Floyd Mayweather Jr

On this day in 1964, in Norfolk, Virginia, Pernell Whitaker was born. Known today as one of the finest defensive fighters in the history of the sport – or arguably as the best-ever – the gifted southpaw achieved plenty as both an amateur and a pro boxer.

Winning a silver medal at the 1982 World Amateur Championships, Whitaker, who was soon given the nickname of “Sweet Pea” due to his slick skills, went one better and captured gold at The Pan American games the following year. Then, capping off a superb amateur career, Whitaker, as part of the celebrated U.S team of 1984, won gold at the Los Angeles Olympics.

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Newly retired former P4P star, Floyd Mayweather, has responded to Oscar De La Hoya’s recent ‘open letter’ that said boxing wouldn’t be missing the self-professed ‘TBE,’ thanks largely to his ‘boring’ style and carefully managed career moves, by saying that he never ducked or dodged anyone in his career, though neither did he promise ‘excitement’ in May’s anticipated clash with Manny Pacquiao either.

Mayweather was also dismissive of much of De La Hoya’s honest and – admittedly self-promoting – letter, stating his belief that the boxing world as a whole must miss him if he is constantly being talked about – especially with regard as to whether he will return for the attempt at 50-0 next year.

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After he ‘retired’ from the sport [not for the first time] after last Saturday’s win over Andre Berto, it would be a reasonable assumption to expect that Floyd Mayweather’s WBC and WBA 147 and 154 lb titles would instantly become vacant – but alas, that has proven not to be the case – just yet, at least.

Mayweather stated after the Pacquiao fight in May that he would vacate his belts in order to let up-and-comers like Errol Spence Jr – a Mayweather Promotions fighter – ultimately duke it out for them, although he then went back on that, even refusing to vacate his WBO welterweight strap until he was stripped, forcing Tim Bradley and Jessie Vargas to battle for an interim strap in June. Bradley was later upgraded.

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