Why is Pernell Whitaker Punch Drunk??

Same question applies to Benitez. Strange to think that losing to Trinidad could wreck sweet pea and Hamsho and Leonard could wreck benitez but George Chuvalo, Lamotta, and Wepner are all much older and more coherent. Hell Pep and Robinson both ended up punch drunk too.

 

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Idiot!

 

Well like someone here said he had an extensive amateur/pro career so even though he was a great defensive fighter, the punches he did take start to add up after awhile and sparring included.....same thing with Terry Norris who despite some back and forth fights in his career was a very good defensive fighter but punches eventually add up.

 

Me too . . .lol

 

lol

 

Even boxers that take 1/3 of the punchers average boxers take still take a ton of punches over the course of a career.

Also, the accumulation from sparring takes its toll on a lot of fighters. That headgear might reduce damage, but it doesn't come close to preventing it.

 

Sparring + Drugs

 

Being a good or even great defensive fighter doesn't mean you won't end up brain damaged.

Yes, some people are born with more defensive instincts, but in order to get to that level where you're a top defensive fighter at the pro level, it requires a lot of practice/sparring. And during all those sparring sessions over the years, you're going to get hit a lot.

 

This is true- Sweet pea became a HUGGGGE crackhead. He was in real bad shape for a while there. good to see that he's cleaned up, but the damage has been done.

 

Don't do drugs mmmmk

 

This. Drugs, for obvious reasons. And in sparring a defensive wizard probably would take a lot of punches perfecting that.

 

Everyone reacts differently to getting punched in the head. Lamota got hit a ton but never showed signs of bad speech. So just because pee didn't get hit a lot in his actual fights you still have sparring. Abusing drugs probably didn't help either

 

Because he started boxing as a kid. Normally when you see guys like Benitez or Whitaker and ask yourself "Why the hell are THEY punch drunk, weren't they known for slipping punches?" it's because they started boxing at an early age. Then, you look at somebody like Foreman, Lewis, and Chuvalo, they speak fine, but unlike a Benitez or Whitaker, they waited until their teens to first wear a pair of gloves. They were essentially grown men when they decided to enter boxing, so their fine.

 

You spend all your amateur career and most of your professional career being untouchable and suddenly you get licked in your last 5-6 fights. Your body ain't used to that and won't react well. Meldrick Taylor, Roy Jones, Muhammad Ali...