Pernell Whitaker (born January 2, 1964) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and has since worked as a boxing trainer. He is a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight; the undisputed lightweight title; and the lineal lightweight and welterweight titles. In 1989, Whitaker was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. From 1993 to 1997, The Ring ranked him as the best active boxer in the world, pound for pound. He currently holds the longest unified lightweight championship reign in boxing history at 6 title defenses.
As an amateur, Whitaker won a silver medal in the lightweight division at the 1982 World Championships, followed by gold at the 1983 Pan American Games and 1984 Olympics. After his retirement in 2001, Whitaker returned to the sport as a trainer. In 2002, The Ring ranked him tenth in their list of \"The 100 Greatest Fighters of the Last 80 Years\". In 2006, Whitaker was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility.
