Pernell Whitaker's case for a top 5 All time great Welter weight

Pernell Whitaker is an ATG fighter. And he would be a handful for most Welterweights. However, his best weight was Lightweight. He beat very few elite Welterweights, much less ATG Welterweights. And, I find it puzzling that you would mention two fighters who were clearly not Welterweights (Nelson and Chavez) to raise your inquiry. Arguably, the only truly elite Welterweight that Whitaker beat was Buddy McGirt.

 

A d Whitaker did put up an even fight with prime DH.A lot of folks thought he won that fight.

 

And even Buddy was a junior welter until he was nearly 25, Bert. Top 5 ATG lightweight? Absolutely. Top 5 ATG P4P? I personally don't think so but I've seen it said here with the rationale that he faced top contenders and champs for a decade over three weights to the age of 34 until he suffered a loss that was beyond doubt. Top 5 ATG welter? No, but he'd give the fighters comprising most people's top 5 a handful of problems.

 

Not as a Welterweight. He was very good at `47 but by 95 he started to slip. Even before that he was getting knocked down where as a Lightweight nobody could lay a glove on him. Even McGirt put him down and Rivera fought him to a controversial decision.

 

I think Whitaker ranks in the TOP 15 ATG P4P.

 

Sweet Pea neither beat Nelson at Welterweight nor cleaned out the division.

His best wins there are McGirt and Rivera. But, Whitaker is 0-2-1 in Superfights, at 147.

Whitaker makes a Top-30 (Perhaps just inside 25). Not Top-5.

 

He was a genuine p4p ATG fighter but not at welterweight. The Azumah Nelson fight took place at lightweight and Nelson was a super featherweight anyway. Chavez's resume is equally thin at welter as Whitaker's.

 

Won't argue with that, Blade.

 

Drawing with JC Chavez at any weight is an accompishment.

 

Top 20, sure. Top 5? Can't see that.

 

agreed. Especially if we give him the nod in the decisions that he was robbed in. In my opinion the Ramirez, Chavez and Delayhoya fights all should have gone to pea.

 

At welterweight, going back to olden days, you have numerous fighters that you can name a Top 15 List and they are all very close. H2H at Welter, Pea vs Hank Armstrong, Emile Griffith, Luis Rodriguez, or Kid Gavilan would all be tough tests.