Tito has wicked power and will keep going trying to execute the gameplan. He is naturally much bigger than Pete so prime Vs prime is a WW who could carry 154lbs easy IMO Vs a natural LW. As crazy as it sounds in my head, I could see Pete embarrassing Tito - he didn't like lateral movement and handspeed combined with good footwork will keep him having to reset and I never liked Tito's footwork/ability to pivot swiftly without having to wholly reset and start again. Realistically, Tito should force the stoppage but Pete's great defence hid how solid his chin was and in a match up of technique, hand speed and class, Pete's levels above Tito for my money. Close decision win for Pete, only cos Tito's size and power will be something for him to overcome.
I’d give Whitaker a very good chance. Even though welterweight wasn’t Pernell’s best weight and Felix was a master there, Whitaker was a truly exceptional ATG.
Whitaker. The version that Tito actually fought in 1999 was a flat-footed punching bag, but with BIG balls and great recuperative powers. Forget the prime 147 Whitaker who schooled Chavez and beat McGirt in the rematch, the 1997 version who fought DLH was tenfold better than the one Tito faced. He still had superb legs and reflexes then.
I think Trinidadwould beat him about the same way. Pea is just too small for Tito at 147. In their actual fight Tito knocked Pea down once officially but Whitaker willing went to the canvas 2 or 3 times when Trinidad had him hurt and cornered. He literally melted to the floor. Don't recall the referee but it was outrageous that those didn't count as knockdown as it was the primary reason SweetPea went the distance. Dominant performance by Trinidad against a shopworn Whitaker but Oscar faced a similar version of Pea and were still waiting for DelaHoya to land a punch.
I'd say Whitaker by decision. Sweet Pea's defense in his prime would have stopped Tito's aggression and power, in my opinion. At welterweight, Whitaker was smaller than the Puerto Rican, it's true, but Pernell was even smaller than DLH, and that match was a very close fight where the decision could have gone to Sweet Pea, who was already 33 years old against DLH, so I think his smaller size compared to Tito would have been a problem.
“Oscar faced a similar version of Pea.” Not even a maybe. While there might have been only two years between the fights, Whitaker’s decline from Oscar to Tito was like the Titanic on the surface to it sinking to to the seabed.
