Boy these fights would be boring, I lean toward Pernell ,probably control the pace and what little action.
One for the purists, that's for sure! At 140 I'd edge very tentatively to Whitaker, whereas at 147 I'd give Benitez the slightly clearer advantage. Whitaker was still a brilliant Welterweight, but not quite the same all-round force or talent as he was at Lightweight or Light-Welter. At 147 and upwards, particularly if he was in there against bigger guys (which Benitez most definitely is), he was less adventurous and ever so slightly more vulnerable to knockdowns due to balance or simply being a little out-sized: a lot of his 'knockdowns' at Welterweight and Light-Middleweight, such as against Vasquez, Jacobs and Rivera, were really simply a case of him being bundled or muscled to the floor or being caught with a cuffing kind of shot which did no real damage. On the other hand, Benitez was still just a baby when he was at 140 and he looked more assured at 147 and 154, which were his best weights once he'd grown in to them. He seemed to punch with more authority at those weights and I think at 140 it'd be a rare case of him facing someone with more raw speed and reflexes than him in Whitaker. At 140, my guess is that Benitez doesn't quite land enough and Pea takes a close-ish decision. At 147 or 154 I'd go with Benitez a little more comfortably.
