Among my most prized possessions is a blue silk corner jacket with the name “Pernell Sweetpea Whitaker” emblazoned in white script on the back. The jacket brings together a number of things for me. First, Norfolk native Whitaker is one of my favorite boxers. Second, the jacket was worn in the corner of one of his fights (I have forgotten which, but it possible that it was this fight) by a good friend of mine, Bob Wareing, now deceased. He gave me the jacket a couple of days after the fight. And, blue is my favorite color 🙂
In his prime, Whitaker was, pound for pound, the best fighter in the world. As a matter of fact, I believe he was the first fighter to hold the “pound for pound” title. Watching him fight was like watching a boxing clinic. For enthusiasts such as myself, it was magic. How appropriate, then, is it that we learn today that he has been elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Nicknamed “Sweetpea,” Whitaker tied the best fighters of his era in knots with his unique crouching defensive style. He would slip their punches and then counter from unconventional angles. Boxing historians generally rank him alongside featherweight Willie Pep as one of the top defensive fighters.
Congratulations, Sweetpea. You deserve this recognition.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Amen to that! My cousin was in surgery during Sweetpea’s 1984 gold-medal match. His first words upon coming out of the anesthesia ware, “Did Sweetpea win?”
Yes.
By the way – the corner jacket I have is the same color blue as those shorts. Could be from that Chavez fight. Might be worth some money now – not that I would sell it 😉
I’m jealous. Of course, nothing he wore would ever fit me….
Sweetpea didn’t wear it – his cornerman Bob Wareing did.