Pernell Whitaker vs. Julio César Chávez, billed as The Fight, was a professional boxing match contested on September 10, 1993, for the WBC welterweight title.
Background Immediately following Pernell Whitaker's victory over Buddy McGirt on March 6, 1993, it was announced that a deal had been reached that would see Whitaker face reigning WBC light welterweight champion Julio César Chávez.Whitaker Is Winner Over McGirt, NY Times article, 1993-03-07, Retrieved on 2020-04-12 The deal had been made prior to the McGirt–Whitaker bout and was to have happened regardless if Whitaker won or lost. Had Whitaker lost, his fight against Chávez would have been a unification bout for Whitaker's IBF light welterweight title and Chávez's WBC light welterweight title, but Whitaker's victory ensure the fight would instead be for his newly won WBC welterweight title instead.Pernell Whitaker, using his speed and capitalizing on his..., UPI article, 1993-03-06, Retrieved on 2020-04-13 At the insistence of Chávez, the fight was held at a catch-weight of 145 pounds, two pounds under the official welterweight limit of 147 pounds.Chavez and Whitaker: Fight Versus Flight, NY Times article, 1993-09-10, Retrieved on 2020-04-12
The fight was highly anticipated as Chávez was the number one fighter on The Ring magazine's pound-for-pound list and Whitaker was number two. It was the first time in the history of The Ring magazine's pound-for-pound list that the two top ranked fighters on the pound-for-pound list had faced each other.Head-to-head for pound-for-pound: Whitaker–Chavez Remembered, The Ring magazine article, Retrieved on 2020-04-13 When asked about becoming the number one fighter in the pound-for-pound rankings Whitaker stated "That is the title every man dreams of. This fight is the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA finals. It's boxing's two best fighters.", Buffalo News article, 1993-09-09, Retrieved on 2020-04-14
The fight In one of the most disputed decisions in boxing history, the fight was declared a majority draw. Whitaker used his slick boxing skills to control the fight as Chávez had trouble landing punches consistently. Whitaker would dominate with his jab landing 130 to Chávez's face, and had the edge in overall punches with 311 punches landed compared to 220 for Chávez. However, when the fight went to the judge's scorecards only one judge, Jack Woodruff, had scored the fight in Whitaker's favor at 115–113. The other two judges, Mickey Vann and Franz Marti, would score the fight even at 115–115.Head-to-head for pound-for-pound: Whitaker–Chavez Remembered, The Ring magazine article, Retrieved on 2020-04-13
Unofficial scorecards Virtually every scorecard from the press had Whitaker as the clear winner Associated Press: 116–112 Newsday: 116–112 The Ring Magazine: 117–111 Sports Illustrated: 117–111 Washington Post: 115–113
Controversy and aftermath There was immediate outrage over the result with many publications feeling that Whitaker had been robbed of a victory. Most notably, the September 20, 1993 issue of Sports Illustrated featured Whitaker on the cover with the headline "ROBBED!."Pernell Whitaker 1964–2019, Sports Illustrated article, 2019-07-29, Retrieved on 2020-04-14 Virtually all of the blame was heaped on the two WBC appointed judges Mickey Vann of England and Franz Marti of Switzerland whom were accused of being selected by Chávez's promoter Don King and WBC president (and Chávez's countryman) José Sulaimán solely to protect Chávez. The selection of lone American judge who had scored the fight in favor of Whitaker Jack Woodruff had been protested by Sulaimán, King and Chávez but they eventually relented. Said Whitaker's manager and trainer Lou Duva of the judges, "Vann and Marti are W.B.C. officials. These guys get trips all over the world; they're beholden to Sulaiman and King. They wanted the American judge knocked out of there. Why? This decision speaks for itself." Duva also lamented "This is the second time this has happened to one of our fighters with Chávez." referring to Meldrick Taylor's loss to Chávez three years prior.Two Judges Too Quick On the Draw, NY Times article, 1993-09-12, Retrieved on 2020-04-14 Duva had recommended respected veteran judge Jerry Roth, but Chávez refused. Duva's opinion was that Roth was turned down" because he had Meldrick Taylor ahead when Taylor fought Chávez."Beaten to the Draw, Sports Illustrated article, 1993-09-20, Retrieved on 2020-04-14
Dan Duva would launch an official protest only four days after the fight in hopes of getting the decision overturned in favor of Whitaker. The protest concerned the scoring of the sixth round of the bout in which referee Joe Cortez briefly halted the fight to allow Chávez to recover after Whitaker landed a low-blow. As Cortez believed the blow was unintentional, he did not instruct the judges to deduct a point from Whitaker on the scorecards. Whitaker would win the round 10–9 on both Woodruff and Marti's scorecard but Vann scored the round 10–9 in Chávez's favor. Vann was quoted in the Daily Express stating "The referee didn't take off a point, but I thought it had to be done.", which would be a violation as boxing rules state that only a referee can deduct points during the fight.Whitaker's promoter to protest decision, Tampa Bay Times article, 1993-09-15, Retrieved on 2020-04-14 However, in an interview with ESPN's Charley Steiner, Vann denied any wrongdoing and stated that he scored the fight correctly.Vann says he scored Whitaker-Chavez bout properly, UPI article, 1993-09-14, Retrieved on 2020-04-14 The following month, the protest was withdrawn.Whitaker Drops Protest of Chavez Draw, News & Record article, 1993-10-20, Retrieved on 2020-04-14
Fight card Confirmed bouts: Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round NotesCatchweight145 lbPernell Whitaker (c)vs.Julio César ChávezD12/12Super Featherweight130 lbAzumah Nelson (c)vs.Jesse James LeijaD12/12Light Middleweight154 lbTerry Norris (c)def.Joe GattiTKO1/12Middleweight160 lbThomas Tate def.Eduardo AyalaUD10/10Lightweight135 lbLeavander Johnsondef.Bobby BrewerTKO10/10Light Heavyweight175 lbFrank Tatedef.Everardo Armenta JrTKO9/10Bantamweight118 lbTim Austindef.Hector LaraTKO1/4
Broadcasting Country Broadcaster Showtime
References