Who could beat a prime Pernell Whitaker?

[rightsideup]

You really think Ken Buchannan would have any chance to beat Whitaker? He didn't have the power to hurt him and his speed was inferior. I can't see where Buchannan gets any edge. Ken was a very good champion. Just not at quite that level.

ken was very highly thought of after beating laguna top five p4p then he was introduced to Mr Duran. He beat Laguna who was extremely fast
but I agree pea was slick and being a southpaw would have quite the puzzle to solve,

[The Old LefHook]

Whitaker can bedevil any lightweight. To bedevil is not necessarily to beat. He feels angles and distances like no one else. His mobility is more like Benitez than Leonard--small lines, pivots. He does not use his legs to the extent of Leonard or Hoya. He fights a tighter game, always out-angling his opponents.

Good runners might stand a good chance, guys who could pick at him from a distance, making him extend more than he wants. Buchanan and Taylor would give interesting fights.

As someone mentioned earlier, he was usually vulnerable on the cards to being outworked, even when he did the cleaner work. He would not be able to beat Duran for this reason. Armstrong would be busy, hitting a lot of air and shoulders, but making enough contact to perhaps win. Somehow you could always count on Pea to make it closer than you thought it had to be. The nature of his style produced close, hard-to-judge fights. I would have to recuse myself on Ortiz and Williams, Beau Jack and Joe Gans. Howard Davis had a chance. Camacho would possibly out maneuver him from the outside. Rosario hit hard enough to KO him, but would likely be out-positioned throughout.

[billeau2]

Whitaker can bedevil any lightweight. To bedevil is not necessarily to beat. He feels angles and distances like no one else. His mobility is more like Benitez than Leonard--small lines, pivots. He does not use his legs to the extent of Leonard or Hoya. He fights a tighter game, always out-angling his opponents.

Good runners might stand a good chance, guys who could pick at him from a distance, making him extend more than he wants. Buchanan and Taylor would give interesting fights.

As someone mentioned earlier, he was usually vulnerable on the cards to being outworked, even when he did the cleaner work. He would not be able to beat Duran for this reason. Armstrong would be busy, hitting a lot of air and shoulders, but making enough contact to perhaps win. Somehow you could always count on Pea to make it closer than you thought it had to be. The nature of his style produced close, hard-to-judge fights. I would have to recuse myself on Ortiz and Williams, Beau Jack and Joe Gans. Howard Davis had a chance. Camacho would possibly out maneuver him from the outside. Rosario hit hard enough to KO him, but would likely be out-positioned throughout.

These skills are the very essence of what Japanese Martial Artists call Tai Sabaki... The ability to move the body in segments to counter an attack, assuming various angles without changing the body's pivot point.

I have always believed that to fight with any art one had to have some of these skills. Then there have always been guys who really developed this process. Whitaker definitely was one, Ali another. Ted Lewis was another one who would travel in fairs and let people try to hit him, as he used his neck and timing to avoid the punches.

Check out this vid. This is an example of how Tai Sabaki works in a martial arts context. One movement, one pivot, two attacks, the main thing being having the shoulders working properly to evade/attack simultaneouely, then it builds from there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDtLB_jrWdA