By Lem Satterfield

BoxingScene.com caught up to southpaw, 47-year-old, former four-division world champion, Pernell Whitaker, who worked the corner of southpaw, IBF junior welterweight titlist, Zab Judah, for last Saturday night's seventh-round knockout of South Africa's Kaizer Mabuza at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

In victory, the 33-year-old Judah (41-6, 28 knockouts) earned his fifth straight win and the IBF's vacant junior welterweight title against Mabuza (23-7-3, 14 KOs).

Mabuza had won eight straight times, with six of them being by knockout, including  February's sixth-round stoppage of Kendall Holt (26-4, 14 KOs), the man against whom WBO and WBC king Tim Bradley (27-0, 11 KOs) had to rise from the canvas to dethrone as WBO champ in April of 2009.

Nicknamed, "Sweet Pea," Whitaker (41-4-1, 17 KOs) fought his last bout in 2001, having held the WBC, WBA and IBF lightweight, IBF light welterweight, WBC welterweight, and WBA light middleweight crowns over the course of his illustrious career.

Whitaker has vanquished such fighters as Azumah Nelson, James McGirt, Jorge Paez, Wilfredo Rivera, Harold Brazier, Anthony Jones, Jorge Paez, Greg Haugen and Freddie Pendleton, split bouts with Jose Luis Ramirez, and drawn with Julio Cesar Chavez.

In this Q&A, Whitaker shared his thoughts on Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and the future of Zab Judah, among other things.

BoxingScene.com: What are your thoughts on Manny Pacquiao?

Pernell Whitaker: I think that he's pound-for-pound the best fighter right now. Of course. I like him because he's been more consistent than all of the other fighters. You know, he's been in the ring more consistantly than others.

He's been in there, if I'm not mistaken, like every three or four months. You can only consider yourself a great fighter or the best if you're in the ring consistently.

You can't be the best fighter in the world if you're fighting once a year or twice a year. You can't call yourself the best fighter because you have to compete with the best.

Even though Manny is from the Philippines, and not from America, I still give him the credit for being more consistent. I mean, this is a guy who you can come to America, win a big fight, and then go back to the Philippines.

And when he's done fighting in America, they can't wait for Manny Pacquiao to come back so they can see him again.

BoxingScene.com: What are your thoughts on Floyd Mayweather?

Pernell Whitaker: You know, if he gets into the ring, and he does it more consistantly, then, maybe he's the best. You know, I love the kid.

He was another one who was with Zab Judah when he was younger and they came to my camp and so, I think that he's a good fighter. Don't get me wrong, he's a great fighter.

He's a good fighter, but I just think that if he would be more consistent in getting into the ring, then he would be an even better fighter.

But I guess that it's about the dollars and the cents for him. I guess that it's all about the money. But when I was in the game, and I was fighting, it was more for the love.

The money was already in the bank, so, then, it was just about going out there and preparing to fight so I can get a raise.

Don't get me wrong, I just want to see Floyd get into the ring more often, because he's getting older. And the older you get, you can't get into the ring and fight only once or twice and not let people see you for two or three years.

You've got to get into the ring more often. His history is boxing. It's not anything else. Don't get me wrong, he's very successful. But I think that he could do much better.

I think that he can compete more.

BoxingScene.com: How would Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather do against the gauntlet of guys such as yourself, Meldrick Taylor, Julio Cesar Chavez, and, an in-his-prime Oscar De La Hoya?

Pernell Whitaker: They couldn't stack up. They couldn't beat us. I don't think that either of those two could be in there with myself, or, Meldrick, or Chavez. I don't think they could beat any of us. You couldn't even put them in there. When me and Oscar fought, that was an uncle versus a nephew. I was the older of the two.

But I still displayed my skills. They called it for De La Hoya, but if you saw the fight, you know, we know the result. But that's another controversy. Controversy sells.

BoxingScene.com: Why is your assessment that neither Manny Pacquiao nor Floyd Mayweather could stand in there against yourself, Julio Cesar Chavez or Meldrick Taylor?

Pernell Whitaker: They have the dedication to the craft and they have the skills, but they have their way of fighting and this is a different style. Pacquiao and Mayweather have two different styles from each other, but their generation is different than the generation that came before them with myself, Meldrick and Chavez.

BoxingScene.com: So how would a fight go between say, Floyd Mayweather and JUlio Cesar Chavez?

Pernell Whitaker: Chavez would have gone to the body on Floyd and maybe would have stopped him.

BoxingScene.com: How about a fight between yourself and Floyd Mayweather?

Pernell Whitaker: You know, I'm a boxer. I would have drawn him into me. I know Floyd. Floyd is a defensive fighter, so I would make him come toward me and make him throw punches. I would have to attack him. Same thing with Manny Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao, you know, he's a true fighter. He would come in and he would throw a lot of punches.

BoxingScene.com: What are your thoughts on Bernard Hopkins' assertion that Manny Pacquiao would have problems with top notch African American fighters such as Zab Judah, Floyd Mayweather or Shane Mosley?

Pernell Whitaker: I can't speak on that, because I don't think that it's about black fighters and Filipino fighters. Manny Pacquiao, to me, is the best fighter, pound-for-pound, today. Until somebody proves him wrong. I think that I got a good fighter who could prove Manny Pacquiao wrong, but you can't take away credit from Manny Pacquiao.

The man has been in there and been consistent and he's beaten everybody.

BoxingScene.com: How about a fight between Zab Judah and Manny Pacquiao?

Pernell Whitaker:  I think that Zab could beat Manny Pacquiao. I think Zab is a better boxer. Zab has a better mix of punches. He has a good jab and a good left hand. I think that Zab has an overall better tool kit than Manny Pacquiao, who is more of a guy who throws a lot of punches and I guess.

But if you work hard and you're prepared to go the full 12 rounds, it doesn't matter how many punches you can throw. If you're prepared in the gym to go 12 round, and you're a good boxer with a good jab, then you got him. Zab can't be a gorilla against Manny Pacquiao, he would just have to out-box him. Nobody is boxing nowadays.

Everybody is just trying to throw a lot of punches. They're not about realizing that if you can go out there and box and try to find the mistakes then you can win against Manny Pacquiao.

BoxingScene.com: Do you believe that boxing the way that you did it is an unappreciated art nowadays?

Pernell Whitaker: I think that Zab and I brought the art of boxing back to life on Saturday. The job that Zab did out there, that was some great boxing. That's why I can't wait to watch it on television, because I know, from what I've been hearing, that people have been enjoying it and loving the defensive skills that Zab showed.

The jab and the defense and punches that he threw were amazing. And then, when he caught Kaizer Mabuza in the seventh round, they didn't expect it to happen. I didn't expect it to happen.

I thought that it was going to go 12 rounds. He took his time and he found the shot.

He stayed focused on the guy, saw him turn left handed, and that was a mistake. And he took advantage of it.