I doubt I am alone, Whitaker was a brilliant boxer no doubt, but it sometimes was a bit of an ordeal to watch his fights, particularly in the early 90s.
I can definitely see the same being said about someone like Mayweather, but unless you just can't appreciate great skills I will never understand this method of thinking about Whitaker. The man had an exceptional workrate, which is usually the only deterrant you can offer up in the case of most pure boxers. Not to mention he was more than content, and more than able to hold his own on the inside with pretty much anyone. His offense was just as maticulous and varied as his defense. He was hardly a one-trick pony, and only got better in this regard as his career wore on, so I don't get your statement at all, especially in regards to early 90's Whitaker.
I'm not gonna pretend that I enjoyed all the fights I saw him in, but the way he dealt with Chavez, basically standing in front of him & out fighting as well as out boxing him was just pure class.
But he was so far ahead of his generally weak opposition that his fights in the three years after Nelson; leading up to McGirt, lacked an edge and anticipation. Which is a shame, because he probably peaked physically in that period.