THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701260203
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. LENGTH: 78 lines
``Did you know you were behind,'' someone hollered at Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker as he hastily exited his postfight press conference Friday night.
``I know I won,'' Whitaker said without looking back.
There's the bottom line of Whitaker's dramatic 11th-round knockout of Diobelis Hurtado in an Atlantic City Convention Center ballroom: Whitaker won, and moves on to what will be perhaps the biggest fight - and certainly the biggest payday - of his career without looking back.
Oscar De La Hoya will challenge Whitaker on April 12 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in what already is being called the best welterweight fight in 15 years. The early Las Vegas line lists De La Hoya as a 2-1 favorite.
The line likely will rise following Friday's fight, which was nearly the biggest bust of Whitaker's 12-plus years as a professional. Hurtado, a 24-year-old who has fought mostly at junior welterweight and was hand-picked by Whitaker's promoters as a safe opponent, nearly pinned the first legitimate loss on Whitaker in his 42 fights. That would have scuttled the De La Hoya fight.
``I was worried,'' said De La Hoya, who watched from ringside. ``Whitaker didn't do enough to win that fight, but champion that he is, he pulled it out.''
``We're not used to Pernell Whitaker needing a knockout in the late rounds,'' Whitaker promoter Dino Duva said. ``But great fighters make things like that happen and they find a way to win.''
It was the most unlikely of ways for Whitaker, a light puncher who normally wins with pure boxing acumen. But Friday he was knocked down twice - ``I don't know how I got down there,'' Whitaker said - and was behind by one, two and five points on the judges' scorecards.
His cornermen warned him before the 11th round that he was in danger of kissing off a few million dollars if he didn't drop Hurtado.
``I said, `You've gotta knock this guy out. If you don't knock him out, you're losing the fight,' '' Whitaker co-manager Lou Duva said. ``He said, `You're crazy.' ''
Whitaker (40-1-1) had recorded just one knockout in his previous 13 world title fights. But he caught Hurtado (20-1) with a solid left, and only the ropes kept the challenger up. Whitaker ripped off nine more unanswered left hooks before Hurtado fell backwards, hanging grotesquely on the ropes with his feet remaining in the ring and his head almost touching the ring apron.
``I didn't know I could throw that many left hands at one time,'' Whitaker said. ``Once I had that opportunity, I wanted to make sure that I didn't blow April 12.''
Official announcement of that fight will come Tuesday in New York. A six-city press tour - Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Mexico City - will follow in the next three days.
But the hype machine is already in full gear.
The New York Daily News on Friday called Whitaker-De La Hoya ``the biggest welterweight fight since Sugar Ray Leonard rallied to beat Thomas Hearns more than 15 years ago.'' HBO ran adds in major newspapers Friday with pictures of Whitaker and De La Hoya and the words, ``Wanna see this? The biggest welterweight fight in over a decade. It only happens if Whitaker wins tonight.''
De La Hoya (23-0, 20 knockouts), the WBC super lightweight champion who has quickly evolved into one of boxing's marquee stars, will make a 7-pound leap to welterweight to fight Whitaker. He noted Friday that Whitaker did not seem to have the legs he normally does and speculated that Whitaker had not trained hard, which Whitaker and his handlers vehemently disputed.
De La Hoya said both men will be at their best April 12.
``Pernell Whitaker's considered one of the best fighters pound-for-pound,'' De La Hoya said. ``I look forward to it, because one day I want to become the very best, and to be the best you have to beat the best.''
Whitaker has never seen De La Hoya fight. But he has talked confidently, if not arrogantly, about how De La Hoya is not in his class and that it will be an easy fight. How can he be so sure if he's never seen him fight?
``I know me,'' Whitaker said. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS photos
Arthur Mercante rescues Diobelis Hurtado from further punishment at
the hands of Pernell Whitaker, right.
Pernell Whitaker laughs off the mandatory eight-count assessed after
he was knocked down early in the first round of Friday's bout.