Aaron Pryor ~VS~ Pernell Whitaker at 140

Raging B(_)LL · Feb 11, 2008

Sweet Pea said:

No way Pernell beats him yet it's a Split Decision by your call?
Click to expand...

I would expect a split decision as I believe one of the judges would favour Whitaker, but the other two would have voted for Pryor.

First of all, as amped up as Pryor may be due to Pea's trashtalk, you'll have a hard time finding a mentally tougher/more self-obsessed fighter with undying belief in himself than Whitaker. He is up there with Ali in that regard, just not quite as outspoken. So you have one fighter who, while very adaptive and skilled at keeping the fight at his own pace, will walk someone down and flurry on them in retaliation just to prove he can at times against another very motivated fighter, who will rarely ever take a backwards step.
Click to expand...

While I agree with your assessment of Pea and his belief in himself, I don`t think he will try to take the fight to Pryor at any point during the fight. Only if Aaron decides to take a round off and box can I envision Pea doing that, otherwise Pryor will be keeping him on the defensive all night long.

I see Whitaker taking this fight because, based on styles, Whitaker can fight off the backfoot more effectively than anyone I've ever seen(and I challenge anyone to find someone who can do so better). Also, while Pryor will be taking the fight to Whitaker, Whitaker was arguably the more skilled inside fighter. Pryor liked to keep things at mid-range when coming forward in actuality, he liked to have the space to throw his straight punches, rather than get in close and go to the body like a Chavez, so based on that, if Pryor is able to get to Whitaker, I see Pea looking to tie him up and land body blows in the clinch, which he was a master at(typing up arms to land his own blows while nullifying the opponents, etc).
Click to expand...

While I agree that Pernell was a excellent inside fighter, I do think that Pryor was just as good in close quarters as Whitaker was. And I don`t think Whitaker`s tactic of tying up his opponents arm while throwing his own body punches in close would work here, as I don`t envision Pryor letting him get away with that for long.

I will say that Pryor's relentlessness and variety give him the edge when he gets into mid-range distance, if Whitaker were to fight stationary, but if Whitaker were to fight off the backfoot, which he did so well against pressure fighters, I would give him the clear edge.
Click to expand...

Even if Whitaker were to fight off the backfoot, I don`t see him being able to evade all those unorthodox and awkward punches that Pryor will be throwing at him. Whitaker has never faced a pressure fighter in the mould of Pryor, who was much more aggressive and unpredictable when in attack mode than say a Ramirez or Chavez who were rather methodical/predictable in their approach to say the least. Pryor would not afford that luxury to him and would have him constantly thinking/working looking to evade while countering with his own punches. Ultimately Pryors aggression and high workrate would have caught the judges attention more than Whitakers accurate counters and body punching. Just my opinion, but that is how I see the fight unfolding.
Click to expand...

dpw417 · Feb 11, 2008

Raging B(_)LL said:

Sweet Pea said:

I would expect a split decision as I believe one of the judges would favour Whitaker, but the other two would have voted for Pryor.

While I agree with your assessment of Pea and his belief in himself, I don`t think he will try to take the fight to Pryor at any point during the fight. Only if Aaron decides to take a round off and box can I envision Pea doing that, otherwise Pryor will be keeping him on the defensive all night long.

While I agree that Pernell was a excellent inside fighter, I do think that Pryor was just as good in close quarters as Whitaker was. And I don`t think Whitaker`s tactic of tying up his opponents arm while throwing his own body punches in close would work here, as I don`t envision Pryor letting him get away with that for long.

Even if Whitaker were to fight off the backfoot, I don`t see him being able to evade all those unorthodox and awkward punches that Pryor will be throwing at him. Whitaker has never faced a pressure fighter in the mould of Pryor, who was much more aggressive and unpredictable when in attack mode than say a Ramirez or Chavez who were rather methodical/predictable in their approach to say the least. Pryor would not afford that luxury to him and would have him constantly thinking/working looking to evade while countering with his own punches. Ultimately Pryors aggression and high workrate would have caught the judges attention more than Whitakers accurate counters and body punching. Just my opinion, but that is how I see the fight unfolding.
Click to expand...

It's good to see you on the board Craig!:good
Click to expand...

Log in or Sign up

Aaron Pryor ~VS~ Pernell Whitaker at 140

Raging B(_)LL KAPOW!!! Full Member

dpw417 Boxing Junkie Full Member

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Aaron Pryor ~VS~ Pernell Whitaker at 140

Raging B(_)LL KAPOW!!! Full Member

dpw417 Boxing Junkie Full Member