the mega-fight had been discussed since De La Hoya's victory over Chávez. Trinidad needs to set his feet down to punch, and he can’t do that if his opponent uses good, side-to-side movement. His left hook could be lethal, and it's obviously Whitaker's desire to take that away, first and foremost. Roy thinks Oscar needs a knockout. ... Pernell Whitaker vs Diosbelys Hurtado (ESPN Classic) [1997-01-24] Boxing Legends. (But not really, a referee already did. He even knocked down De La Hoya … "Pound for Pound" - WBC Welterweight Title FightPERNELL WHITAKER(40-1-1, 17 KO, WBC Titleholder)versusOSCAR DE LA HOYA(23-0, 20 KO)April 12, 1997 | Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NVReferee: Mills Lane | Judges: Chuck Giampa, Dalby Shirley and Jerry Roth. YOU make the call! Oscar De La Hoya. I thought that Oscar won a clear decision based on power shots, but let the discussion continue hehe. He already had several wins over good to very good fighters, but Whitaker promised to be his toughest test ever, and after titles at 130, 135 and 140, he was moving up in weight yet again. [3], In one of the closest fights in boxing history, De La Hoya was awarded the bout by unanimous decision with two scores of 116–110 and 115–111, however, most ringside observers & sportswriters felt that Whitaker won the fight. However, the result was changed to a no contest when Whitaker tested positive for cocaine, costing him his victory and earning him a six-month suspension. When Oscar de la Hoya was interviewed by Kieza in Mexico in April, the Golden Boy agreed with Fenech, saying that while he had fought a celebrated battle with Mayweather, Whitaker was the best boxer he ever faced. Whitaker landed a couple of decent jabs, but nothing too meaningful. Whitaker also scored the fight's lone knockdown, as he caught De La Hoya off balance with a left hook late in the ninth round, De La Hoya quickly rose up as if he had slipped, but referee Mills Lane ruled it a knockdown. Tito Trinidad vs. Oscar Dela Hoya (1999) Tito Trinidad Defeats Oscar De La Hoya, 1999. Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya, billed as "Pound for Pound", was a professional boxing match contested on April 12, 1997 for the WBC and lineal welterweight championships. Watch the FULL fight on DAZN: bit.ly/DAZNFacebook Related Videos Oscar does starting swinging his hands all over the place at the end of the round, landing nothing but getting a rise out of the crowd and Jim Lampley. That's a fact. He suffered his first defeat at the hands of Trinidad in September '99, a fight that many felt he won. Oscar goes righty, then moves back lefty moments later. And that frustration continues, as Oscar just can't get going. The year was 1997. Whitaker, Knocked Down, Comes Back to Knock Out Challenger, https://articles.latimes.com/1997-04-14/sports/sp-48682_1_de-la-hoya, http://boxrec.com/media/index.php?title=Fight:15500, Ex-champ Whitaker Could Face 6-month Suspension For Drugs, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pernell_Whitaker_vs._Oscar_De_La_Hoya&oldid=1010187876, Boxing matches involving Oscar De La Hoya, April 1997 sports events in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 March 2021, at 06:30. Straight left by Oscar. After both Julio César Chávez and Oscar De La Hoya defeated their opponents (Scott Walker and Darryl Tyson respectively) in tune-up bouts on February 9, 1996, the two fighters agreed to face one another in a "dream match" set for June of that year. Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya, billed as "Pound for Pound", was a professional boxing match contested on April 12, 1997 for the WBC and lineal welterweight championships. Related topic Oscar De La Hoya. “Pernell was a better fighter than Mayweather,” said De La Hoya, who won a controversial decision against Whitaker. He bounces right back up, and Mills Lane rushes in from his seat across the freaking ring to start the count. 6. Roy Jones looks for bigger shots to start landing as they keep inching closer, with Whitaker trying to land bigger shots. He did what he had to do. Your scorecard reads in clear connection to the style you prefer, because there's not REALLY a lot separating these two. Golden Boy is saddened by the death of one the greatest fighters to ever lace a pair of gloves, Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker. How much was too much, too soon? Larry: "Now why would a fighter, who has been a great young fighter like de la Hoya, feel he's gotta change his natural, best style?". Note: With the headbutt infraction here, the WBC had a rule that the uncut fighter on an accidental headbutt was docked a point. Oscar tries to do what he did in his previous 12-round engagements, come out big in the final frame, and Pernell knows what he's going to do, so he starts moving around the ring, looking for openings. Even in this clip, de la Hoya catches him with a pretty clean right hook. Larry thinks the fight could be in the balance in this 12th round. Whitaker is told by his corner that he's losing, to which Whitaker responds, "Well, then I'm gonna lose.". Oscar De La Hoya would remain the WBC Welterweight champion for over two years, making seven successful title defenses, the most defenses De La Hoya would make in any of the eight weight classes he competed in. [12] He would finally return on February 20, 1999 to challenge Félix Trinidad for the IBF welterweight title. Between rounds, you can clearly see how totally frustrated Oscar is. He had the attitude, the looks, the Olympic pedigree, the great story, and he was a really good fighter. Jose Luis Ramirez 2- Whitaker gets his revenge over the controversial loss in their first fight. There's one that lands, and now Pernell leads with his head and starts doing some work inside. Young Oscar takes on defensive master Pernell Whitaker. [4][5]) Whitaker outpunched De La Hoya, landing 232 punches to De La Hoya's 191 and dominated with his jab, scoring 160 while De La Hoya only landed 45. He never looked comfortable throwing his right hand, and taking away the left hand really flustered him. [7] De La Hoya initially was in favor this, stating that he would give Whitaker a rematch "any time, any place." 7. 33-year-old Pernell Whitaker had been the WBC welterweight champion for four years, captured world titles in four different divisions and had been among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport since 1989, with The Ring magazine listing him number one in their annual pound-for-pound rankings for three consecutive years from 1993 to 1995. Boxiana 0 Feb. 18, 1989: Whitaker vs Haugen. Fight Reports; Boxiana. Whitaker with a left to the body, Oscar tries to flurry again when the gavel sounds, and yet again, Pernell fires and wins the final moments. I wouldn't agree with it, but you could form it. Lampley and Merchant are really not seeing the same fight, and that's kind of entertaining. Pernell Whitaker vs Oscar De La Hoya . Oscar tries to get some offensive flurries going, but he's just not landing anything clean. But Whitaker tested positive for cocaine after that fight, so the result was changed to a no-contest, and then he was dominated by Felix Trinidad in February 1999. Oscar was 24 years old, rising fast, the most exciting young fighter the sport had seen in a long time, and was making a ton of waves. 4. Most of this round is Pernell's defense just frustrating the shit out of Oscar, with Oscar trying to land quick lead rights and following up with nothing. Others felt Whitaker had won. Looking back it’s difficult not to feel some measure of regret for Pernell Whitaker, and this is apart from the fact he was taken from us far too ... On February 18, 2021 / By Michael Carbert. Buddy McGirt. And there's a right hook by Whitaker, then moments later Oscar finally lands a decent left hook. Oscar De La Hoya won by decision. It's been over 12 years, but this one still gets some motors running when the topic comes up. A lead right does, but Pernell comes back with a nice body blow. Tito Trinidad going up against Oscar Dela Hoya was one of the biggest fights of the late 90s to early 2000s. Whitaker goes back to the jab. Pernell was a theme of Pernell Whitaker ’ s TKO win over Andrei Pestriaev Whitaker landing the cleaner early! At Jake Paul ’ s knockdown and stoppage of Askren, Maybe the stoppage ’. Land bigger shots Trinidad Defeats Oscar De La Hoya, fighters react to, but most of work... What would be his final title match, Whitaker ’ s knockdown stoppage! 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