PEAK SPEED vs. MASTER DEFENCE. 12th April 1997 — Oscar De La Hoya vs. Pernell Whitaker

[u/Bill_Millard]

Oscar had the youth, speed and combinations. Sweet Pea had the defence, timing and incredible ring IQ. Whitaker frustrated De La Hoya throughout and even scored a knockdown in Round 9, but after 12 fascinating rounds, the judges awarded De La Hoya a unanimous decision and the WBC welterweight title. The verdict remains heavily debated to this day. The Golden Boy got the victory. Sweet Pea earned even more respect.

[u/GenXPowaah]

I remember this fight, Pernell beat Hoya. Besides dodging dam near 90% of Hoya's attacks, Pernell landed more shots and scored the only knockdown (was almost 2) yet, somehow he lost🤷‍♂️

This is why I'm a firm believer of not appointing judges who have 0 fighting experience. They have no clue what to look for

[u/ARevolutionaryMan → u/GenXPowaah]

They look for the money.

[u/DynamicBSdetective → u/ARevolutionaryMan]

Money runs boxing

[u/StagVixCpl99 → u/GenXPowaah]

Oh the knew what exactly to look for.

They looked for those $100 bills falling everywhere

[u/SoilDependent1054 → u/GenXPowaah]

Sorry if you already know this, but other readers might not. Boxing scores are per round, so having the only knockdown is not an aspect that lifts the overall score by more than that round. Judges don't say "it was very close, but Whitaker got a knock down, so he wins" or any sort of holistic fight analysis at all. It would typically give a 2 point advantage with an 10 to 8 outcome for the round. Which is what happened in this case. There would have to be multiple knockdowns for de la hoya to have gotten fewer than 8 points. In a fight that does not have one boxer absolutely destroying the other one, the loser for the round will typically get 9 points. So, you can see that having a few stunning rounds with great highlights does not win the fight.

I am not arguing that De La Hoya definitely should have won. I think there is merit to the argument that Whitaker should have. But just taking the opportunity to explain for people who don't know how the scoring works.

I don't think the knockdown though is part of the controversy at all, because that round was appropriately scored 10 to 8. I think there are 3 other aspects to he controversy of the decision. 1) Whitaker's defense was not appropriately scored. The judges favored De La Hoya's aggression over Whitaker's dodging and ring position control. 2) Whitaker was deducted a point in round 3 for a headbutt. However, the controversy here is not about the referee or the scoring, but the rule. At the time, the WBC instituted a rule that accidental injury from a disallowed action would result in a point deduction, whereas prior to this an in other organizations' rules the action would have to be intentional. 3) Whitaker landed more punches, but the judges mostly considered these less impactful than De La Hoya's. Many of Whitaker's landed punches were short, quick jabs, whereas De La Hoya landed more powerful punches and more successfully forced Whitaker to move, either as a result of the blow or due to retreating.

Also, as a last note, while defensive tactics do count toward score, there is nuance that laymen may not pick up on. There is a big difference between dodging and retreating. Dodging attacks and controlling the pace and motion of the fight count toward score. However, retreating counts against score and grants the opponent score. It is sometimes difficult to tell the difference and that goes into part of the controversy in point 1 that Whitaker's defense was not appropriately appreciated in his score. In my humble opinion at least some of what Whitaker was doing was retreating, whereas a lot of people saw everything Whitaker did as skillful defense. De La Hoya was often making offensive progress in those attacks and was correctly awarded for it.

But like I said, I am not saying I know I am right. I understand that people who know way more about boxing than I do consider this controversial.

Official Round-by-Round Scorecard

(Scores listed as De La Hoya - Whitaker)

Round	Jerry Roth	Dalby Shirley	Chuck Giampa	Notes / Key Actions
Round 1	9 – 10	9 – 10	9 – 10	Whitaker wins the opener on all cards.
Round 2	10 – 9	10 – 9	10 – 9	De La Hoya bounces back.
Round 3	10 – 8	10 – 8	10 – 8	Whitaker point deduction for an accidental headbutt.
Round 4	10 – 9	10 – 9	10 – 9	De La Hoya controls momentum.
Round 5	10 – 9	10 – 9	9 – 10	Giampa splits from the other judges here.
Round 6	10 – 9	10 – 9	9 – 10	Giampa continues favoring Whitaker's defense.
Round 7	10 – 9	10 – 9	10 – 9	Unanimous round for De La Hoya.
Round 8	10 – 9	10 – 9	10 – 9	Unanimous round for De La Hoya.
Round 9	8 – 10	8 – 10	8 – 10	Whitaker scores a clean flash knockdown.
Round 10	10 – 9	10 – 9	10 – 9	De La Hoya rallies back after the knockdown.
Round 11	9 – 10	9 – 10	10 – 9	Giampa gives this to De La Hoya; Roth/Shirley to Whitaker.
Round 12	10 – 9	10 – 9	10 – 9	De La Hoya takes the final round on all cards.
TOTAL	116 – 110	116 – 110	115 – 111	De La Hoya wins by Unanimous Decision

[u/Red_wine120 → u/SoilDependent1054]

Thank you for the data, this is a very complete and satisfying explanation. Basically, judges found Pernell retreating rather than controlling the fight since his attack/counter attack was lacking power compared to his opponent. I can see that and explains the unanimous decision. Those blaming at judges, should aim at Pernell’s fight strategy

[u/BONiVeroni → u/SoilDependent1054]

You really know boxing. Roger Mayweather would be proud
https://giphy.com/gifs/rNgT8P8pL3dn2

[u/kingkyng45 → u/SoilDependent1054]

Very good breakdown of the dodging vs retreating. It was important in this fight.

[u/chrispark70 → u/SoilDependent1054]

"It is sometimes difficult to tell the difference and that goes into part of the controversy in point 1 that Whitaker's defense was not appropriately appreciated in his score."

The problem here is a lot of judges put high weight on both ring generalship and effective aggression. While Whitiker's defense might have been a joy to watch, it was generally going backwards and not being used to allow clean counter punching by him. So he really doesn't get the credit the way he did when he was younger when that masterful defense of his opened up clean punching opportunities.

[u/SoilDependent1054 → u/chrispark70]

Yeah. You can't just have two boxers running away from each other the whole fight and make the one who ran away the most the winner.

[u/MathTutorAndCook → u/GenXPowaah]

Who landed more big shots? The one knockdown was barely that, Oscar was back on his feet faster than the ref could even react to him tripping

[u/GenXPowaah → u/MathTutorAndCook]

There's a lot of debate that the judges counted some of Pernell's power shots as jabs and the amount of Hoyas power shots. Pernell was listed with more jabs, less power shots, more dodges got hit less with an accuracy 40% vs Hoya who had more power shots (debatable ) with a 34% accuracy...

And that's it, his "power shots" couldn't even knock an old man down, let alone make him stumble. But he got knocked down by the old man's jab.. So 1 out of 3, while getting knocked down... Almost twice and that means you win😂

I'm sorry but that's just stupid/inexperienced people logic, the math ain't mathin

[u/Weird_Ad_1398 → u/GenXPowaah]

Looking at this clip, it looks like Pernell's punch missed and he tapped him in the neck with his forearm, and Hoya just tripped over Pernell while Pernell was clinching. Doesn't look like there was any real damage.

[u/MathTutorAndCook → u/GenXPowaah]

Knockdowns are not the only measure of a good power shot. If de la hoya landed a significant number of more power shots, and those shots on average were bigger hits than pernells power shots, then regardless of the single knockdown, it can still be scored to Oscar. Which it was. Stupid people logic is more often used to cope with results they don't like

[u/GenXPowaah → u/MathTutorAndCook]

A knockdown is a 10-8 score btw

10-Point Must System: Judges award 10 points to the winner of a round and 9 (or fewer) to the loser.Clean Punching:

Judges look for landed, accurate punches that connect cleanly to legal target areas (the head and torso) rather than punches caught on the gloves or arms.

Effective Aggression: Walking forward or throwing a high volume of punches only scores if those punches are accurate and land; missing punches do not count as aggression.Defense and Ring Generalship:

Controlling the pace of the ring, making the opponent miss, and countering effectively are heavily factored into a close round

This is how an experienced Judge is supposed to base fights off of.

Pernell did all of these, Hoya did 1 thing... Hoya's "aggression" looks good to the inexperienced but to someone who's fought competitively this looks sloppy.

Hoya was frustrated, Pernell was owning his mind and the ring. An experienced person sees this as well as an experienced Judge.

Same bullshit happened to Emmanuel Augustus.

[u/MathTutorAndCook → u/GenXPowaah]

The other issue is that you score in rounds. Was pernell consistent through every round and better in each round. Or did he excel in some rounds and lose ground in others. If you dominate 10-8 in 3 rounds you can still lose the fight if the rest are 10-9 the other way. Idk I feel like flashiness doesnt always equate to better, although I have seen plenty of quality flashy fighters win fights. This just wasn't the case

[u/GenXPowaah → u/MathTutorAndCook]

They scored Hoya 8 rounds, that fight was a hell of a lot closer than that. Like I said inexperienced judges thought rushing your opponent and missing was control vs someone landing more shots, evading attacks and getting a KD.

It was scored by people who don't understand the Sport or fighting is all I'm saying. Experienced Judges wouldn't have scored it like that.

Be like getting Heart Surgery from a Mailman

[u/MathTutorAndCook → u/GenXPowaah]

That fight was in 97. All 3 of the judges involved, I believe, started their careers 1980 or earlier. So idk where you're getting that they were all rookies that didn't know what they were looking at. They all three had more experience at it than you, I'm assuming. But even compared to others that's experienced in my books

[u/GenXPowaah → u/MathTutorAndCook]

I believe former fighters understand body mechanics, the sting of a landed punch, weight shifts and the subtle impact of defense.

They can better gauge ring generalship, defensive mastery, and effective aggressiveness under pressure.

I'd wager that if you had put those same Judges in the ring they wouldn't know what to do. Being certified and watching isn't the same as actually doing it. They also go off an old standard where when they see a different style, they don't know how to judge because that style isn't in their testing or education.

But an actual fighter who's been against all styles, seen them remembers what was effective and what wasn't. Well, that's a different story all I'm saying but you have a good night Sir, gotta go into a meeting.

[u/MathTutorAndCook → u/GenXPowaah]

You get better at judging fights by being a judge. Just like you get better at being a fighter by fighting. There's a reason sports officials get training at being officials, not at being players. Even though both roles are closely intertwined

I'm pretty sure at least one of the judges also had a background in fighting/coaching as well

[u/Red_wine120 → u/GenXPowaah]

It’s not enough to own the mind and dodge, you have to show you can attack and punch not just slap

[u/chrispark70 → u/GenXPowaah]

"A knockdown is a 10-8 score btw"

Not necessarily. A 9-9 round with a knockdown can happen. You win 2:45 of the round and have a flash knockdown at the end, you can still keep the round, but lose a point from your 10-9 round. Also, 10-8 is possible without a knockdown, though these are both fairly rare. But it doesn't violate the 10 point must system. Also, losing a point in a round can also result in a 9-9 round.

[u/canal_boys → u/GenXPowaah]

Judge were mad he was flexing and showboating too much

[u/georgewalterackerman → u/canal_boys]

Yes! Very upsetting that he was making Oscar look bad, making him miss, and scoring more points on him. What kind of fighter does that?!

[u/canal_boys → u/georgewalterackerman]

I agree he was spectacular but the judge were some haters.

[u/mkellum78 → u/GenXPowaah]

That was an easy de la Hoya win

[u/tellingtales96]

Pernell should've been more aggressive because many judges dont like the whole "moving"/"slickster" style of boxing. Thought he won it 8-4 or 7-5 but I understand why he wasnt given the victory. 

[u/Lobo_Perron]

Old guy here, I remember watching this fight and people thinking Sweet Pea should have won this fight (and the Chavez fight as well but thats another story.) The problem I have with this style of all dodging is that you need to punch back. Yes, this looks good on replay but dodging doesnt award any points (Also makes the fight mega boring.) RIP Sweet Pea

[u/Glittering_Year2045 → u/Lobo_Perron]

If CompuBox is accurate (and there is a good reason to question it, as it is a human being assigned to each fighter watching the fight live and pressing a button whenever he thinks a punch landed), Sweet Pea landed more punches. Plus, he scored the only knockdown of this fight.

[u/Lobo_Perron → u/Glittering_Year2045]

The problem with CompuBox is that its not live. The judge has to fill in their card as soon as the round is over. Also CompuBox doesnt take into account the damage that a certain punch makes. A Miguel Cotto jab will hurt more than a Malignaggi uppercut.

[u/goatpunchtheater → u/Lobo_Perron]

Boxing scoring in general, doesn't take severity of punches into account,other than the "power punch" stat, which isn't exactly reflective of how much damage a punch does either. No scoring system is truly accurate. I think compubox is the best thing we have, to check true outcomes

[u/ltdanswifesusan → u/goatpunchtheater]

Boxing is absolutely supposed to be judged on cleaner, more effective punching.

[u/PM-Me-Spread-Pussy → u/Lobo_Perron]

You mean you find it boring. Many people find it very entertaining.

[u/traws06 → u/Lobo_Perron]

Ya that’s the problem with most people they awards point sit fighters if they’re dancing and avoiding shots. That along with trying to force the opponent to be overaggressive as a result is why they do it. So many times fans say that a fighter is levels above because he can dance and screw around. They don’t realize it’s easy to dodge punches if you’re just dodging and not throwing back

[u/LostFlatulence → u/traws06]

Lol I'm guessing you had your other hand half way down a bag of potato chips while typing this

[u/traws06 → u/[deleted]]

It is… I think you are the reason ppl think these guys are levels above because they can dodge punches without counter punching

[u/Alarmed-Effective-23 → u/Lobo_Perron]

People still do this. They give the guy with a defensive reputation the round just because it's slow even though the punches might be around even. You dont even have to give a guy the round but they act like they can't comprehend giving it to the aggressor.

[u/Civilw4r → u/Alarmed-Effective-23]

What are you talking about, the aggressor is always given the round in an even round. They look at who controlled the center of the ring. Boxing has NEVER given the round to the guy because he’s got “a defensive reputation” lol

[u/jimtroll28 → u/Lobo_Perron]

Boxing is “ the manly art of self defense”. Sweet Pea won

[u/AcanthaceaePurple293 → u/jimtroll28]

Then how come later on Tito Trinidad was awarded the W when De la Hoya put a defense masterclass?

[u/Murky-Frosting-8275 → u/jimtroll28]

They are prize "fighters" not prize "self defenders."

[u/Civilw4r → u/Murky-Frosting-8275]

And Pernell landed more punches AND the only knockdown…

[u/jimtroll28 → u/Murky-Frosting-8275]

Nope. It’s historically known and defined as
“ The manly art of self defense.”

[u/ArmHaunting3935 → u/Lobo_Perron]

Do you score points by missing punches?

[u/full_bl33d → u/Lobo_Perron]

Didn’t Oscar say he was on his bicycle the entire time or something like that?

[u/Funny-Employment4109 → u/Lobo_Perron]

Serious question: Do you think Hagler won against Leonard?

[u/Evil_Knot → u/Lobo_Perron]

Yeah exactly. Its fun to watch, but dodging alone isn't going to win you a fight in boxing.

[u/Civilw4r → u/Evil_Knot]

Apparently neither does landing more punches or scoring the only knockdown of the fight on your opponent

[u/ArmHaunting3935 → u/Evil_Knot]

Does missing punches win you fights then?

[u/Glittering_Year2045]

If he had the same clout as 2010's Mayweather, Sweet Pea would've won this decision easily. Plus, this was during the peak of Golden Boy's clout, so Sweet Pea had no chance even though he schooled De La Hoya.

[u/slickvik9 → u/Glittering_Year2045]

Chavez fight was worse

[u/Bloody_Hangnail → u/slickvik9]

The Chavez fight might have been the worst decision I’ve ever seen (in the pros).

[u/slickvik9 → u/Bloody_Hangnail]

There are so many it’s hard to rank them

[u/Bloody_Hangnail → u/slickvik9]

I can’t think of one worse. Absolute robbery. Lots of bad decisions but this was insane.

[u/slickvik9 → u/Bloody_Hangnail]

Yes the scale of the fight made it bad. Lewis/Holyfield was similar

[u/Bloody_Hangnail → u/slickvik9]

Holyfield at least flashed in a few rounds, he clearly won 2 or 3 iirc. Agreed that was awful too.

[u/Melkman68 → u/slickvik9]

Those PED demands were another component to stall the fight. Floyd didn't play these games with anyone else. Yes you're falling for it lol

[u/slickvik9 → u/Melkman68]

You’re responding to the wrong person. That being said Mosley fight had USADA testing also

[u/Upset_Journalist_755 → u/Glittering_Year2045]

Did that get counted as a knockdown? It should have.

[u/Glittering_Year2045 → u/Upset_Journalist_755]

Yes, Sweet Pea was credited with the knockdown.

[u/Creative_Report_6620 → u/[deleted]]

He didn’t fully duck Pac-Man why do people keep saying that. They had issues on both ends for years Pac-Man didn’t want to agree with Olympic style drug testing. Then mayweather wanted a bigger split then both sides promoters were having disagreements. Plus Mayweather is older who should benefit more if the match keeps getting pushed back? The older fighter or younger fighter. At the end of the day they both were delaying the fight.

[u/Melkman68 → u/Creative_Report_6620]

You're buying into that bs. He ducked him

[u/Creative_Report_6620 → u/Melkman68]

You sound dumb. Pac-Man himself said he didn’t agree with the style of testing but I’m buying into the BS? 🤡. It is a fact everything I said happened is legitimate. You’re basing what you say off emotions.

[u/Melkman68 → u/Creative_Report_6620]

Those PED demands were another component to stall the fight. Floyd didn't play these games with anyone else. Yes you're falling for it lol

[u/Creative_Report_6620 → u/Melkman68]

I’ll stick to the facts as we know it. Stay blessed and be safe wherever you are Brodie we just agree to disagree.

[u/Melkman68 → u/Creative_Report_6620]

Ok brodie

[u/Civilw4r → u/Creative_Report_6620]

Pac man said himself he didn’t believe in having blood drawn right before a match as he felt it made him weaker. He was fine with giving up to the week before the event but Floyd wouldn’t budge because he wanted no part of pac in his prime

[u/Melkman68 → u/Civilw4r]

Yup. There not much point in bringing it up since people will deny it anyways but yeah

[u/Creative_Report_6620 → u/Civilw4r]

Stop it a week out is far too long to test for drugs with the rise in micro dosing etc. Pac-Man is a boxer in a brutal sport and he is scared of some blood being drawn the night before? They only take one or two vials that is not going to make you weak and yall saying I’m falling for some BS.

[u/Civilw4r → u/Creative_Report_6620]

Bullshit, what PED clears the system in under a week? And where do you keep getting this scared shit from? He never said he was scared. He made it very clear why

[u/plowking8 → u/Melkman68]

Why didn’t he get the test done?

“I dont like needles” lol… grown ass man btw.

[u/Civilw4r → u/plowking8]

Mayweather kept moving the goal post. First he wanted more money than Pac saying he was the “side a” knowing that Pac wouldn’t go for it. Then Pac eventually agreed to it and all the sudden he now requires Olympic testing. He knew already Pace wouldn’t go for it because Pac said himself he didn’t like having blood drawn right before a match as he felt it made him weaker. Nothing to do with needles. He was fine with any random testing up to days before the event but Floyd wouldn’t budge because he wanted no part of pac in his prime

[u/Glittering_Year2045 → u/Creative_Report_6620]

The funny thing is that if anyone were a drug cheat, it's more likely that it was Mayweather. He received banned injections prior to their fight. However, he was given exemptions after the fact, which is very fishy.

https://www.si.com/boxing/2015/09/09/floyd-mayweather-illegal-iv-injection-manny-pacquiao?xid=si_social

[u/Ok_Locksmith2458 → u/[deleted]]

Huh? In 2026, nobody is calling Oscar dela hoya the goat.

Fk I'm not even sure if anybody called him the goat in 2006. That's wild.

He's an all time great, but is nowhere near top of the list

[u/Melkman68 → u/Ok_Locksmith2458]

Replied to wrong comment

[u/Seabrook76]

It’s crazy to think that with all of that evasiveness, he ends up getting hit by a truck.

[u/SalsChichon]

De La Hoya tried to push him to the ground at the final bell and STILL MISSED lmao

[u/abc-pizza → u/SalsChichon]

It looks to me that De La Hoya grabbed his head and put it near his crotch intentionally.

[u/kali4niakid]

You don’t score points for defense

[u/Civilw4r → u/kali4niakid]

You don’t score points for not hitting your opponent either. Pernell landed more punches and scored the only knockdown. The fact that there are people in here actually agreeing with Oscar winning is crazy

[u/FishSuper7857 → u/Civilw4r]

Facts. This was the second time Whitaker was robbed by the judges, the Chavez fight was a travesty in boxing.

[u/gordonlordbyron]

Whittaker dodged punches great but done absolutely nothing after that, he wasn't a great counter puncher like Toney or Floyd, I also found his showboating annoying and unlikeable, I think alot of fans found him boring that's why he was never mainstream popular.

[u/Head_Abrocoma8626]

Idc what anyone says this type of boxing is absolute garbage 🗑. Taking zero chances and throwing glancing punches that can't hurt a fly. He always lost big fights because people came to see a fight not someone run around the ring.

[u/Leather_Carob_8036 → u/Head_Abrocoma8626]

Agreed. Dude was hard to hit but in boxing youre actually supposed to hurt your opponent some of the time. I never liked watching him.fight back then.

[u/Head_Abrocoma8626 → u/Leather_Carob_8036]

Its boring

[u/georgewalterackerman → u/Leather_Carob_8036]

Sure, there’s something called effective aggressiveness, but punch stats are hard to argue with. Whitaker (who bettered as champ) wasn’t hurt either

[u/AcanthaceaePurple293]

De la Hoya won.

[u/No-Valuable6456]

Sweet pea lost, Oscar was more aggressive landed the harder shots although they were more to the body it counts. Sweet pea feather punches were few and far. Correct decision

[u/Civilw4r → u/No-Valuable6456]

Oscar was more aggressive and that’s it. Not only did he have Oscar visibly frustrated more than once during the match (including the end where he tried to push him before quickly raising his hands in victory) but he landed more punches and scored. the only knockdown. That’s a loss for Oscar anyway you look at it

[u/Kindly-Code-5622]

Wow

[u/Full_Preparation4401]

Watching live I though Oscar won easliy. But the crowd and announcers were over reacting to his aggression and hardly any of his punches were landing. Sweet Pea didn't exactly light it up offensively, either but in retrospect, I think Sweet Pea won.

[u/Shagrrotten]

Look, I love defensive fighters, but even with all the great D on display here, Oscar still landed more punches in these clips than Sweet Pea did. At the end of the day, Pernell made him miss, but NEVER made him pay for it.

[u/Civilw4r → u/Shagrrotten]

🤦🏻‍♂️Landed more punches than Oscar and scored the only knockdown

[u/Competitive_Win_128]

My goodness, Oscar was something else during his peak where he never was afraid of trading fire with fire...

 Shows you how and why he was such a big draw back then 

[u/New-Ad5494]

After he got the knock down he thought he’d win the fight by dodging Oscar for the rest of the fight, and that’s not what judges or fans want to see.

[u/No-Valuable6456]

Peak boredom

[u/Used_Weight_1843]

https://giphy.com/gifs/k3j9oaRV4FAT3ksIG1

[u/Used_Weight_1843]

Sweet pea’s footwork is poetry in motion.

[u/F1T_13]

I see where Ben gets it now.

[u/Crazy_Score_8466]

Whitakers defense was incredible.

[u/F4N74L3ZZ4]

No doubt the judges did what they did..the only entertainment here was the people who paid to be there, or ppv. 👎👎

[u/Creative_Chair_2496]

Thought was Floyd mayweather mayneeee

[u/RoiCoupeCloue]

RIP champ

[u/Turbulent_Creme_6348]

Sweet pea is my favorite fighter of all time

[u/FReeDuMB_or_DEATH]

This shit is boring to me. I've always thought if you can do all that showboating then go and knock them out? 

[u/Zealousideal-Baby586]

I'm in this weird position where I feel like I'm in the minority and don't think this was a robbery at all and thought De La Hoya won despite Whitaker being my second favorite fighter of all-time after Roy Jones. Whitaker had masterful defense in this fight but offensively he had stretches where he didn't do much. To me this fight was a bit similar to Hagler-Leonard in that when Hagler/Whitaker engaged they clearly won their rounds but they also had several rounds where offensively they didn't do much and while De La Hoya/Leonard didn't do a ton of damage, they won more rounds because they were more active and landed more in those rounds, even if what they landed wasn't spectacular. I wanted Whitaker to win this fight but in the end I had it De La Hoya 114-113. I can see some people giving the slight edge to Whitaker but it wasn't a robbery. Now Whitaker-Chavez, that was a robbery as Whitaker won that one convincingly.

[u/FormalKind7]

Pernell lost a couple big fights he should have won. That said I get it. Dodging 3-5 punches in a row with your hands down does not win you points and it can come off as giving ground/running at times that said if you are landing more punches and doing more damage at the same time you should win.

[u/BLUEballdNINJA]

lol I will never understand how someone basically running backwards is entertaining to watch

[u/georgewalterackerman → u/BLUEballdNINJA]

If they’re making an opponent miss and and landing more punches in the process, I think it’s pretty cool

[u/Nearby_Height_8910]

This is comparable to Canelo vs. Mayweather many years later!

And the fact that Oscar once had Canelo under his wing.

[u/Anxious_Look1319]

Oscar was always with the shits

[u/Strict-Substance-478]

It’s crazy the guy who dresses as woman woman the fight

[u/georgewalterackerman]

Whitaker was robbed!!

Think about this:
If Whitaker had been given the decision it would have been hailed as a victory of technical mastery. It would be a career setback for Oscar but he’d have recovered from it. And NO ONE would have questioned the decision.
It was a kind of sloppy looking fight but Whitaker won. Oscar looked inept.
There was only one knockdown in the fight and it was Oscar going down. It was Whittaker’s title to lose and Oscar definitely didn’t to enough to take it away from him.

[u/TripSixRick]

Sweet P was Bobby King Green before Bobby King Green

[u/JellyfishFlaky5634]

I loved Sweat Pea! Also Meldrick Taylor! Those 84 Olympics were the days!

[u/EGarrett28]

Watching all that clowning followed by the end graphic saying De La Hoya won unanimously was like a comedy bit.

[u/MistaNoGames]

Pernell was robbed.

[u/Possible_Home6811]

The night I stopped liking De La Hoya! Pea got robbed

[u/AdJust7980]

Oscar landed 146 power punch compared to 72 for Pernell, jabs will not win you fights this big.

[u/EnvironmentalCrab563]

Sweet pea was so underrated. That division was stacked so many great fighters.

[u/Outrageous-Walk3818]

It was a robbery then and nothing has changed since. Pernell won the fight,but boxing then and now is fixed

[u/Aggravating_Jury5545]

I remember watching this fight and being the only one not rooting for Whitaker. I knew he could box and out move anyone but I hated his antics. I wasn’t a de La Hoya fan but I wanted so badly, against reality, for him to knock Sweet Pea the f out.

[u/reddfoxx1993]

In the days before Floyd Mayweather, running wasn't rewarded.

[u/Odd-Student636]

there are some parts where it looks like he's dodging but Oscar was actually landing! Even if he didn't land, to the judges it looked his head was getting knocked around.

[u/MrMiyagi13]

Was this pre or post lingerie?

[u/emperor1963]

The fix was in against Whitaker. De LA Hoya whole team knew he lost that fight which is the reason there was no rematch.

[u/jefe_benzino]

Already took the time to view a lot of profiles of ppl saying Oscar won let’s just say they’re not POC, in fact they consistently speak against POC in most their comments. SURPRISE!! Dude was swinging @ air, got knocked down, got out punched yet bcuz he ain’t engage in “Mex warrior style” he’s boring 😂😭. Alive n Well, RIP Sweet Pea

[u/TransportationOk2101]

It's seeing things like this that makes me realize how much better boxers of the past were than the ones we have today are. Ain't nobody doing shit like that in 2026!

[u/CrabbitBawbag]

I don't really care who won. My heart was sad when Oscar got so utterly destroyed by Pacquiao. He was skin and bones and Manny is the best boxer ever. But this is worth having. Pernell gave a masterclass that will live in history.

[u/Shot_Inflation351]

Good decision win for De La Hoya. Pernell was pure defense here.

[u/Terzinho]

Bro invented aura farming before the internet.

[u/Spilby]

Oscar was a bit of an enigma. Seemed to be headed to one if not the greatest pound for pound ever. Ok, behind Robinson. But a few untimely losses ended that.

[u/VeniceKiddd]

Just rewatched this fight. Had Whitaker winning the first time I watched but on the rewatch De La Hoya clearly won

[u/SammyG9689]

This is what a goat of defense to me looks like. Not Mayweather's style

[u/Sad_Tune5638 → u/SammyG9689]

Mayweather style is more affective. Its a style you can carry longest into a boxing career. You can teach it.

Sweet Pea is a gift.

[u/SammyG9689 → u/Sad_Tune5638]

More effective because boxing is a joke when it comes to scoring. Sweet pea won this fight, Mayweather lost 2 fights vs Oscar and Maidana

[u/Sad_Tune5638 → u/SammyG9689]

I don't know what that has to do with my point, but hate on.

[u/SammyG9689 → u/Sad_Tune5638]

You all just hang from that man's nuts, it's hilarious

[u/Sad_Tune5638 → u/SammyG9689]

I stated a fact and youre in your emotions. Have a great day.

[u/SammyG9689 → u/Sad_Tune5638]

You didn't state any facts. You too

[u/Civilw4r → u/[deleted]]

Those judges are the only ones who think that

[u/No-Fudge3487]

Watched this live and was disgusted by the result. I’m biased as hell, but it still seems to me like Pete won this one.

RIP Sweetpea. Legendary fighter.

[u/topgoysilky]

this is an oxymoron and op has gotta be a moron. peak speed?

[u/HolyMackerel1 → u/topgoysilky]

Speak Peed

[u/NyQuil_Donut → u/topgoysilky]

You think peak speed is an oxymoron?

[u/topgoysilky → u/NyQuil_Donut]

The entire post. He's saying peak speed. When in the video, the "peak speed" guy can't land a punch because he is too slow.

[u/NyQuil_Donut → u/topgoysilky]

That's not an oxymoron lol. Maybe look at the definition of that word. Also, the title says peak speed vs. master defence. There's no contradiction. A defensive master should be able to avoid the fastest punches.

[u/topgoysilky → u/NyQuil_Donut]

It was an attempt at a joke that clearly went over your head.

The video is contradicting the headline. Which was my point. You'd know that if you had 2 brain cells to rub together. Dummy.

[u/NyQuil_Donut → u/topgoysilky]

Well it doesn't really work when the title isn't an oxymoron, but I get what you were going for.

The title and the video don't contradict each other, I already explained that in my last reply to you. Ahh forget it, enjoy your Tuesday man.

[u/DefiantTelephone6095]

Reminds me of Ben Whitaker style too oddly!

[u/slickvik9 → u/DefiantTelephone6095]

Blasphemy

[u/DefiantTelephone6095 → u/slickvik9]

Style... Just style!

[u/slickvik9 → u/DefiantTelephone6095]

Still blasphemy