THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 11, 1996 TAG: 9604110467
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MAHO BAY, ST. MAARTEN LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker flew into this tiny island in the Netherlands Antilles late Tuesday, his arrival delayed by April showers - snow showers - in New York. He got up early Wednesday to work out.
It wasn't until Wednesday afternoon, then, that Whitaker paused to take a look at the place where he'll defend his World Boxing Council welterweight crown Friday night, against No. 1 contender Wilfredo Rivera. Standing in his ninth-floor hotel suite, Whitaker pulled back the curtains and took in a view straight out of a postcard: sailboats skating across azure waters, framed by a range of brown-green mountains.
``My first time in the islands,'' he said. ``This is nice.''
Beats Atlantic City, where the fight originally was supposed to be held.
But for all its beauty, this 37-square-mile dot in the Caribbean certainly qualifies as one of the odder places Whitaker has ever fought.
The Norfolk native, considered by many boxing experts the best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the world, will defend his title in a ring placed on top of a fountain, outside a small casino, alongside a very narrow road on the western edge of the island.
Seating capacity has been given at 1,000, but it doesn't appear that many folding chairs will fit in the courtyard around the ring.
``Doesn't matter, as long as they make it look crowded on TV,'' Whitaker said. ``The fight has been sold; it's going to come across on HBO.''
Home Box Office televises all of Whitaker's fights, and it was the lure of the cable network's cameras that brought the fight to St. Maarten, which is still recovering from two hurricanes that struck within a week of each other in September.
``We saw HBO say another hurricane is coming,'' said Theo Heyliger, commissioner of tourism for the island. ``I'd rather it be with boxing gloves than with the winds of Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn.''
On Sept. 5, the 150 mph winds of Luis slammed into the island, killing four people and causing nearly $1 billion in property damage. A week later, Hurricane Marilyn dumped torrential rains on the rubble.
``After September here, it was big desolation,'' said Michel Acaries, president of A.B. Stars Production, which is co-promoting the fight with Whitaker's promoter, Main Events.
Acaries is the promoter for World Boxing Association welterweight champion Ike Quartey, who is fighting on the undercard. Main Events and A.B. Stars were planning a Quartey-Whitaker doubleheader anyway, in hopes of building interest for a fight between the welterweight champs down the road.
The plan was to have the fight in Atlantic City, but Acaries knew a casino owner in St. Maarten and approached him about the fight. The tourism office, looking for an event that could tell the world St. Maarten is back in business, leaped on the idea.
So, after some persuading, did HBO.
``My first thought when they approached us was, `Are you sure the island is ready for it,' '' said Lou DiBello, senior vice president of HBO. ``It's nice to see the island's made a recovery.''
The fight is easily the biggest sporting event ever held here, and tourism officials are hoping the HBO exposure will bring in a hurricane of tourist dollars, and perhaps lead to other fights.
Lou Duva, co-manager of Whitaker and patriarch of the family that runs Main Events, played along Wednesday, opining at a press conference that ``this may end up being the hot spot of boxing.''
Island officials would be happy to remain a hot spot of tourism. A million visitors come annually, although there was a drop early in the year because the hurricane closed many hotels and restaurants.
Without tourism, there would be little economic life here. The island is just 6 miles long by 6 miles wide, and is divided between two sovereign nations, Dutch St. Maarten, and French St. Martin.
It is the smallest island in the world shared by two nations, and it's been that way since 1648, when legend has it that a French settler and a Dutch settler stood back to back and then walked around the edge of the island. They met on the other side, each claiming the land he had paced off for his country.
The Frenchman walked faster. France got 21 square miles. The Dutch got 16.
Just 60,000 people live on the island, giving it a small-town feel. Heyliger, in addition to being the commissioner of tourism on the Dutch side, is also in charge of economic affairs, public transportation, energy affairs and the harbor. He just turned 26.
People of 77 nationalities live on the island, and apparently get along quite well. The island's official motto is ``The Friendly Island.''
The islanders are becoming known for their resiliency, as well. Traces of Luis and Marilyn are still evident in the wrecks of boats along the road from the airport, but for the most part, St. Maarten has been rebuilt.
``The good thing about the hurricane is that it allowed us to improve our product,'' said Bernard Hunt, director of sales and marketing at the massive Maho Beach Hotel and Casino. ``There were improvements we wanted to make, and we were able to make them.''
Whitaker, who said he doesn't much care where he fights, said he was struck by the islanders' friendly spirit as soon as he arrived.
``As soon as we landed, as soon as we got off the plane and met the people, I felt like I was the king,'' he said.
And he didn't mean Don King. by CNB