Pernell Whitaker Net Worth

How much was Pernell Whitaker’s net worth?

net worth: $250 thousand
Birth: 2 January, 1964
dead: 14 July 2019
country of origin: United States of america
Sources of funds: Professional boxer
Last Updated: July 30, 2024

Introduction

At the time of his passing, Pernell Whitaker’s net worth was estimated to be $250 thousand.

Pernell Whitaker was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001 and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer.

He was a four-weight class world champion, winning titles in the lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight categories.

early life

Purnell was born on January 2, 1964 in Norfolk, Virginia.

He had two siblings, a brother, Raymond Jr., and a sister, Monique.

Pernell married Rwanda Anthony in the boxing ring of the Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center on December 21, 1985. The couple later divorced.

Livelihood

Pernell Whitaker began his career by defeating former world champion Alfredo Layne and former WBA light welterweight titleholder Roger Mayweather in 1986 and 1987.

In 1988, he challenged José Luis Ramírez but suffered his first professional defeat when he lost in a split decision.

However, this proved to be a controversial decision, as many fans of the sport believed that Whittaker was the real winner.

Despite losing that match, Whittaker continued to work hard to become one of the richest boxers in the world and his skill was undeniable.

Boxing champion

In 1989, Pernell Whitaker defeated Greg Haugen for the IBF lightweight title and became the first man to defeat Haugen.

As champion, Whittaker dominated the ring in the early ’90s, defending his title against Freddie Pendleton and Azumah Nelson.

In 1990, he defeated Juan Nazario and became the first man since Roberto Durán to become the undisputed lightweight champion.

Whitaker moved up to the welterweight class in 1992 and easily took the IBF light welterweight title from Rafael Pineda in July.

Soon after, he became the WBC and lineal welterweight champion with a decision win over Buddy McGirt.

Because of his status, Whittaker got the chance to fight Julio Cesar Chavez, who was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

The two faced off in 1993 in a bout known as The Fight, and many thought Whitaker had defeated the boxing legend, although the judges declared the match a draw.

A boxing titan

In 1994, Pernell Whitaker fought Julio Cesar Vasquez and won the WBA super welterweight title by unanimous decision.

This made him the fourth boxer in history, along with Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roberto Durán, to win world titles in four weight classes.

However, despite this win, Whitaker decided to return to welterweight and defended his WBC belt against Gary Jacobs in 1995.

He then put his title on the line in a match against Diosbelys Hurtado, who put Whittaker down on the scorecards in the 11th round.

Fortunately, Whittaker made a tremendous comeback and pushed Hurtado into the ropes in a wonderful display of his power and aggression.

Once the fight was stopped, Whittaker was declared the champion with a come-from-behind TKO win that no one had expected.

Adopting the best

Following his win against Hurtado, Pernell Whitaker was scheduled to take on undefeated Olympic gold medalist Oscar De La Hoya.

They faced off in 1997, with Whitaker defending his WBC championship and his status as the world’s best boxer.

Whitaker was awarded a knockdown during the 9th round, but De La Hoya was chosen to win the bout by unanimous decision.

This was another controversial loss for Whitaker, with many observers and fans believing Whitaker should have won.

De La Hoya, on the other hand, said he was unhappy with his performance and, although he hinted at a rematch, his promoter decided against it.

Whittaker then faced Andrey Pestryaev, and although he won, his win was revoked and he was suspended after failing a drug test following the fight.

Whitaker’s last battles

Pernell Whitaker suffered his first undisputed loss to Felix Trinidad, who managed to knock Whitaker out in the 11th round.

Whittaker fought his last bout in April 2001 against Carlos Bojorquez, but broke his collarbone in the fourth round, forcing him to retire from the sport.

After the bout, Whitaker officially announced he was retiring with a record of 40-4-1 with 17 knockouts.

He then pursued a career as a trainer and worked with Dorin Spivey, Joel Julio and heavyweight Calvin Brock.

In 2010 he was inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame and shortly thereafter began training former welterweight champion Zab Judah.

Unfortunately, Pernell Whitaker died in 2019 after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the street in Virginia Beach.

He was just 55 years old at the time of his death, and he left behind a lasting legacy that the boxing world will never forget.

pernell whitaker net worth

At the time of his passing, Pernell Whitaker’s net worth was estimated to be $250 thousand.

More professional boxers:

Highlights

Here are some of the best highlights from Pernell Whitaker’s career:

  • Fighter of the Year (1989)
  • The Ring ranked him as the best active boxer (1993–1997)

Favorite quotes from Pernell Whitaker

“It’s a name they gave me when I was about 9 years old. I was in the boxing ring and I had “Sweet Pete” written on my boxing shoes and they spelled it wrong as “Sweet Pea” and I couldn’t get it changed in the newspapers so I adopted it and ever since then the name stuck with me and it’s stayed with me and I think it grew on me gradually, but it started when I was about 9.” – Pernell Whittaker

“I didn’t have a favorite fighter. I didn’t have one, absolutely none. Everybody liked Muhammad Ali. That’s why he’s the greatest fighter of all time, but personally, I don’t have a fighter that stands out. I have my own style.” – Pernell Whittaker

“I knew that every time I stepped into the ring I gave 100% and every performance I did had something different to it and no matter what it was, you guys called me a showboat and now you’re calling me the pound-for-pound best.” – Pernell Whittaker

“Every fight I’ve fought that had anything to do with controversy was controversial. It wasn’t just one or two fights, but a fight is a fight. I don’t complain about them. I don’t look back on them.” – Pernell Whittaker

“Chavez was a great fighter. He was a great, great fighter. When I fought him it was a big deal. It was one of my best fights, along with the other fifty.” – Pernell Whittaker

3 Strong Lessons from Pernell Whitaker

Now that you know everything about Stephen Colbert’s net worth and how he achieved success; let’s look at some of the most important things we learned from him:

1. Never stop learning

Mistakes are an important part of the course of life. In short, you grow from what you go through. And the battles of today are preparing you for the battles in the ring tomorrow. But that won’t happen if you let yourself get knocked down in the first round.

2. Focus your attention

You are not your thoughts. You are not your feelings. You are not the sensations you experience. The only thing in life you truly have control over is your attention.

3. Seize the moment

Life is too short. It’s sad, but tragedies happen every day. People and pets die all the time. Friends get married and start families and buy houses across the country. It’s all a natural part of the cycle of life and everything has its ups and downs.

Summary

Pernell Whitaker was a retired professional boxer and former world champion.

During his amateur days, he fought 214 bouts, of which he won 201. He is considered one of the best boxers in the world.

At the time of his passing, Pernell Whitaker’s net worth was estimated to be $250 thousand.

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