Oscar De La Hoya vs Pernell Whitaker: Reliving Controversial Clash

On April 12, 1997, Oscar De La Hoya vs Pernell Whitaker clashed for the WBC welterweight title held by “Sweet Pea:”The bout took place at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas. The main event was billed as pound-for-pound, with two of the best pound-for-pound fighters meeting. It was an engrossing fight that ended in controversy when the judge’s scorecards were revealed.

Oscar De La Hoya vs Pernell Whitaker: Reliving The 1997 Controversy

Oscar De La Hoya vs Pernell Whitaker Fight Recap

Heading into this intriguing fight, Whitaker had been the WBC champ for four years and was recognised as the lineal welterweight champion. He hadn’t tasted defeat since 1988 when he lost to Jose Luis Ramirez. Before the De La Hoya bout, “Sweet Pea” was heading towards defeat against Diosbelys Hurtado, before rallying and stopping the Cuban fighter.

De La Hoya was undefeated and had already become a three-division world champion and was the current WBC super lightweight champion, winning that title from the legendary Julio César Chávez.

Drama ensued in the third round, with De La Hoya suffering a cut from an accidental headbutt. The WBC had a rule then, which meant “Sweet Pea” had a point deducted. Whitaker was a defensive master and he used his skills to frustrate De La Hoya during this fight, making him look ragged at points. Whitaker scored the only knockdown in the ninth round, with a well-timed left hook, catching “Golden Boy” off balance. Reflecting on the fight, it was close, but watching it back I still have Whitaker winning the fight 114-112. The judges however had other ideas.

Oscar De La Hoya vs Pernell Whitaker: Controversial Decision

It was a close fight, but Whitaker picked his shots impressively throughout and made De La Hoya miss. It was a fine performance from “Sweet Pea,” but the judge’s scorecards were soon read after the bell, awarding De La Hoya the unanimous decision victory, with scores of 116-110 x2 and 115-111.

Whitaker out-landed De La Hoya and out-jabbed him, but the power of “Golden Boy” seemed to sway the judges. Following the announcement of the results Whitaker revealed his disappointment at the cards: “I didn’t think I had to knock him out,” said Whitaker.

“I put enough punishment on him, and that speaks for itself. That was the old Pernell Whitaker you saw out there. You guys all said I was 33 years old. And I wanted to come out and prove I had the legs of a 22-year-old.”