Have we as boxing fans, forgotten the great Pernell Whitaker?

Not many people talk about him since the majority of people on here are Pacquiao fan trolls that only know about the eight letter word: Pacquiao. and nothing else.

The one thing I remember and cherish about Sweet Pea is what of many fans dislike these days....superb defensive skills. I'll give you an example, I'm a huge JCC and ODLH fan and it would always kill me and I would always cringe through those fights when they would fight him because he was just so damn slick that as hard as JCC's body shots were, he could hardly land them on him. Alot of people find his style "boring"; "all he did was run, boo"....do these comments sound familiar in this day and age? haha. No one perfected the Philly Shell like he did and it was horrible to see him fade in the late 90's. Lemme put it this way, Pacquiao had trouble with a hard hitting counter puncher like Marquez, I can only respectfully wonder what Whitaker would've done to Manny.

Though a dream matchup would be Roberto Duran vs Pernell, simply because Roberto Duran is one (if not thee) of the greatest 135 lbs fighters would fight against a prime Pernell.

Sir, Pernell Whitaker was a great fighter and I certainly haven't forgotten him. He totally dominated Buddy McGirt and was robbed vs Chavez and Ramirez (one a loss and 1 a draw) in fights he clearly won. He was a very accurate puncher, a smooth boxer, but what he's best known for is his great defense as he is easily one of the greatest defensive fighters in history. He would have done well against Pacquiao and very well would have won a close decision. I believe he would have outpointed Marquez and Duran would have been an all time great fight that could have went either way. Another guy I would have liked to have seen him fight would have been Aaron Pryor. Yes Pernell Whitaker was a tremendous fighter and would have done well against anyone in my opinion. Good question.

In agreement with the two comments that precede mine. Pernell had defensive skills that are admired by the puritans of the sport. Like James Toney, he could stand right in front of you and make you miss all night. In fact, his defense was perhaps far superior to Toney. If only Sweet P had some more power, he would have been more appreciated by the casual fans.

To answer the 2nd part of your question, he would have performed well versus the greats of this sports if he faced them in his prime. No disrespect for Marquez, but he would have dominated him. He may have lacked power but he could handle guys much bigger than Marquez (watch his bout against a prime Buddy McGirt). Standing in front of Duran wouldn't be a smart decision for Whitaker. But if he used his legs a bit, he would have been able to frustrate Duran, albeit in a losing effort. Pacquiao's hand speed would give anyone trouble, and it would provide some problem for Whitaker. However, he is slicker than any fighter Pacquiao has faced thus far, and would find opportunities to counter, seeing success similar to what Marquez had versus Manny. If you ask me though, Pacquiao has improved greatly since his first bout with Marquez and is a better fighter than he was in the 2nd bout.

But the matchup I had always wondered about would be Whitaker versus Mayweather. It would be a snoozer for fans of MMA and casual fans who only want to see fights like Gatti-Ward. But in this hypothetical matchup you have two of the games premier defensive wizards, with very different styles. I would love to see this match unfold.

Most of them, He could have beaten, and a young Duran from the 1972-1974 era, I could see him beating that version of Duran.

He has been forgotten by bandwagon fans but hardcore fans will always remember Pernell!

no. but floyd mayweather jr. is active right now.