Being one of the best defensive fighters of all time he didn't take much punishment so you would think he would've lasted longer. Why would you say that didn't happen? Cocaine? Style too much reliant on athleticism?
Like when referring to Roy Jones,..the Pea's whole repetoire was based a lot on his phenomenal reflexes..and when age set in inevitably, he was more depemdent on the basics,,,, of conventional boxing technique which may have made him a less elusive target. To his credit, he didn't overstay like Jones did and suffer the consequences of having his less than stellar chin being tested..and failing the test. Thankfully, he didn't end up being deposited on his back unconscious like RJJ and screwing up his legacy.
Cocaine mixed with actually fighting the top guys out there and not cherry picking/stage managing his career into old age. I think he got pretty arrogant once he started toying with opponents too. Got to the point where he thought he had nothing to prove and that's when he started slipping.
people forget he went pro 84/85 and was winning titles in the very late 80s he stayed main even status till well into the mid to late 90s he actually got a lot of miles out of his style for what it was
Cocaine also the fact that he didn't have as much margin for error at Welterweight. Guys were bigger and more dangerous. Pea just got a little sloppy in the ring compared to the perfection of his lightweight days.
I wouldn't say that his career particularly lacked longevity. He fought from late 1984 to early 2001 - a period stretching more than 16 years and 46 fights. It should also be noted that about 23 of those 46 fights were world title bouts. By the time he entered the pro ring for the last and final time, he was 37 years of age. Most guys who fight in the lighter divisions don't stick around into their forties, unless you're talking about Roberto Duran, Saul Mamby and a select few others. Whitaker apparently had some substance abuse problems as well, which usually doesn't help that effort..
I thought he had a very long career. He really didnt hit hard so going to welterweight was going to be tough for him once he got into facing the bigger guys like Trinidad's size.
