Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Pernell Whitaker vs Julio Cesar Chavez fight. With the welterweight title on the line, this was one of the most memorable matches of all time.
Whitaker skated around Chaves from the very beginning of the match. But Chvez was not taking it quietly and put up a good resistance.
Since the match was supposed to be one of the greatest matches of that decade, everyone seemed to harbor an opinion. Emmanuel Steward, a star coach of Evander Holyfield, said that Whitaker should follow an ‘engage and break policy.’
This means Whitaker should hit Chavez with a quick succession of punches and then break away. This would have given Whitaker a chance to maintain space and distance between him and Chavez.
Meanwhile, Cristobal Rosas, the official coach of Chavez at the time, said, “After the fourth or fifth round, the fight will be under Julio’s control.“
But to everyone’s surprise, Whitaker went with Steward‘s strategy and maintained a healthy distance between him and Chavez, often closing the gaps for a quick barrage of jabs.
The Decision That Left Fans Disgruntled
This left fans and officials impressed with Whittaker and wanted the fight to go his way. But the judges, Jack Woodruff, Franz Marti, and Mickey Vann, had other things on their minds. According to three standing judges of the fight, the fight was a draw.
Now, thirty years later, the wound is still sore for fans and officials alike.
In a recent turn of events, Lou DiBella took to X in order to express his discontent, saying, “To this day, this remains the worst, most egregious, example of #boxing robbery that I have ever seen. On the night Sweet Pea Whitaker painted the greatest ring masterpiece of his career, he was victimized by bold, shameless, corrupt #boxing judging. Remember Pernell Whitaker”
Lou was Whitaker’s promoter and was certainly not happy about how things went for Pernell Whittaker that night.
As soon as Lou posted his opinion on social media, boxing fans from across the world joined Lou to express their opinion. Keep following our page for more such sports-related content.
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