- 6/19/2025
Pernell Whitaker defends his WBC Welterweight title against No 1. contender Gary Jacobs on HBO. Plus an interview with Oscar De La Hoya in preparation of his upcoming fight with Genaro Hernandez.
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00:00:00Best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, a title first given to the great Sugar Ray Robinson,
00:00:07a subjective measure of talent that provides boxing fans the opportunity to compare and argue
00:00:12about who is the best fighter in the world.
00:00:16Pernell Whitaker is often mentioned among the best pound-for-pound,
00:00:19so we asked Pernell for his own top ten reasons why he considers himself boxing's best.
00:00:25Number ten, my near-perfect record.
00:00:30The only blemishes on Whitaker's record are two controversial decisions, one a loss, the other a draw.
00:00:36In the eyes of most boxing experts, Whitaker won both.
00:00:40Number nine and eight, my hand and foot speed.
00:00:44With the possible exception of Roy Jones Jr., no other fighter possesses the blurring hand speed.
00:00:50None is more fleet of foot than this welterweight sensation.
00:00:55Number seven, just try to hit me.
00:01:00Getting in and out, ducking and swatting, there is no other fighter with defensive skills like sweeping.
00:01:06Number six, no one can match my moves.
00:01:11Already the showboating from Whitaker, who threw a punch behind his back.
00:01:15Number five, I never give up.
00:01:18On the four occasions when Whitaker has been knocked down, each and every time, he's gotten up to win.
00:01:25Number four, my four titles.
00:01:29In all of boxing history, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, and Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker are the only fighters who have won titles in four different weight classes.
00:01:40Number three, my dad.
00:01:44Working off a snapping dead, Whitaker neutralizes his opponents by making his statement first.
00:01:50Number two, conditioning.
00:01:53At 31 years of age, Pernell has never shown any sign of fatigue.
00:01:57His last five fights have gone the distance, and in each case, his strength has increased in later rounds.
00:02:02Number one, I'll leave that one for Gary Jacobs to answer.
00:03:02Tonight, live from the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, HBO Sports presents World Championship Boxing as Pernell Whitaker, winner of titles in four different weight divisions,
00:03:18defends tonight his welterweight crown against top-ranked challenger Gary Jacobs of Scotland.
00:03:23It's scheduled for 12 rounds.
00:03:25Off of the boardwalk, upstairs in the intimate room in which Whitaker appeared in March and won a 154-pound world championship from Julio Cesar Vazquez.
00:03:36He surrendered that title.
00:03:38Now he prepares to defend his 147-pound championship against number one challenger Gary Jacobs.
00:03:44Hello again, everybody.
00:03:46I'm Jim Lampley.
00:03:47We welcome you to the latest installment in Pernell Whitaker's ongoing argument for his preferred status as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
00:03:56Totally fitting, then, that working with us tonight in the absence of George Foreman, who takes a night off,
00:04:01is the man whose name is most often mentioned in the same sentence with Whitaker's in that argument, 168-pound world champion Roy Jones.
00:04:08And, Roy, it lit Pernell up when you walked into his room yesterday.
00:04:12Obviously, this ongoing competition between the two of you for the title of best pound-for-pound is motivating both you and Sweet B. Whitaker.
00:04:20Yes, it's a very, very, very motivative factor.
00:04:23It's something that gets us up, makes us want to go out and perform, look like a great champion,
00:04:29look good against the guys who are not supposed to give us the best challenges.
00:04:32It gives you another reason to go home, train hard, get yourself in the best condition,
00:04:37because, hey, you can't let that guy outdo you.
00:04:40Kind of gives Whitaker some fuel to burn on tonight as he goes against a guy who fought on the undercard of his Vasquez fight in March
00:04:46and didn't get good reviews.
00:04:48Most experts not expecting Jacobs to give Whitaker much of a test.
00:04:51He said yesterday he'll try to make Pernell fight all three minutes of every round.
00:04:55Do you give him any shot?
00:04:56Well, you have to give a guy a shot.
00:04:57If he has the heart and the courage enough to come inside a ring and face another guy,
00:05:02then you have to give him a shot.
00:05:03But when you're dealing with a guy such as Pernell Whitaker,
00:05:05who is, like I said, one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world today,
00:05:10it's very difficult for a guy who is not at that top level to stay in the ring
00:05:14and even have much of a chance.
00:05:16One of the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, you think Pernell is?
00:05:19One of the two.
00:05:21All right, Roy, we'll look forward to working with you again.
00:05:23Also working with us tonight, HBO Boxing analyst Larry Merchant.
00:05:26And, Larry, I'm going to ask you to comment on the content of our feature piece
00:05:31before we lead to the feature piece because the subject is obvious.
00:05:34Is Pernell Whitaker, with all of his accomplishments, simply too good for his own good?
00:05:39Beats everybody, wins everything, got rich.
00:05:44That should be the worst problem he ever has, Jim.
00:05:46But it's true, when a pure boxer like Pernell Whitaker paints that canvas in the ring with artistry
00:05:54rather than blood and guts, there are always people who are going to say,
00:05:58well, he's a little too perfect for the game.
00:06:01The thing is, we are always hoping or expecting or thinking that he is going to be severely tested,
00:06:09whether it's up against a very good champion like Buddy McGirt or an outstanding champion like Julio Cesar Chavez
00:06:17or a bigger champion like Julio Cesar Vazquez.
00:06:21And yet, he always aces the test.
00:06:24No matter how high they put the bar, he soars over it.
00:06:28And yet, at the same time, he's 31 years old, an age at which most champions in the smaller divisions
00:06:34begin to lose a fractional step.
00:06:38And sooner or later, probably sooner, he will be tested.
00:06:43Maybe not tonight, but it's going to happen in the near future.
00:06:48Perfection, they say there's no room for it.
00:06:51I could stand a few more examples of his perfection, Jim.
00:06:55Yeah, six of the last seven fights going the distance against tough opponents.
00:06:59But Burnell, as has customarily been the case throughout his career,
00:07:02winning virtually every round in those championship fights again.
00:07:07Is he too good for his own good?
00:07:16I never really understood how you can be too good for your own good.
00:07:19If you're good, you're good.
00:07:21You're never too good for your own good.
00:07:23Sounds logical in most fields of endeavor,
00:07:26but boxing is a sport in which talent is scarce,
00:07:30network exposure sporadic,
00:07:32and a shrinking fan base is disgusted with mismatches and controversial decisions.
00:07:40So Burnell Whitaker finds himself struggling to maintain his prominence
00:07:44and his dominance in the twilight of his career.
00:07:47Like a futuristic mechanized robot, he forges ahead
00:07:50despite the obstacles his success has created.
00:07:56Since Whitaker's pro career began almost 11 years ago,
00:08:05his skills have repeatedly reduced legitimate contenders
00:08:08to overmatched pretenders.
00:08:12They have put some great fighters in there with me to test me.
00:08:16You know, not to say that they didn't try to put the best in there with me.
00:08:20They did.
00:08:21There's no one, um, um, could get the job done.
00:08:26You know, I mean, I can't afford them.
00:08:28You know, you just have to give me credit.
00:08:35Another fallout from Burnell's domination
00:08:37is that nobody wants to fight him.
00:08:40Combine that with the business of boxing in the 90s,
00:08:42and the few credible opponents out there
00:08:45might never step into the ring with Whitaker.
00:08:48The problem is that
00:08:50some of the good opponents that are available for Burnell
00:08:54are with Don King,
00:08:58who refuses to have his fighters fight for HBO,
00:09:02so that way those fights are prevented from happening.
00:09:06Uh, I think he uses it as an excuse
00:09:08that he refuses to have those fighters fight for HBO
00:09:11because he knows that Burnell would beat Julio Cesar Chavez.
00:09:15He knows that he beat him once already very easily,
00:09:17and he'll do it again.
00:09:18And he knows that Burnell would beat Felix Trinidad.
00:09:28Unlike his predecessors, Leonard, Duran, and Hearns,
00:09:32Whitaker continues to wait for a great opponent
00:09:34to challenge and verify his ring superiority.
00:09:38Meanwhile, the boxing spotlight now appears focused on new faces
00:09:41and Mike Tyson.
00:09:43It's a no-win situation for the 31-year-old welterweight champ,
00:09:47but it might explain why this fight against Gary Jacobs,
00:09:50an unheralded challenger from Scotland,
00:09:53takes on special meaning.
00:09:55I think for this fight,
00:09:56I've reached back into the closet again,
00:09:59you know, as I did for the Chavez fight.
00:10:01I wanted to do some things out there
00:10:03that can make the fans' heads shake again.
00:10:06Just say he can keep going and going and going.
00:10:08I want to go out there with the fizzazz.
00:10:11I want to have the slickness
00:10:13and the moves,
00:10:15the angles,
00:10:17the dipsy duel,
00:10:18and all my antics that I've had
00:10:21prior.
00:10:22that's what I want to have for this fight.
00:10:30We've heard promises of a different Purnell before,
00:10:33but even a change to a more aggressive style
00:10:36has drawn little attention.
00:10:38For a variety of reasons,
00:10:39most of which are beyond his control,
00:10:41the reigning pound-for-pound king
00:10:44is fast becoming boxing's forgotten star.
00:10:47But, like the futuristic mechanized robot,
00:10:51this pugilist continues going forward.
00:10:54Fight,
00:10:54after fight,
00:10:56after fight.
00:11:00And we bring it back live to ringside
00:11:02in the Atlantic City Convention Center.
00:11:03The tale of the tape shows that Purnell Whitaker
00:11:06is two years older than Gary Jacobs.
00:11:08Jacobs 2 1⁄2 inches taller,
00:11:10the 3-inch reach advantage for Jacobs.
00:11:12Most experts discounting
00:11:14those physical statistics,
00:11:16saying that Gary Jacobs
00:11:17simply doesn't have the stuff
00:11:18to fight with a man like Purnell Whitaker.
00:11:20Larry?
00:11:21But Jacobs is one of the most
00:11:22supremely fit fighters
00:11:24I think I've ever seen.
00:11:26He says he can run a mile in four minutes.
00:11:29If he can do it in 4.59,
00:11:31I'd consider it remarkable.
00:11:33Fun stat numbers.
00:11:37And they tell a story as well.
00:11:40In his last three championship fights,
00:11:43Whitaker has been quite remarkable
00:11:45in terms of his activity and accuracy.
00:11:48Jacobs is not in that kind of a league.
00:11:52And that's reflected,
00:11:54especially in the jabs.
00:11:56Jacobs use it as a radar.
00:11:58For Whitaker,
00:11:59it's a real weapon
00:12:00that sets up everything he does.
00:12:01Rules of the bout
00:12:02with our unofficial ringside scorer,
00:12:04Harold Letterman.
00:12:05The Purnell Whitaker,
00:12:06Gary Jacobs fight
00:12:07is scheduled for 12 rounds.
00:12:09There is no standing aid count,
00:12:11no three-knockdown rule.
00:12:13Only the referee can stop the fight,
00:12:14and you cannot be saved by the bell
00:12:16in any round,
00:12:16including the 12th and final round.
00:12:18Jim.
00:12:19All right, Harold,
00:12:20there's a Scottish bagpipe
00:12:22playing somewhere in the building now
00:12:24as this man,
00:12:25Gary Jacobs of Glasgow, Scotland,
00:12:28prepares to make his entrance
00:12:29into the ring.
00:12:30On March 4,
00:12:30he fought Jose Fernandez,
00:12:32a club fighter,
00:12:33journeyman from the Bronx,
00:12:35won a 10-round decision here
00:12:36and impressed no one
00:12:37at ringside,
00:12:38though he cut his hand badly
00:12:40during that fight.
00:12:41He says early in the fight
00:12:42and had to fight
00:12:43most of the rounds
00:12:44with a cut on his hand
00:12:45that ultimately required
00:12:46seven stitches
00:12:47between the knuckles.
00:12:49They're playing Scotland the Brave.
00:12:51There were some rumors
00:12:52that they might play
00:12:54Hatikva,
00:12:55the Israeli national anthem,
00:12:58because Jacobs
00:12:59is a rare Jewish fighter.
00:13:02Remarkably,
00:13:03little has been made of that.
00:13:04I haven't seen
00:13:05a single promotional release
00:13:07that remarked on that,
00:13:10which is sort of unusual.
00:13:12Yeah, the subject arouses
00:13:14so little discussion
00:13:15that he said he was one
00:13:16of the three best Jewish
00:13:17fighters in the world
00:13:18and then couldn't name
00:13:19the other two.
00:13:20But there's the record.
00:13:2141 wins, 5 losses,
00:13:2223 KOs,
00:13:23not a power puncher.
00:13:26Waited a long time
00:13:28to get this title shot.
00:13:31He just passed his manager,
00:13:33Mickey Duff,
00:13:34who himself,
00:13:35as the son of a rabbi,
00:13:37was a fighter.
00:13:40And we get ready
00:13:41for Fresnel Hlittaker
00:13:41to enter the ring.
00:13:43And here are a few
00:13:44of Whitaker's distinctions.
00:13:46You can see that he's won
00:13:4783% of the rounds
00:13:48in his 16 championship fights.
00:13:51We've already mentioned
00:13:52he's one of four fighters
00:13:53to win titles
00:13:53in four different weight classes,
00:13:55the others being
00:13:56Leonard, Duran, and Hearns.
00:13:58He's fought 12 current
00:13:59or past champions,
00:14:00and there are still
00:14:01some others
00:14:02in the welterweight division
00:14:03for him to focus on
00:14:05down the road
00:14:06if he can get it done tonight.
00:14:07I regard Pernell
00:14:10as sort of one of those
00:14:12rare flowers
00:14:13who blossoms
00:14:14two or three times a year,
00:14:17comes out,
00:14:18everybody has a chance
00:14:19to say how beautiful he is.
00:14:20He disappears
00:14:21and comes back
00:14:22a few months later, Roy.
00:14:23That's the way
00:14:24you should do it.
00:14:26That way they remember
00:14:27the beauty.
00:14:27saw the record
00:14:31in championship fights.
00:14:32Of course,
00:14:32the loss to Ramirez
00:14:33was hotly disputed
00:14:35and later avenged,
00:14:36and the September 1993
00:14:39draw decision
00:14:41with Julio Cesar Chavez
00:14:42was almost unanimously
00:14:43condemned
00:14:44as a bogus decision.
00:14:45and now let's go up
00:15:13to ring announcer
00:15:13Michael Bubba
00:15:14for the pre-fight
00:15:14introductions.
00:15:15Ladies and gentlemen,
00:15:18good evening
00:15:18and welcome
00:15:20to Atlantic City's
00:15:21convention hall
00:15:22by way of
00:15:23Valley's Park Place
00:15:24Casino Hotel
00:15:25on the boardwalk
00:15:27here in Atlantic City,
00:15:28New Jersey.
00:15:29Tonight,
00:15:30main events presents
00:15:31the featured bout
00:15:32of the evening.
00:15:34This contest is sanctioned
00:15:35by the New Jersey
00:15:36State Athletic Control Board
00:15:37Boxing Commissioner
00:15:39Larry Hazard Sr.,
00:15:41WBC Supervisor
00:15:42at Ringside
00:15:43from the USA,
00:15:44Bob Bussey,
00:15:45the three judges assigned
00:15:47to score this bout
00:15:49on a 10-point must system
00:15:50are
00:15:51Takeaki Kanaya
00:15:53from Japan,
00:15:55Gus Mercurio
00:15:56from Australia
00:15:57and from Hawaii
00:15:59in the USA,
00:16:00Tamototsu Tamahara,
00:16:02and when the bell rings,
00:16:04the man in charge of the action,
00:16:06the man in charge of the action,
00:16:06referee from the United States,
00:16:09Mr. Ron Lipton.
00:16:12And now,
00:16:13ladies and gentlemen,
00:16:14by way of Valley's Park Place,
00:16:16hotel and casino
00:16:17on the boardwalk
00:16:18in Atlantic City,
00:16:19New Jersey,
00:16:20let's get ready
00:16:24to rumble!
00:16:2912 rounds of boxing
00:16:31for the WBC
00:16:31Welterweight Championship
00:16:33of the World.
00:16:36Introducing first,
00:16:37fighting out of the red corner,
00:16:39wearing purple trimmed
00:16:40with gold and black
00:16:41and weighing in
00:16:42at 147 pounds.
00:16:45He comes to us
00:16:46from Glasgow, Scotland
00:16:48with a professional record
00:16:49of 41 victories,
00:16:5123 by KO
00:16:52against five defeats.
00:16:55Ladies and gentlemen,
00:16:56introducing
00:16:57the number one
00:16:59ranked challenger
00:17:00in the world,
00:17:02Gary
00:17:03Kidd
00:17:05Jacobs!
00:17:11And his opponent
00:17:12across the ring,
00:17:13fighting out of the blue corner,
00:17:14wearing the black
00:17:15trimmed with red
00:17:16and weighing in
00:17:17also at 147 pounds.
00:17:20This 1984
00:17:21Olympic gold medal champion
00:17:23is one of only
00:17:24four fighters
00:17:25in boxing history
00:17:26to win four titles
00:17:27in four weight divisions.
00:17:29And he's considered
00:17:29by many to be,
00:17:31pound for pound,
00:17:32the best in the world today.
00:17:34Ladies and gentlemen,
00:17:35presenting
00:17:36from Norfolk, Virginia,
00:17:39the four-time champion
00:17:41of the world
00:17:42and reigning
00:17:43welterweight champion
00:17:45of the world,
00:17:46Burnell,
00:17:48Sweet Pea
00:17:49Whitaker!
00:17:53Thank you,
00:17:53baby.
00:17:54Thank you,
00:17:54thank you.
00:17:57Just the Chiefs' second.
00:17:59Just the Chiefs' second.
00:18:01Pete and the Chiefs' second.
00:18:04Gentlemen,
00:18:05I've given you the rules
00:18:06of the World Boxing Council.
00:18:08I'll remind you now,
00:18:10there is no standing eight count.
00:18:12If either fighter
00:18:13is in trouble
00:18:13and you do not want me
00:18:15to stop this bout,
00:18:16you must show me clearly
00:18:17that you can
00:18:18and want to continue.
00:18:20If you score a knockdown,
00:18:21be careful
00:18:21with the follow-up punches.
00:18:23Do not hit a man
00:18:24on the deck
00:18:25or you risk
00:18:26this qualification.
00:18:27On the champion's trunks,
00:18:29I'm calling this low here.
00:18:31On the challenger's trunks,
00:18:33he's wearing them quite high.
00:18:34Right on this mark,
00:18:35I'm considering low.
00:18:36Do you understand?
00:18:37No matter what happens,
00:18:38obey my commands.
00:18:39Good luck to you both.
00:18:43Jim,
00:18:43nine years ago,
00:18:44an unknown welterweight
00:18:45from Britain
00:18:46named Lloyd Hunnigan
00:18:47came here to fight
00:18:49an unbeatable,
00:18:51quotes around unbeatable,
00:18:53Donald Curry
00:18:54and actually beat him
00:18:56in a monster upset.
00:18:58And that's what
00:18:58the Brits and the Scots
00:19:00are hoping for tonight.
00:19:03Hunnigan out-hustled Curry.
00:19:04And Jacobs has promised
00:19:07to do the same
00:19:08to Whitaker.
00:19:10Hook your way out,
00:19:11no holding.
00:19:12No holding.
00:19:16Keep it clear.
00:19:17Nice professional work.
00:19:19Uppercut by Whitaker.
00:19:20Landed in close.
00:19:21Watch your heads.
00:19:31Watch your heads.
00:19:34Watch your heads.
00:19:38If Jacob is smart,
00:19:44this is the type of fight
00:19:45he would try to have
00:19:45with Whitaker all night long.
00:19:47This type of fight,
00:19:48he doesn't get hurt as much
00:19:49and it allows him
00:19:50to be able to land
00:19:52a few more punches.
00:19:54So you recommend
00:19:55that Jacobs stays
00:19:56at close quarters
00:19:56with Brunel?
00:19:57It would be very smart
00:19:58on his part, I think.
00:20:00Brunel is such a slick fighter
00:20:02until outside,
00:20:03I don't think Jacobs
00:20:04really has much of a change.
00:20:06Jacobs coming in that time
00:20:07behind the lead left hand
00:20:08over the top.
00:20:09Statistically, Roy,
00:20:11he doesn't seem to establish
00:20:12the jab all that well.
00:20:13So how's he going to get back in
00:20:15once Brunel gets him out
00:20:16at punching distance?
00:20:17He can either slip a punch
00:20:19or he has shown a jab here
00:20:21early in this fight.
00:20:22Maybe he'll abandon it,
00:20:23but right now he is showing
00:20:24a decent jab.
00:20:30Midway through round one.
00:20:33Jacobs beginning to establish
00:20:34some of his offense
00:20:35in the last 30 seconds.
00:20:37First minute belonged
00:20:38largely to Whitaker.
00:20:39Watch your way out.
00:20:40No hold.
00:20:42Watch your way out.
00:20:43Early on, Roy,
00:20:46it looks like
00:20:47those Jacobs' plan
00:20:48is to go to the body
00:20:49and try to slow
00:20:50Sweet Pea down.
00:20:51If he can keep this up,
00:20:53it'll be a much safer
00:20:54fight for him
00:20:54because once he gets
00:20:56a little tired
00:20:57and starts to stay outside,
00:20:58Brunel would pick him apart.
00:21:00Jacob also seemed to be
00:21:02a little bit stronger
00:21:03of a puncher
00:21:04than I thought he was.
00:21:05Jacobs leaning in on Whitaker
00:21:09through much of the first round.
00:21:10Brunel stepping back,
00:21:12firing jabs and uppercuts.
00:21:14Jacobs with a pretty good right hand
00:21:15gets back inside.
00:21:20It's a good right hook
00:21:22he's throwing at Whitaker.
00:21:23Whitaker's not used to seeing this
00:21:25because he hasn't fought
00:21:26Berryman in Southpaw.
00:21:27Jacobs in that exchange
00:21:28beating Whitaker to the punch.
00:21:30Stop punching!
00:21:31Step back!
00:21:32Full step!
00:21:33He's got to step back.
00:21:35Box.
00:21:38Lead left hand
00:21:39over the top again
00:21:40for Jacobs.
00:21:43But he's given Whitaker
00:21:44a little bit of everything
00:21:45to get inside here
00:21:46in the first round.
00:21:48He's also, I think, Roy,
00:21:50a cleverly,
00:21:52a clever defensive fighter.
00:21:54It doesn't show so much
00:21:55but he is being clever
00:21:56about not being there
00:21:57to be hit.
00:21:58Right there you saw that.
00:21:59If he stays outside
00:22:00on the end of Brunel's punches,
00:22:02he will get caught.
00:22:02All right, now look,
00:22:08move on outside, okay?
00:22:10That's his box is down a bit,
00:22:11all right?
00:22:12Look, in the inside,
00:22:13this guy who's going to
00:22:14end with his hand, okay?
00:22:15Look, you can't get no punches
00:22:16off right now in the inside.
00:22:18So you've got to be just
00:22:18going outside first.
00:22:20All right?
00:22:20That's just going to good job
00:22:21right now, okay?
00:22:22Who's a good job on outside?
00:22:23Step up.
00:22:24Now, soon to get inside,
00:22:25you've got to shoot
00:22:26an uppercut center.
00:22:26All right, okay?
00:22:27You can try again.
00:22:29You understand?
00:22:31Nothing to tell you,
00:22:32you did it all.
00:22:33Okay?
00:22:34Couldn't have wished
00:22:35for a better third.
00:22:35You can land it.
00:22:44Trust me, you can land it.
00:22:46Don't forget,
00:22:47he's free, he's free.
00:22:49There you are.
00:22:52Jacobs was awkwardly
00:22:54and cleverly effective
00:22:55in the first round.
00:22:56Let's see if Brunel
00:22:58can solve his riddle.
00:23:01Maurice Lewis, the trainer,
00:23:02telling Jacobs he could
00:23:03scarcely have had a better
00:23:04first round and statistically
00:23:06it looks as though he's right.
00:23:08Jacobs landing 42% of his punches.
00:23:10The norm against Whitaker
00:23:11is below 30%.
00:23:13And most of this is because
00:23:15Jacobs has stayed very,
00:23:17very close to Whitaker,
00:23:18which at what I told you
00:23:19in the beginning would be
00:23:20a very smart technique
00:23:22used by Jacobs.
00:23:23even though he's a southpaw, Roy,
00:23:35Jacobs is one of those
00:23:36converted southpaws.
00:23:38He's right-handed.
00:23:39Stop punching!
00:23:40Step back clean!
00:23:41And that's another reason
00:23:42I think that right hook
00:23:43may become a problem
00:23:44for Whitaker
00:23:45if he doesn't start blocking it.
00:23:48Well, and if he can establish
00:23:49his jab at all,
00:23:51then that right hook
00:23:52becomes a little bit
00:23:53more effective
00:23:54as a changeup
00:23:55behind the jab.
00:23:56I don't think Brunel
00:23:57will allow him
00:23:58to establish a jab, though.
00:24:01He's trying.
00:24:02Yes, and he's trying hard.
00:24:05Brunel shouldn't sit there
00:24:06and bang with him.
00:24:06Brunel should go back
00:24:07to his own game,
00:24:08and that is to box hit
00:24:10and not be hit.
00:24:11He's letting Jacobs
00:24:12allow this to be
00:24:13more of a Jacobs-type fight.
00:24:15And Jacobs does not seem
00:24:25to have a left hand.
00:24:29Throws it occasionally.
00:24:30You saw him lead with it there.
00:24:32By and large,
00:24:32when he's thrown the left, Roy,
00:24:34he's been leading with it.
00:24:36And that's pretty smart
00:24:37because that would get him inside.
00:24:38I think that's the only thing
00:24:40he really plans to do with it.
00:24:42Whitaker starting to get
00:24:43more accurate with his jab
00:24:45here in the second round
00:24:46as he tries to step back
00:24:47to long range
00:24:48and pick Jacobs apart
00:24:49a little bit.
00:24:50Like I said,
00:24:51if he stays outside,
00:24:52he can pick Jacobs apart,
00:24:54but he needs to stay outside.
00:24:55Brunel.
00:24:56The accurate Whitaker jab
00:24:58starting to bring a mouse
00:24:59to the right eye
00:25:00of Gary Jacobs.
00:25:01Whitaker missed with the left.
00:25:03Crowd, oohed, and odd.
00:25:06Work your way up.
00:25:07Work your way up.
00:25:10Work your way up.
00:25:11Hard right hand inside
00:25:14by Jacobs.
00:25:17Watch those elbows, Gary.
00:25:21Good hook by Whitaker
00:25:22on the way in.
00:25:24And this,
00:25:24all this outside punching
00:25:25that Whitaker lands,
00:25:27stop punching!
00:25:28Those are the most effective punches
00:25:29that are being landed
00:25:30in this fight right now.
00:25:31Whitaker's outside punches.
00:25:34The more he lands of those,
00:25:36the more discouraging
00:25:37he'll be to Jacobs
00:25:38as Jacobs tries to come in.
00:25:40That's a push.
00:25:41You okay?
00:25:42An obvious push.
00:25:43Ron Lipton, the referee,
00:25:44rubs Whitaker's gloves.
00:25:50Whitaker shouldn't get upset here.
00:25:51I think he's kind of
00:25:52a little upset
00:25:53because Jacobs pushed him down.
00:25:55He shouldn't get upset.
00:25:55Just stick to his game,
00:25:57and he will eventually
00:25:57figure Jacobs out.
00:25:59Work your way up!
00:25:59It's been a long time
00:26:00since Whitaker had a knockout
00:26:02in a title fight, Roy.
00:26:03Do you think he's hungry for one?
00:26:04I think he is
00:26:06because he seems to be
00:26:06sitting down on his punches
00:26:08a little bit more here.
00:26:09You see how you push them around?
00:26:11Right?
00:26:12Good round.
00:26:13You're doing fine.
00:26:14You're doing fine.
00:26:16Be the boss.
00:26:16The more aggressive you are.
00:26:18Controlled aggression.
00:26:20That was a good round again.
00:26:21It's okay.
00:26:22It's very well.
00:26:23If you put pressure on him,
00:26:24you'll get tired earlier.
00:26:26Understand?
00:26:27You feel good, right?
00:26:28Right, fine.
00:26:29That's all.
00:26:29I think this guy
00:26:34has a position all the time
00:26:35to come right back.
00:26:36Double up to you, Jack.
00:26:37Double up, baby.
00:26:37You're doing great, Roy.
00:26:38You're doing great, Roy.
00:26:38You're doing great.
00:26:38You're doing great now, baby.
00:26:40Don't get me and Gruden.
00:26:42Staying here, Reg.
00:26:43I don't have it.
00:26:43You know what?
00:26:44The inside,
00:26:44give him a three, four-punch
00:26:45combination,
00:26:46and then walk around the guy.
00:26:47That's the same thing
00:26:48I'm going to do on the outside.
00:26:49He's doing a good job
00:26:49to step him out.
00:26:50Don't forget my face,
00:26:52all right?
00:26:52If we've loved
00:26:53Pronell Whitaker
00:26:55for his perfection,
00:26:56you have to like
00:26:57Jacobs for his
00:26:58imperfection.
00:26:59He's making the most
00:27:00of his ability
00:27:01through two rounds.
00:27:04And he's done one thing
00:27:05that he said he would do,
00:27:07which was dictate
00:27:08the pace of the fight
00:27:09to make Whitaker fight
00:27:10when Whitaker doesn't
00:27:11want to fight.
00:27:12Yeah, he believes
00:27:13that Pronell likes
00:27:14to take time off in there
00:27:15and get a little rest
00:27:16from time to time.
00:27:17There's that right hook again
00:27:18that I warned you about.
00:27:19Good job.
00:27:29Watch the elbow.
00:27:30Watch.
00:27:34Jacobs blocking Whitaker's jab
00:27:36and then left hook
00:27:37to the body.
00:27:39Watch your way up.
00:27:44Gary Jacobs is fighting
00:27:45a very smart fight
00:27:46here for himself.
00:27:48He landed on the left.
00:27:49Whitaker countered
00:27:50with the left.
00:27:51But this is a very smart fight
00:27:52for Jerry Jacobs.
00:27:54It's hard to imagine
00:27:55Jacobs doing any better.
00:27:57Well, I can't say
00:27:59doing any better,
00:28:00but he could do worse
00:28:01by staying outside
00:28:01and letting Whitaker
00:28:02dictate the pace.
00:28:03Absolutely.
00:28:04I think Jacobs is doing
00:28:04about as well as he can
00:28:05possibly do with what
00:28:07he's got.
00:28:07And he's in the fight
00:28:09in these first three rounds.
00:28:10Put your way up.
00:28:12Yeah!
00:28:13Stop punching.
00:28:16Step back.
00:28:17Full step back.
00:28:18Box.
00:28:25The same right hook.
00:28:26Purnell needs to start
00:28:27putting his left hand
00:28:28up to his head
00:28:29when he sees Jacob come in
00:28:30because he doesn't need
00:28:31to keep getting hit
00:28:32with that right hook.
00:28:36Purnell countering inside
00:28:38and now fires the left cross.
00:28:40Stop punching.
00:28:41Step back.
00:28:41And I'm like you,
00:28:42I think he's very,
00:28:43very hungry for a knockout here.
00:28:47If he is, in fact,
00:28:49hungry for a knockout,
00:28:50might he create some
00:28:50opportunities to Jacobs
00:28:52to score?
00:28:53Well, he is creating
00:28:54opportunities for Jacobs
00:28:55to score,
00:28:55and he may find himself
00:28:57throwing less punches,
00:28:58less amount of punches
00:28:59than he plans to.
00:29:00Okay.
00:29:01Box.
00:29:02But he's still having fun,
00:29:03so.
00:29:06Last time Purnell Whitaker
00:29:08scored a knockout
00:29:08in a title fight
00:29:09that was five years,
00:29:1015 days ago
00:29:11against Juan Nazario.
00:29:14Watch the head!
00:29:15Watch the head!
00:29:15That was at 135 pounds.
00:29:17Ron Lipton warning Jacobs
00:29:19to watch the head.
00:29:20He took his cue
00:29:20from Purnell Whitaker
00:29:21on that one.
00:29:26And aggressive Jacobs
00:29:28still dictating the base.
00:29:29Wait your way up!
00:29:30Wait your way up!
00:29:31And Whitaker gets a left
00:29:33over the top.
00:29:34Wait your way up!
00:29:34Wait your way up!
00:29:34We will find out
00:29:40about Jacobs' conditioning
00:29:41in this fight.
00:29:42We'll find out
00:29:43if he was telling us
00:29:44the truth about those miles
00:29:45that he was running yesterday
00:29:46because this will be
00:29:47a tiring fight,
00:29:48especially because
00:29:49they're fighting so much
00:29:50on the inside.
00:29:51Yeah, this is hard work.
00:29:52Very hard work.
00:29:54Step back.
00:29:55Box.
00:29:58Get off the back of the tank!
00:30:01Little rabbit punch
00:30:02from Jacobs.
00:30:03He got one to the back
00:30:05of Whitaker's head
00:30:05and gets only a warning
00:30:06for it.
00:30:08If you don't do it again,
00:30:09that's good.
00:30:13Right there is
00:30:15pound for pound
00:30:16the best ball player
00:30:18I ever saw,
00:30:18Willie Mays.
00:30:19Number 24,
00:30:21the Say Hey Kid.
00:30:24Announced the weights
00:30:25at yesterday's weigh-in
00:30:26and...
00:30:27Now you gotta start
00:30:29backing him up
00:30:30a little bit, though, okay?
00:30:31But let's go with
00:30:31both hands now, okay?
00:30:33Okay.
00:30:33All right.
00:30:34Look.
00:30:36Don't give this guy
00:30:36no confidence there.
00:30:37Okay.
00:30:38You gotta take the player
00:30:39away from him now.
00:30:40Look, you gotta out-hustle
00:30:41him in the inside now.
00:30:42Okay?
00:30:42He's trying to out-hustle you.
00:30:43Okay?
00:30:44That's still cover.
00:30:45Just right away from him
00:30:46in this round.
00:30:47Come on, come on.
00:30:47You gotta fight.
00:30:48Let's go.
00:30:48Come on.
00:30:48You gotta be this round.
00:30:49He's coming out of here.
00:30:50That's what he's doing
00:30:51to deal with.
00:30:51Don't worry about that.
00:30:52Seconds out!
00:30:54Ronnie Shields,
00:30:55who is Fennell Whitaker's
00:30:57trainer now,
00:30:58understands exactly
00:30:59what's going on,
00:31:00and he's warning Whitaker
00:31:02not to let Jacobs dictate
00:31:04to him in those close quarters.
00:31:06Step back clean.
00:31:08Jacobs landing 51%
00:31:10of his punches
00:31:10in round number three.
00:31:11Not too many at ringside
00:31:13would have anticipated that.
00:31:14Stay off the back of his head,
00:31:16and most of this
00:31:17is because of
00:31:18the inside fighting.
00:31:21Stop pushing.
00:31:22Step back.
00:31:23Keep him up, Darry.
00:31:24Boss.
00:31:25Larry, you mentioned
00:31:26Willie Mays being the best
00:31:27pound-for-pound baseball player
00:31:28you ever saw.
00:31:29You can get two for one
00:31:30here tonight.
00:31:31If you look to your left
00:31:32slightly, you can see
00:31:32the best pound-for-pound
00:31:33boxer you ever saw, too.
00:31:35Where is that?
00:31:40Boyd Jones,
00:31:41bashful as always.
00:31:42Well, I've only seen
00:31:44two fighters
00:31:44as good as they are
00:31:46in the aircraft
00:31:46as Willie Mays
00:31:48was at his.
00:31:49Sugar Ray Robinson
00:31:50and Muhammad Ali.
00:31:53Your career isn't over yet.
00:31:54We'll see.
00:31:57There were some good moments
00:31:58for Jacobs there
00:31:59while you fellows
00:32:00were discussing
00:32:01Willie Mays.
00:32:03Jacob got caught
00:32:04with a good right hook
00:32:05by Pernille Woodker
00:32:06on the outside, may I add.
00:32:10Work the way out.
00:32:16I think Pernille has made up his mind
00:32:22that he'll go ahead
00:32:23and make an inside fight
00:32:24out of this
00:32:24if this is what Jacob wants.
00:32:27If Pernille hasn't trained
00:32:29to the max
00:32:29and properly conditioned himself
00:32:31for a 12-round test,
00:32:33Jacobs might steal a round
00:32:34or two here
00:32:35because he is clearly
00:32:36ready to work.
00:32:37I'm sure Pernille has trained
00:32:39properly.
00:32:40I'm sure he's in the best of shape
00:32:41because he knows
00:32:42he has to come out
00:32:43and keep performing.
00:32:43Step back clean.
00:32:45Or else that pound for pound
00:32:46thing will leave.
00:32:47Yeah, it'll be gone, won't it?
00:32:49And he knows that.
00:32:53And I think that's what
00:32:54we help one another
00:32:54in this instance.
00:32:56Stop holding.
00:32:57Stop holding.
00:33:00Stop punching.
00:33:01Step back clean.
00:33:02Okay.
00:33:02Stop holding.
00:33:03Stop holding.
00:33:04Box.
00:33:11Step back clean.
00:33:13Full step.
00:33:14Box.
00:33:17Crowd excited so far
00:33:19to see a battle.
00:33:20To see Gary Jacobs
00:33:21in the fight
00:33:22toe-to-toe
00:33:23with Pernille Whitaker
00:33:24and making Whitaker
00:33:25work for every point.
00:33:34I think Whitaker's punches
00:33:35are starting to show
00:33:36some effect
00:33:37on Gary Jacobs' face.
00:33:39I see a couple
00:33:41bruise marks
00:33:41that I think
00:33:42is from good crisp
00:33:44punching from
00:33:45Pernille Whitaker.
00:33:45Yeah, there's a bump
00:33:46by the side
00:33:47of Jacobs' right eye
00:33:48that could get bigger
00:33:49as things go on.
00:33:50Pernille can target
00:33:51that with the jab.
00:33:54Stop punching.
00:33:55Step back.
00:34:04World Championship
00:34:05Boxing returns
00:34:05next month
00:34:06with boxing's
00:34:07real pound for pound
00:34:08best part-time
00:34:09commentator
00:34:10and full-time champion
00:34:11Roy Jones Jr.
00:34:12This is a night of boxing
00:34:13you won't want to miss
00:34:15when I put my undefeated
00:34:16record and Super Middleweight
00:34:17title on the line
00:34:18against Tony Thornton.
00:34:19Saturday, September 30th
00:34:21on HBO.
00:34:22Pound for pound,
00:34:22the best fighters
00:34:23in the world
00:34:23fight here.
00:34:25From the horse's mouth,
00:34:27ladies and gentlemen,
00:34:28Roy Jones Jr.
00:34:29urging you to tune in
00:34:30for his own performance
00:34:31here on HBO.
00:34:32Saturday, September 30th
00:34:33against Tony Thornton,
00:34:35the punching postman, Roy.
00:34:36He won't be delivering
00:34:38any letters come Sunday.
00:34:41Don't let him tie it up.
00:34:42He's tying it up on you.
00:34:43Okay?
00:34:44Okay.
00:34:45Let's go, baby.
00:34:46Let's go.
00:34:46Let's take a look
00:34:47at Whitaker's best punch
00:34:49so far right on
00:34:50the big nose
00:34:52of Gary Jacobs.
00:34:54There you see it again
00:34:55from above.
00:34:56But so far,
00:34:57Mr. Imperfect
00:34:58is making Mr. Perfect
00:35:00look less than perfect.
00:35:02Well, he's not really
00:35:03making him look less than perfect.
00:35:05He's just making it
00:35:05a rough night for Whitaker
00:35:07because he being a southpaw
00:35:09and Whitaker being a southpaw
00:35:10is enough problem.
00:35:11Then he's staying
00:35:12very close to Whitaker.
00:35:15I think both eyes
00:35:16are swelling pretty rapidly
00:35:17now for Jacobs
00:35:18as Purnell starts
00:35:19to target Jacobs' face.
00:35:21Harold Letterman,
00:35:22how'd you score
00:35:23the first three?
00:35:24Jim, the first four.
00:35:25I got it two rounds apiece,
00:35:2738 to 38 in points.
00:35:29I got it even so far.
00:35:30I'll tell you,
00:35:31Gary Jacobs is in this fight.
00:35:32He's the aggressor.
00:35:33He's real good
00:35:34with that right hand.
00:35:35It's a strong right hand.
00:35:36Giving Pete a lot of trouble
00:35:37on the inside.
00:35:38Also, he uses his elbows
00:35:39pretty darn good.
00:35:41He's got that elbow
00:35:41in Pete's head
00:35:42the whole fight.
00:35:43And Ron Lipton sees it
00:35:44keeps warning him.
00:35:45But in any case,
00:35:46it's a rough fight.
00:35:46Gary Jacobs certainly is in it
00:35:48and is very close up to now.
00:35:50Up came the elbow.
00:35:52Warning.
00:35:53Second warning.
00:35:54Second warning from Lipton.
00:35:55Fox.
00:35:56No penalty yet.
00:35:57I have the fight
00:35:58scored the same way, Harold.
00:35:59I can't believe we agree.
00:36:01Watch your heads.
00:36:02This could be frustration
00:36:03on the part of Gary Jacobs
00:36:05throwing the unnecessary elbows
00:36:07at Pernell Whitaker.
00:36:09Sometimes this shows
00:36:10that a fighter
00:36:10is starting to get frustrated
00:36:12because he can't have
00:36:12stuff his way.
00:36:13Quick your head.
00:36:14Or he could be getting fatigued.
00:36:17Or he could start
00:36:17to punch his feet.
00:36:19Hard right hand inside
00:36:20by Jacobs.
00:36:21Or he could be thinking
00:36:22that he can anger
00:36:24and frustrate Whitaker
00:36:25and throw him off
00:36:26with such a tactic.
00:36:26I don't think
00:36:28that's his opinion right now.
00:36:30I don't think those
00:36:30are his immediate intentions.
00:36:32Okay.
00:36:33Work your way out.
00:36:34He's getting frustrated.
00:36:35He says Whitaker
00:36:36is holding him.
00:36:37Stop punching.
00:36:38Step back to him.
00:36:39Box.
00:36:43Punch that numbers
00:36:44through the first four rounds
00:36:45showed Whitaker
00:36:46throwing more.
00:36:48Jacobs landing
00:36:48at a higher percentage.
00:36:52Jacobs is trying
00:36:53to get in close
00:36:53before launching
00:36:54every punch.
00:37:03He's hitting
00:37:03a little bit more
00:37:04than we expected.
00:37:05But, like I said before,
00:37:07I think it's because
00:37:08of this southpaw stance.
00:37:10Oh, good shot.
00:37:14Four punch combination
00:37:15for Whitaker.
00:37:18Whitaker also is doing
00:37:20very good body work
00:37:21when they are on the inside.
00:37:23One.
00:37:24Box.
00:37:29Hard left hand
00:37:30over the top
00:37:30by Purnell.
00:37:31Excellent counter.
00:37:33Box.
00:37:41If I'm correct,
00:37:43I think Gary Jacobs
00:37:43may have even
00:37:44went right-handed
00:37:45just now.
00:37:46Stop punching.
00:37:48Back to his
00:37:49southpaw stance now.
00:37:50Box.
00:37:55Hey, let him go.
00:38:00Brunel a little
00:38:01angry at himself
00:38:01for missing a left hand
00:38:02over the top
00:38:03and talking to himself
00:38:05as round five
00:38:06comes to a close.
00:38:08This is like
00:38:08trying to dance
00:38:09to grunge music.
00:38:11It's not very pretty.
00:38:14You done a lot
00:38:14of dancing
00:38:15to grunge music,
00:38:16Larry?
00:38:17Yeah, I have.
00:38:18As a matter of fact,
00:38:18this is the time
00:38:22now to take over,
00:38:23all right?
00:38:24Before you let him
00:38:25get into the fight,
00:38:26he's not in it,
00:38:27right?
00:38:28This is the time
00:38:29to take over
00:38:29because they're
00:38:30going to try
00:38:30and jee him up.
00:38:32You understand?
00:38:33That's it.
00:38:33They're going to tell
00:38:34him he's going to
00:38:34have to do something,
00:38:35right?
00:38:38Jeremy, step on.
00:38:38Up.
00:38:40Let the shit go.
00:38:41When you throw
00:38:41that left hand
00:38:42over the top,
00:38:43bring the hook back.
00:38:43When you jab,
00:38:44turn your second shot
00:38:45under because
00:38:45you're ducking under.
00:38:46You got to go,
00:38:46baby.
00:38:46You got to go.
00:38:47Come on.
00:38:47Too close.
00:38:48Three, four punches
00:38:48to step around.
00:38:49Three, four punches
00:38:49to step around.
00:38:51See that educated elbow
00:38:53as you saw in close.
00:38:56Jacobs threw an elbow
00:38:57to the chin
00:38:58of the champion.
00:39:03Let's see if
00:39:04Jacobs' corner is right.
00:39:06They're going to get
00:39:07something else
00:39:08out of Whitaker
00:39:08in this round
00:39:09because they think
00:39:10he's a little frustrated.
00:39:12Round six of a
00:39:13scheduled 12.
00:39:16Whitaker was able
00:39:16to land a right hand
00:39:17as Jacobs backed away
00:39:19and now here comes
00:39:19the Scotsman
00:39:20trying to get in
00:39:21close again.
00:39:24There he was
00:39:25right-handed again
00:39:26so I was right.
00:39:28Watch your way out.
00:39:30Watch your heads.
00:39:34Pernell is doing
00:39:35very good work
00:39:36on the inside
00:39:37especially when he
00:39:38throws the body shots.
00:39:39The short body shots
00:39:40are very effective.
00:39:42I think this is starting
00:39:43to make Gary
00:39:44weakened just a little.
00:39:46Stop punching.
00:39:47Step back clean.
00:39:48Nice to play.
00:39:49Yo.
00:39:49Box.
00:39:52Great one-two
00:39:53combination from
00:39:54Whitaker there.
00:39:56Landed flush.
00:39:57No holding it in.
00:39:59Right hand backs
00:40:00Jacobs up again.
00:40:04Work your way out.
00:40:07Jacobs showing
00:40:08a pretty strong chin here.
00:40:12Well, Pernell is not
00:40:13exactly gifted
00:40:14with punching power, Roy.
00:40:16I think between them
00:40:17they couldn't
00:40:18scramble any eggs.
00:40:19Full step back.
00:40:20Full step back.
00:40:21Watch those heads.
00:40:25Jacobs getting in
00:40:26the hard right hand
00:40:27counter there.
00:40:29Stop punching.
00:40:30Step back clean.
00:40:31I say when you fight
00:40:32in eight-ounce
00:40:32red gloves,
00:40:33everybody can punch.
00:40:37Well, but not everybody
00:40:38can finish, can they?
00:40:40No, everybody can't finish.
00:40:41Work your way out.
00:40:44Pernell's last title fight
00:40:46knockout was a one-punch
00:40:48puree of Juan Nazario.
00:40:52He hasn't come close
00:40:52to doing something
00:40:53like that since.
00:40:58As you saw on the
00:40:59outside just then,
00:41:00Pernell was able
00:41:01to pick away
00:41:01with three good jabs
00:41:02and hit Gary
00:41:03with a good left hand.
00:41:05If Gary stays outside,
00:41:06he will get taken apart.
00:41:07Step back.
00:41:09Not getting inside
00:41:10with as much frequency
00:41:11now, as was the case
00:41:13in the first three rounds.
00:41:16Work your way out,
00:41:17action.
00:41:17Nice and clean, both.
00:41:23People who don't
00:41:23understand boxing
00:41:24may not know
00:41:25what this means,
00:41:26but Pernell is in front
00:41:27of Gary Jacobs right now.
00:41:28He's starting to get off
00:41:29before Jacobs gets a chance.
00:41:31That's why he's being able
00:41:32to hit him more.
00:41:33Box.
00:41:34With an artist like Pernell,
00:41:40you expect that once
00:41:41he's had a chance
00:41:42to see Jacobs' mode
00:41:43of operation
00:41:44and figure out
00:41:44what he's got,
00:41:45he can pick his spots
00:41:46more easily.
00:41:47And that's why now
00:41:48he's also staying out
00:41:49in front of Jacobs.
00:41:50He knows where Jacobs
00:41:51is going,
00:41:51so he's hitting him.
00:41:52Jacobs has a bad bruise
00:41:53over his right eye
00:41:54right now, too.
00:41:55Yeah, the right eye
00:41:55has been swelling
00:41:56since early in the fight.
00:41:57Okay.
00:41:58Focus.
00:41:58Stop holding.
00:42:00And it may eventually
00:42:01impair Gary Jacobs' vision,
00:42:02though I don't think
00:42:03that's the case so far.
00:42:08Go with the jab
00:42:09and keep throwing the hook
00:42:10behind the jab,
00:42:10all right?
00:42:11That's working good
00:42:12for you right there.
00:42:13Now, look,
00:42:14now this guy,
00:42:14he blew his load
00:42:15the first three rounds now.
00:42:16All right?
00:42:16This guy ain't got nothing
00:42:17now, man.
00:42:18This guy ain't got nothing.
00:42:18All he's trying to do now
00:42:19is he's just on a drill
00:42:21in the defense on channel now.
00:42:22All right?
00:42:23He's on a drill in only now, baby.
00:42:24Come on,
00:42:25suck it up.
00:42:25Let's go.
00:42:26That's okay.
00:42:28I would think quickly.
00:42:30How do you feel?
00:42:32All right?
00:42:34Down here,
00:42:34you're halfway there.
00:42:36Okay?
00:42:37Now, listen.
00:42:39Eve fought this,
00:42:40put that round
00:42:40to keep yourself
00:42:41in the fight.
00:42:42Now, you've got to keep it up.
00:42:43You've got to keep
00:42:44out of the work rate.
00:42:45Three and four, Gary.
00:42:46Don't keep it.
00:42:47You've got a singles.
00:42:48Three, four, jab.
00:42:49Bum, bum, bum, bum.
00:42:50You're strong as a horse.
00:42:52If they hold you
00:42:53with one hand,
00:42:53hit him with the other.
00:42:54Wait.
00:42:54Come on,
00:42:55yeah, it's another.
00:42:55Come on.
00:42:56Come on.
00:42:56Come on.
00:42:57Come on.
00:42:57Come on.
00:42:57Come on.
00:42:57Come on.
00:42:58Pernell wanted to dazzle
00:43:00and shine in his words
00:43:02in this fight,
00:43:03but some guys
00:43:04don't let you dazzle
00:43:05and shine, Roy.
00:43:06The other guy
00:43:07has something to say
00:43:08about it.
00:43:08That's the thing
00:43:09about fighting
00:43:09these awkward
00:43:10number one contenders.
00:43:11You don't know
00:43:11where they come from.
00:43:12Stop punching.
00:43:13You don't know
00:43:13what they know,
00:43:14what they don't know.
00:43:15You just don't understand
00:43:16anything that they seem
00:43:17to do.
00:43:24Pernell Whitaker
00:43:24becoming more accurate
00:43:26with each succeeding round.
00:43:30And as you can see,
00:43:31the range is starting
00:43:32to open up.
00:43:32He's not fighting
00:43:33as close as he was
00:43:34to Jacobs early
00:43:35in the fight.
00:43:39Jacobs slowing down
00:43:40just a little bit.
00:43:40Whitaker able to use
00:43:41his footwork
00:43:42to stay ahead of Jacobs
00:43:43as they move
00:43:44around the ring.
00:43:47Great one-two
00:43:51by Pernell Whitaker.
00:43:52Hard left hand
00:43:53over the top.
00:43:54Landed for Whitaker.
00:43:55Jacobs showing
00:43:55no ill effects.
00:43:56Comes right back in.
00:43:58Now you can see
00:43:59what I mean
00:43:59when I say
00:44:00Jacobs has no left hand.
00:44:01He had three jabs
00:44:02to land in a row,
00:44:03but he couldn't follow
00:44:04up with a good left
00:44:04because his left hand
00:44:06is just not that
00:44:06well-taught.
00:44:09Almost never throws it
00:44:10except when he leads
00:44:11with it.
00:44:12Like I said,
00:44:13he was just using it
00:44:14as an instrument
00:44:15to get himself
00:44:15closer to Whitaker.
00:44:17Stop punching.
00:44:23Step back clean.
00:44:23Full step.
00:44:24Jacobs more and more
00:44:25in the position now
00:44:26of chasing Whitaker
00:44:27instead of beating
00:44:28him to a spot.
00:44:29And this is Whitaker's fight.
00:44:30This is the fight
00:44:31they should have been
00:44:31fighting all alone.
00:44:33But now,
00:44:34I guess Whitaker probably
00:44:35let him wear himself
00:44:36down a little,
00:44:37let him have his fun,
00:44:37and now Whitaker's
00:44:38starting to catch it.
00:44:40Pernell's never had
00:44:41a knockout
00:44:42past the sixth round.
00:44:45Jacobs keep walking
00:44:46running to this left hand
00:44:47when he will tonight.
00:44:48Step back clean.
00:44:49Clean break.
00:44:51Box.
00:44:56Same left hand.
00:44:57Stop punching.
00:44:57Step back.
00:44:58More damage
00:44:58to the right side
00:44:59of Jacobs' face.
00:45:04Whitaker now beating
00:45:05Jacobs to the punch
00:45:06in virtually every exchange.
00:45:10Fight has markedly
00:45:11turned Pernell's way
00:45:12in these last two rounds.
00:45:14because Pernell is out
00:45:15in front of Jacobs now,
00:45:16and Jacobs just cannot
00:45:17catch back up.
00:45:20This is what you call
00:45:21having patience.
00:45:22This is what the great
00:45:23fighters always seem
00:45:24to be able to do.
00:45:25Have patience.
00:45:26Let the guy do what he
00:45:27has to do for the first
00:45:28few rounds.
00:45:29Then you take over
00:45:29and you dominate
00:45:30the rest of the fight.
00:45:31This is what Pernell
00:45:31is doing right now.
00:45:32Jacobs flailing
00:45:33with the right
00:45:34to try to get in,
00:45:35and Pernell countering
00:45:36effectively with the right
00:45:37directly on Jacobs' chin.
00:45:39Stop punching.
00:45:41Get him, baby.
00:45:42Box.
00:45:47Work your way out.
00:45:49Work your way out.
00:45:51Protect yourself, both of you.
00:45:54Go ahead.
00:45:54Focus.
00:45:55Both of you.
00:45:57Round seven coming
00:45:58to a close.
00:46:00Turn!
00:46:00Turn!
00:46:01Turn!
00:46:01Turn!
00:46:01Turn!
00:46:02Turn!
00:46:02Turn!
00:46:02Turn!
00:46:02Turn!
00:46:03Turn!
00:46:03Turn!
00:46:03Turn!
00:46:05Turn!
00:46:06Turn!
00:46:06Turn!
00:46:07Turn!
00:46:07Turn!
00:46:09Turn!
00:46:09Turn!
00:46:09Turn!
00:46:10Turn!
00:46:10How you got it?
00:46:11All right?
00:46:11All right?
00:46:11All right?
00:46:12You're getting a little
00:46:13bit lazy, Gary.
00:46:14Now, I said, you've got to
00:46:15remember, you've got to
00:46:16work on the bases.
00:46:17You're making a fight,
00:46:17but you've got to work
00:46:18on the bases,
00:46:18and they're not going
00:46:19to do you any favors.
00:46:20All right?
00:46:20all right if they can nick off you they will and therefore you've got to do the work okay
00:46:34can't miss him with a right hook okay come right back with that left hand okay all right
00:46:38look when you get close go with that uppercut then bring the hook right back all right
00:46:44now that's all keep messing up with that good jab that's good
00:46:47he's telling the referee just now to let you fight so when you get in there all right i'm right back
00:46:54with the face going at him all right sometimes a great athlete has more problems when the bar is
00:47:04lowered than when it's raised work your way out yes and the other athletes seem to be the problem
00:47:12right maybe the best favor we could do for pernell this weekend was to bring roy jones
00:47:17to town and station him right here at ringside where he can serve as a constant reminder to
00:47:21whitaker what his central motivation is that designation as the best pound-for-pound fighter
00:47:27in the world harold letterman how'd you have it scored jim 68 65 five rounds to two pernell whitaker
00:47:33jim i agree with you i think that he's just dominating his fight since about the third round
00:47:37i mean gary jacobs comes in with that right jibs lunges forward and gets nailed with a real good
00:47:41left hand a good right hook pete's landing the cleanest sharpest shots but i want to tell you
00:47:45the doom is a terrified of the officials three judges from outside the united states you never know
00:47:50they could be looking at the gorilla both you know three judges from outside the continental 48
00:47:55harold one of the three is from hawaii all right i'll go along with that all right you must
00:48:07whitaker tripled up on jacobs in power shots in round seven he landed 18 power punches to six for jacobs
00:48:13jacobs has slowed down a considerable amount um now he can't land the punch that he was landing
00:48:19earlier whitaker's body shots are starting to have a decent amount of effect on him i think
00:48:31and jacobs who was able to get to whitaker's body in the first couple of rounds
00:48:35and jacobs has been headhunting for the past three or four taking hard punches like that for his
00:48:41trouble stop pushing
00:48:52and headhunting is usually another symptom of frustration setting in
00:49:05and headhunting for the past three or four taking his time here in round number eight
00:49:16jacobs coming in without punching and you leave yourself open for stuff like that
00:49:29you leave yourself open for the past three or four taking your time here in round number eight
00:49:32stop pushing no shortage of heart for gary jacobs but the skill gap
00:49:40has been increasingly a factor in the fight
00:49:44where do i have you're locked up stop
00:49:49experience will start to set in here a little too when a guy as experienced as pernil
00:49:54in championship fights gets comfortable at this pace of the fight everything starts to go his way
00:50:01as you can see gary can even land a punch
00:50:03and you'll see that in the first four rounds jacobs was quite competitive throwing a similar number of
00:50:21punches and landing at a higher percentage than whitaker now go down to rounds five through eight
00:50:28whitaker's percentage goes up jacobs percentage goes down as does his punch output those rounds belong
00:50:33entirely to sweet pea whitaker let's go out there and fight like the winner son
00:50:51gary save everybody and yourself a lot of aggravation go ahead and take it come to you
00:51:01in the first two round nine round nine begins by punch stat numbers gary jacobs was able to land only
00:51:08six of 39 punches in the eight you've got to stop holding or someone's gonna lose a point box
00:51:14the corner told jacob to go in and fight like a winner but it's very hard to fight like a winner
00:51:19when you're in there against one of the best winners of all time
00:51:23i don't know what it means even well i like a winner you got to give a guy some clue about what to do
00:51:29that's a little bit more focused to just say fight like a winner you got a point there yeah maybe
00:51:36they're out of uh ideas fight like a winner now you figure out how
00:51:47any thoughts on this referee roy ron lipton we haven't seen him at this level before
00:51:51well uh he's doing a pretty good job right now he uh didn't let him fight much on the inside at first
00:51:56but i think he got some instructions from somewhere to let them fight more on the inside so
00:52:01i say he's doing a real good job for his first time in my eyes
00:52:06i think larry hazard the new jersey commissioner at one point suggested
00:52:13the referee to let him fight a little bit more on the inside
00:52:15the referee to make a statement as whitaker waits in the corner but
00:52:26burnell loves to showboat in this situation and demonstrate his defensive skills and he got away
00:52:31with one there
00:52:37see people don't understand that when you showboat like this it just gives you confidence just helps you
00:52:42get more into what you're doing and it makes the fights much much more fun for us than as to other
00:52:47athletes so he's entertaining himself yes and staying motivated for the last three rounds of the fight
00:52:54that's right because it's very hard sometimes to stay motivated when you fight a guy such as
00:52:58gary jacobs uh pretty much says what am i going to do with this guy he's like he's like a camel you
00:53:05you don't know where to sit on him sit on the hump you got a better view
00:53:21that's the punch you should be using right there
00:53:27now notice jacob is on the outside now he's not trying hard to get in like he was earlier right he
00:53:31he doesn't have a chance out here right ronnell whitaker from the outside can school gary jacobs
00:53:38that's what he's doing
00:53:43step back
00:53:53nine rounds down and it's not getting any better for scottsman gary jacobs against sweet tea whittaker
00:54:08that's the way you win rounds and the natives are restless
00:54:13take back close your eyes that's it that's the discipline that's going to win this fight
00:54:18all right gary gary gary please please you've got a three-round fight a three-round fight which can
00:54:25change the course of your life okay yeah all right now guy you're going to do it give him the guard
00:54:31give him the guard don't just let me get the bucket
00:54:37he's walking right in and you can't miss this guy with combination straight punches we ain't got to do
00:54:42nothing fancy with this guy okay soon to get close go with the hooks okay the hooks are right there all day
00:54:46you know you're fine all right let's go on with round which you did the last round do you understand
00:54:53all right
00:54:55that's it that was the first time i've seen whitaker get hit with a hook in a couple of rounds now
00:55:16and that's very good because he did start to defend against it i saw him catching his gloves a couple of
00:55:21times and those are the type of adjustments that true champions knew how to make during the course of
00:55:26a fight you heard ronnie shields telling whitaker to wait for jacobs to walk in and then hit him with
00:55:32hooks whitaker content now to stand away from jacobs and simply pop him with the jab over and over
00:55:40keep him up gary stop punching keep him up box jacobs with enough energy left to punch his way in again
00:55:51you're off the back of his head gary work your way out
00:55:59being right-handed i can imagine that gary jacobs has a very hard right jab step back
00:56:04right-handed i can't do it exactly no punching on the break let me get out box
00:56:14work your way out your hands are free fighting well well he's clearly one of those natural right
00:56:18handers who expects that fighting as a southpaw will maximize the effect of his jab and his hook
00:56:24yeah but very hard to get to show the cop to throw a power shot when your shoulder is already forward
00:56:30at your opponent michael moore is a natural right-hander who fights southpaw bella hoya is a
00:56:38natural southpaw who fights right-handed both have developed power hands though michael moore has a
00:56:45very good straight left even though he's right-handed and bella hoya can throw the right cross right
00:56:51and this guy has not developed his left hand at all so he's like a one-handed fighter with the front
00:56:57with the powerful hands being in front and there's a hard right hand from jacobs that backs
00:57:02whitaker up into the ropes yes but he also ate a left hand
00:57:05whitaker lashing back another hard left hand for brunelle
00:57:13watch it been able to land his left cross consistently for the last seven rounds
00:57:30I'm telling you to keep off the back of his head, okay?
00:57:34Let's go!
00:57:36Box!
00:57:46Hard work with the right hand there by Gary Jacobs,
00:57:50keeping himself mentally in the fight.
00:58:00And Whittaker again takes advantage of Jacobs rushing in.
00:58:06Coming up immediately following tonight's coverage
00:58:08of World Championship Boxing,
00:58:10stay tuned for First Degree on the East Coast
00:58:13and The Tuskegee Airmen on the West Coast.
00:58:16HBO original movie production of The Tuskegee Airmen
00:58:19starring Larry Fishburne, First Degree with Rob Lowe.
00:58:25What a translator who wanna work this fucking guy, you understand?
00:58:28He's standing between you and everything.
00:58:30Gary, you're gonna not...
00:58:32Yeah, but you're gonna not even lose.
00:58:33Free yourself!
00:58:34Come on.
00:58:35Free yourself.
00:58:36All right?
00:58:37Listen, I could've taken a point away, but I didn't.
00:58:39All right, all right, all right, all right.
00:58:41Keep it quick!
00:58:42All right?
00:58:43How we feel?
00:58:44Come on, baby, let's go.
00:58:45I know, let's go.
00:58:46Come on, let it drown, baby.
00:58:47Let's go.
00:58:48Both hands moving.
00:58:49Keep your hands moving.
00:58:50Both hands...
00:58:51Keep it on the floor over here.
00:58:52Step back!
00:58:53Take a look at an exchange here.
00:58:55A right hook by Jacobs followed by a left hook by Whittaker.
00:59:02Work your way out.
00:59:07The Jacobs right was one of his best punches since early in the fight.
00:59:13And you heard Mickey Duff pleading with his fighter
00:59:16to come up with something new that'll change his life.
00:59:18Harold Lederman, how'd you score the first 10?
00:59:20Jim, 97-93, seven rounds to three, Pernell Whitaker.
00:59:24I think he's landing the cleaner, harder shots.
00:59:26Gary Jacobs is rushing in with that right hand,
00:59:28landing an occasional good right hand.
00:59:30Once in a while a left.
00:59:31He's got a very poor left hand.
00:59:33But for the better part, it's all Pernell Whitaker.
00:59:35And they're calling it a knockdown.
00:59:40Five, six, seven, eight.
00:59:43And that makes three consecutive title defenses,
00:59:46or three consecutive title fights, I should say,
00:59:49in which Pernell Whitaker has been knocked down.
00:59:51Knocked down by Buddy McGirdeth this weight.
00:59:53Knocked down at 154 pounds by Julio Cesar Vasquez.
00:59:57And now Gary Jacobs is credited with an 11th round knockdown
01:00:01of Pernell Whitaker here.
01:00:03Well, I think the referee really didn't know what had happened.
01:00:06And when he saw Whitaker hit the canvas,
01:00:08I think this gave him an indication
01:00:10that maybe Whitaker was mad at himself
01:00:11for getting knocked down.
01:00:12If Whitaker didn't get knocked down,
01:00:14I think it was a slip.
01:00:15I think he was thrown and slipped.
01:00:17I don't know what happened.
01:00:22I didn't see any punch that looked like a knockdown punch.
01:00:25Well, it's Rashomon here.
01:00:26We've got three different versions, right?
01:00:27Right.
01:00:28I say, throw and slip.
01:00:29Roy says, slip.
01:00:31And you say, who knows?
01:00:35The replay will tell all.
01:00:37Stop.
01:00:38But it won't.
01:00:39It'll still count as a knockdown
01:00:40no matter what the replay shows.
01:00:42Fifth time in Pernell Whitaker's career
01:00:44that he's been knocked to the canvas.
01:00:46Put your abs.
01:00:50Raphael Williams, Rod Mayweather, Buddy McGird,
01:00:53Julio Cesar Vasquez, and now Gary Jacobs.
01:00:58Stop pushing.
01:00:59Stop pushing.
01:01:00Stop pushing.
01:01:01Stop pushing.
01:01:02But he doesn't stay down.
01:01:03Oh, he hurt Jacobs again.
01:01:05And he decides then...
01:01:07No, no.
01:01:08What's good for the goose is good for the gander,
01:01:10so down goes Jacobs.
01:01:11Yes, but he did hurt Jacobs.
01:01:12And there is a very bad cut now.
01:01:14Yep.
01:01:15Jacob's eye...
01:01:16Over Jacob's eyelid, right eyelid,
01:01:18but it isn't bleeding.
01:01:19Oh, and Pernell is able to target the right eye again
01:01:25with that roundhouse left.
01:01:27Jacob is very weak now.
01:01:28Pernell can knock him out
01:01:29if he catches him with a good clean left hand.
01:01:31Stop pushing.
01:01:32But he has to time it.
01:01:34Just a few minutes left.
01:01:35Jacob appears to have given just about all he's got.
01:01:38Next to last round here.
01:01:41Watch away.
01:01:43Stop pushing.
01:01:48Stop pushing.
01:01:50She's holding the box.
01:01:53Crowd chanting,
01:01:54Sweet Pea, Sweet Pea, Sweet Pea.
01:01:58Maybe hoping that he'll get angry enough
01:02:00to try for a knockout.
01:02:03We're going to take a look at that alleged knockdown.
01:02:08Let's see what happens.
01:02:14Nothing happened. It was a right to the rib, to the high rib,
01:02:20and it was a kind of a push and a half punch.
01:02:23It certainly was not a knockdown.
01:02:25He was off balance because he missed with a big power shot.
01:02:28Right. It will count as a knockdown.
01:02:30It wasn't a knockdown.
01:02:32Hell yeah, you can get a beer.
01:02:33You can get 10 beers.
01:02:34Come on.
01:02:35Look.
01:02:36All right, let's go.
01:02:37Come on.
01:02:38Let's go out there and put those hands on this boy.
01:02:39All right?
01:02:40Don't take no chances.
01:02:41Fight the way you want to fight.
01:02:42You understand?
01:02:43But don't take no chances.
01:02:44Don't push you.
01:02:45Don't push you.
01:02:46Come on, man.
01:02:47Come on.
01:02:48Come on.
01:02:49Come on.
01:02:50Move those hands.
01:02:51Move those hands.
01:02:52Move those hands.
01:02:53Move those hands.
01:02:54Come on.
01:02:55Come on.
01:02:56Come on.
01:02:57Come on.
01:02:58Come on.
01:02:59Come on.
01:03:00Come on.
01:03:01British fans in the crowd chanting for their man, Gary Jacobs.
01:03:04Ron Lipton holds the fighters apart, and now round 12 begins.
01:03:08The one thing I also like about Pernell Whitaker, even though he didn't get knocked down in
01:03:12that round, was besides him, he, you see him, Larry Holmes, Felix Trinidad, maybe the
01:03:18best three fighters that I've ever seen coming back from a knockdown.
01:03:23Back of his head.
01:03:24Felix Trinidad, a hard-punching welterweight star.
01:03:27Ike Corte is another one in that division.
01:03:30You hope, you sincerely hope, that before Pernell Whitaker finishes his career, we'll get
01:03:35a chance to see him in the ring with Corte and Trinidad.
01:03:38Both of us will be very good fighters.
01:03:40Both fighters are very good fighters.
01:03:42Both will make Pernell, will bring out the best in Pernell, and this is what people
01:03:46like he and myself like to see.
01:03:48Both have the punching power to raise questions about Whitaker's chin.
01:03:52Yeah, but those big punches usually get caught up on trying to get to Whitaker's chin, and
01:03:59they never hit him.
01:04:01Here, Whitaker seems interested, at least, in doing as much damage as he can do here
01:04:06in the 12th round.
01:04:07Jacob's holding on.
01:04:09He is beating Gary's body to where Gary's really weak now.
01:04:14Let him go.
01:04:15Break!
01:04:22Stop punching.
01:04:23Clean break.
01:04:24Box.
01:04:25Stop holding.
01:04:26Gary wore himself out early with his own style of fighting.
01:04:29Whitaker sat back, had the patience, let him wear himself down, then, now he's taking him to school.
01:04:44So it's one thing to run four-minute miles, but yet another to go 12 rounds with a fight of the caliber
01:04:51of Whitaker.
01:04:52Stop holding.
01:04:53Box.
01:04:54As they say, this ain't no track meet.
01:04:57It's a swap meet.
01:04:58Stop pushing.
01:04:59Stop pushing.
01:05:00Stop pushing.
01:05:01Stop pushing.
01:05:02One point.
01:05:05And they were swapping fairly evenly early, and now Liston takes a point away from Gary
01:05:12Jacobs for holding and hitting.
01:05:13Which is not really a factor because he's taking a very good school lesson today, and he
01:05:18will be taking it for the rest of this fight.
01:05:21Well, that makes up for the no knockdown knockdown.
01:05:25Right?
01:05:26We're even.
01:05:27Yeah.
01:05:30Whitaker pounding away as the fight comes to a close.
01:05:35Stop punching.
01:05:36Step back to him.
01:05:37Crowd cheering as though it would have liked to have seen 12 rounds of this.
01:05:42But Burnell had to soften Gary Jacobs up for a while.
01:05:45Oh, there you go.
01:05:46Two.
01:05:47Two.
01:05:48Three.
01:05:49Four.
01:05:50Five.
01:05:51No.
01:05:52Six.
01:05:53Seven.
01:05:54Eight.
01:05:55Look at this.
01:05:56You okay?
01:05:57Step back.
01:05:58Five.
01:05:59Five.
01:06:00Five.
01:06:01Five.
01:06:02Six.
01:06:03Seven.
01:06:04Eight.
01:06:05Look at this.
01:06:06You okay?
01:06:07Step back.
01:06:08Five.
01:06:09Five.
01:06:10Five.
01:06:11Five.
01:06:12Five.
01:06:13Five.
01:06:14Five.
01:06:15Five.
01:06:16Five.
01:06:17Five.
01:06:18Five.
01:06:19Five.
01:06:20Five.
01:06:21He knows how to close his show.
01:06:22Like I told you, if he kept walking to the left hand, he was gonna go down.
01:06:26Heiter cannot be saved by the bell in any round under these rules.
01:06:30So Whitaker could still go for the knockout right there at the end.
01:06:34But Jacobs got up before the count of ten.
01:06:37And that becomes a three-point round for Brunel Whitaker, two points for those knockdowns, one point taken away from the challenger.
01:06:47Okay?
01:06:48Brunel Whitaker treating his fans to a display of punching power to punctuate this 12-round performance against Gary Jacobs.
01:06:58And I think Whitaker enjoyed that there at the end.
01:06:59I think he did, too, because people have been questioning his punching power lately, and he wanted to show that he still possessed some knockout power.
01:07:11He wanted to show you.
01:07:13He turned around and looked directly at you as soon as he got Jacobs onto the canvas.
01:07:17Well, like I said, we are one another's inspiration right now.
01:07:20We make one another want to desire to be the best that we can be.
01:07:24And that helped Brunel out, and it will help me come September 30th when I stop all mail delivery by knocking out the postman.
01:07:31The punching postman Tony Thornton against Roy Jones here on HBO the evening of September 30th.
01:07:37Too bad you won't be able to do commentary while you fight it.
01:07:40Well, I can help you out a little. Just wash my mouth every now and then.
01:07:43Okay. I'll do the lip reading.
01:07:45I'll do the lip reading.
01:07:52Larry Merchant has gone into the ring to get ready for post-fight interviews.
01:07:55So, Roy, let's go through these replays.
01:07:58This is where Whitaker hurts him.
01:08:00A counter left hand over the top of his jab, which Whitaker had been landing all night.
01:08:05Boom. There at the left hand.
01:08:06I told you if Gary kept walking into the left hand, there would be a knockdown or a knockout.
01:08:11He walked right into it, and he got knocked out.
01:08:14Boom.
01:08:15Now, here's the second knockdown.
01:08:17And frankly, Lipton could have stopped it to protect Gary Jacobs from further punishment at any time.
01:08:23Yeah, because Whitaker was hitting him with some very clean power shots.
01:08:27And right there you can see it just follow-up work, which is the way you're supposed to finish a guy.
01:08:31I'm sure as a matter of pride that Jacobs wanted to finish the fight, but Lipton certainly wouldn't have been beyond his best judgment if he had gone ahead and effected a stoppage there and given Pernell a 12th round KO.
01:08:44And now let's go up to the ring announcer Michael Buffer for the official particulars on this decision.
01:09:01We're going to have a brief delay as there is apparently a commission problem.
01:09:07Could be that some of the judges were confused by the ending the bout and wondering whether Lipton did in fact rule a KO.
01:09:20That's right.
01:09:21That's right.
01:09:22Gary Jacobs.
01:09:23Gary Jacobs.
01:09:24Terrific guy.
01:09:25We really enjoyed talking with him yesterday.
01:09:26Very nice guy.
01:09:27Something that you rarely see in boxing nowadays.
01:09:29Oh, come on.
01:09:34They're everywhere, Roy.
01:09:35Yeah, they are.
01:09:37And here's Pernell basking in some appreciation from his fans.
01:09:44Mickey Duff.
01:09:47Talking with Larry Hazard of the commission.
01:09:50Duff is the manager of Gary Jacobs.
01:09:52And obviously he feels as though he has an argument to mount here.
01:09:57Hey, Mickey.
01:09:59I watched Pernell Whitaker walk the boardwalk for about 45 minutes yesterday, Roy,
01:10:10and only a few people wandered up to say hello.
01:10:13He has never gone hard for the celebrity aspect of this.
01:10:18He thinks of himself simply as a professional fighter,
01:10:20not necessarily a celebrity or a star.
01:10:22Final punch stat numbers,
01:10:24and you can see that Pernell got himself up to 45%
01:10:27as a connect percentage in the fight.
01:10:29But Jacobs, who was close to 50% for the first four rounds,
01:10:32winds up down at 38%.
01:10:34Jabs and Pernell dominated this category,
01:10:38throwing 75 more jabs and landing 53 more than Gary Jacobs.
01:10:43And now Michael Buffer is ready for the official particulars.
01:10:49Ladies and gentlemen, after 12 rounds of boxing,
01:10:51we go to the scorecards.
01:10:54Gus Mercurio scores the bout 118 to 109.
01:10:59Tomatsu Tamihara scores the bout 118 to 107.
01:11:03And Takeaki Kanaya scores it 117 to 109 for the winner by unanimous decision.
01:11:11And still welterweight champion of the world,
01:11:15Pernell Sweet Pea Whittaker.
01:11:2436 wins, one loss, one draw now.
01:11:26The official record for Whittaker.
01:11:28Unofficially, you can look at him as being 38-0,
01:11:31since most of us believe that he's won every one of those fights in which he was involved.
01:11:3510th straight 12-round decision in a title fight,
01:11:40although apparently the delay in announcing this decision
01:11:43had to do with the belief on the part of some commission members
01:11:46that Whittaker had indeed scored a knockout there at the end of the 12th round.
01:11:51But in the end, no KO, another unanimous decision,
01:11:54and another chance for our Larry Merchant to talk to Pernell's Sweet Pea Whittaker.
01:11:58Larry?
01:11:58All right, Pernell, congratulations.
01:12:00So are you disappointed or how disappointed that that wasn't scored as a knockout?
01:12:06Well, not disappointed, but a little.
01:12:08You know, I could have stood the knockout.
01:12:10I mean, it was a kind of ugly fight for you, wasn't it?
01:12:13And that might have made it prettier?
01:12:15Well, no, it was a really ugly fight.
01:12:17I can't, you can't take anything away from Gary Jacobs, you know.
01:12:20Everybody trains hard for the best.
01:12:23So, you know, I give him credit for all the hard work that he put up.
01:12:28That's what I say.
01:12:28You never take any, I never take anyone for granted.
01:12:31How frustrating was it in against a kind of mauling, brawling southpaw?
01:12:35I love that kind of game.
01:12:37You know, I got, you know, it's not the way, it's not Styles beat fighters.
01:12:41So, you know, I just had to suck it up, you know, just see what he had,
01:12:45and then be able to all counter it later in the round.
01:12:49All right, we're going to take a look at those knockdowns at the end of the 12th round.
01:12:53You saved the best for last.
01:12:55Was that deliberate, or did he just leave himself exposed trying to get to you at the end?
01:12:59A different amount of time, Larry.
01:13:01You know, I was trying to set myself up for those shots all night.
01:13:05But, you know, it was a little awkward at first.
01:13:08And then, you know, once I found him, you know, starting from the body, once I found him,
01:13:13you know, it was no problem from there, you know.
01:13:15And I hit him with everything, and I don't know why he got up.
01:13:21Well, do you think that those two knockdowns might have saved your belt
01:13:26as the best pound-for-pound fighter around?
01:13:28No, no, not at all.
01:13:30I don't think so, Larry.
01:13:32You know, it was a great one.
01:13:34Another one of my perfect performances.
01:13:36And, you know, nothing, like I said, nothing can take away from pound-for-pound,
01:13:39because the fans vote that, you know.
01:13:42And if everyone that watched it on HBO saw Pernell Whitaker one more time.
01:13:47That's our statement.
01:13:48Let me ask you this, then, finally.
01:13:50There are several fights out there that would seem to be really good big fights for Pernell Whitaker.
01:13:56We're talking about Chavez, of course, who we've talked about for quite a long time, a rematch.
01:14:02And, of course, two very good, young, undefeated well-awaits in their own right,
01:14:08Felix Trinidad and Ike Corte.
01:14:10Your thoughts about them.
01:14:12Who would you like to fight next, first, second, whatever?
01:14:14It really doesn't matter to me, Larry.
01:14:16You know, I never duck or never choose who I fight.
01:14:20You know, and the next, you know, is once everybody comes together, you know,
01:14:24we'll get somebody on the table or someone assigned without shaking their hands.
01:14:29Well, who do you want most?
01:14:31Well, obviously, the fight is, you know, for the fans.
01:14:35The Chavez fight, you know.
01:14:37That's the only reason why I'm still fighting.
01:14:38I think the fans deserve to see Pernell Whitaker, and I fight to entertain the fans.
01:14:43You know, everything's been completed for Pernell Whitaker.
01:14:45I'm just having fun.
01:14:46Thank you very much, Pernell.
01:14:48And now back to you guys at ringside.
01:14:50All right.
01:14:51Thanks very much, Larry.
01:14:52So you heard the discussion there about possible future opponents.
01:14:55Obviously, Julio Cesar Chavez, Ike Corte, Felix Trinidad.
01:14:58We'd love to see any of those three fights.
01:15:01But now there's discussion of a possible date with a newly refurbished Hector Macho Camacho for Pernell Whitaker.
01:15:07Would Camacho have any chance against Sweet Pea?
01:15:09Yes, he'd have a chance, mainly because of his hand speed
01:15:12and because of the fact that Camacho is also a southpaw.
01:15:16Sometimes when two southpaws hook up, it can be a very interesting night.
01:15:22Is there a timetable for Whitaker with regard to young fighters like Trinidad and Corte?
01:15:27Does he run a risk of getting too old for those guys if he doesn't go ahead and do that business pretty soon?
01:15:32Yes, he does run a risk of getting too old.
01:15:35But right now, I think Whitaker is looking just as good as he ever has.
01:15:39He doesn't get hit much, which is good.
01:15:41And this type of stuff will allow him to be able to stick around for many, many, many more years.
01:15:46You feel like he gave you something to shoot for in your ongoing battle for best pound for pound in the sport?
01:15:51Well, he always gives me something to shoot for.
01:15:53If he would have just came up in here and just came out with a W, however he does it, he gives me something to shoot for.
01:15:58All right, Roy.
01:15:59We'll see how you do on September 30th.
01:16:01Thank you very much for being with us.
01:16:02Looking forward to seeing you then.
01:16:03Larry Merchant back with us.
01:16:05Your final thoughts on yet another route-going title defending performance for Pennell Whitaker.
01:16:11Well, my first thought is seeing Willie Mays at ringside and that some days the pitchers won't pitch to you and nothing seems to happen.
01:16:18Nobody hits you any fly balls to look great on and you're scuffling out there.
01:16:23But in the ninth inning, you hit one out of the ballpark and you win the game.
01:16:26And that's what Pennell Whitaker did.
01:16:29And not every fighter can be his best at every fight or look his best.
01:16:34The opponent does have something to say about it.
01:16:36Gary Jacobs was a game, awkward, sort of cleverly good defensive fighter.
01:16:43Gave his best shot.
01:16:44But the best shots in the end were Pennell Whitaker's.
01:16:47And I said earlier also that we see Pennell Whitaker as a flower who blossoms every two or three times a year.
01:16:57A little bit of bruise on this blossom this time, but we'll see him again and we'll see him dazzle us once more.
01:17:03Let me ask you the same question I asked Roy.
01:17:04Should there be a timetable for Whitaker to get at younger opponents like Felix Trinidad and Ike Corte?
01:17:10Does he run a risk of getting too old for those guys?
01:17:13I think in a sense, yes.
01:17:15I don't care how good you are.
01:17:18This is the age where Sugar Ray Robinson slowed down a little bit.
01:17:21But what happened at that point was the other fighters were then able to compete with him.
01:17:27And Sugar Ray Robinson had most of his greatest and most dramatic fights after he slowed down so that the other guys could be there with him.
01:17:36And so I think we'll see those young men fighting Pennell Whitaker.
01:17:41And I think probably there will be some very dramatic fights ahead for him.
01:17:45Yeah, I hope we all get to share in that.
01:17:46All right, thanks very much, Larry.
01:17:47Let's turn our attention now to the third man whose name will sometimes be mentioned in discussions these days.
01:17:54A best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
01:17:56Certainly he looms down the road as a challenger to Whitaker and Jones for that distinction.
01:18:00And I'm talking about 135-pound world champion Oscar De La Hoya,
01:18:04who's coming up on pay-per-view on the evening of September 9 against Gennaro Hernandez,
01:18:09his longtime neighborhood rival from East Los Angeles.
01:18:13That fight will take place in Las Vegas.
01:18:15Oscar joins us live now from his training camp in Big Bear, California.
01:18:19Oscar, first of all, your reflections on what you saw from Pennell Whitaker tonight.
01:18:24Well, again, it was a great performance by Pennell Whitaker.
01:18:26He's a great, true champion, and I believe he's one of the best pound-for-pound champions out there in the world.
01:18:33And I just think that Roy Jones, to me, is the best.
01:18:37And I think he's going to prove it the next fight that he has on September 30th.
01:18:42All right.
01:18:42So you cede the title to Jones as best pound-for-pound in the world.
01:18:46What about yourself?
01:18:46Are you interested in that discussion?
01:18:48Do you see yourself becoming a part of it soon?
01:18:50Well, not really.
01:18:51I mean, at this point right now, I'm trying to build up my confidence, the experience.
01:18:56I just need a few more fights.
01:18:58I only have 18 fights, 16 knockouts, and still I have to build my record to be recognized as one of the best.
01:19:06Right now, like I said before, I need more experience, and I'm learning.
01:19:10As fights go on, I'm learning more and more by watching Pennell Whitaker, by watching the great super champion Roy Jones Jr.
01:19:16I mean, he's a great fighter.
01:19:18Oscar, coming up, Gennaro Hernandez on September 9th.
01:19:22How does that challenge differ from what you got against Rafael Ruelas back on May 6th?
01:19:27Well, I believe Gennaro Hernandez is a smarter fighter.
01:19:32He can use his reach.
01:19:33He's a very tall, lanky fighter.
01:19:35So it's going to be a very difficult night for me.
01:19:38I'm ready for this guy.
01:19:39I've been trying to box more.
01:19:41I've been trying to use my intelligence more.
01:19:43And it's going to be a very interesting night because he's going to be thinking that maybe I'm going to try to brawl him or maybe try to box.
01:19:50But I have a few game plans for him.
01:19:52I'm going to step in with maybe four or five game plans to his one game plan.
01:19:56And then there's discussion of Tracy Harris Patterson in December in New York.
01:19:59He's a fighter who would have to come up from 130 to 135 pounds to meet you.
01:20:05When do you expect to focus on bigger fighters, 140 and 147 pounders?
01:20:09Well, what's happening now is at this point, of course, I'm facing fighters who are not full grown to be 135 pound champions.
01:20:19Right now, like I said before, I'm gaining experience.
01:20:23I'm trying to get that experience so I can face up to big world champions like maybe a Julio Cesar Chavez or maybe a great Constantine Zhu.
01:20:32But that's ahead of my career.
01:20:34And right now, I'm just taking my time, taking these fights and gaining more experience.
01:20:38There was a discussion between your promoter, Bob Arum, and Don King, who promotes Chavez on television today.
01:20:43And King seemed to leave the door open for a possible battle between yourself and Chavez as soon as 1996.
01:20:50Obviously, you're interested in that.
01:20:51I would love that fight.
01:20:52And the people would love that fight.
01:20:54I believe that fight would be the biggest fight in history because Julio Cesar Chavez is a great champion.
01:21:01Myself, I'm coming up, and a young star, I believe, I'm gaining more experience.
01:21:06And the people are going to be very interesting in that fight.
01:21:09And hopefully, it can happen if Don King and Mr. Bob Arum can come to an agreement.
01:21:15All right, Oscar.
01:21:16Thanks very much for joining us.
01:21:17And we'll look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks on pay-per-view.
01:21:20Okay.
01:21:20Thank you very much.
01:21:21You're quite welcome.
01:21:21Oscar De La Hoya goes on about his training in Big Bear, California, looking ahead to Gennaro Hernandez, pay-per-view on the evening of September 9.
01:21:29Meanwhile, here's a look ahead to a couple of upcoming programs right here on HBO.
01:21:35Rough week knocked out.
01:21:39Spend back-to-back Saturday nights with us and let someone else take a beat.
01:21:43September 30th, world super middleweight champ Roy Jones Jr. defends the title against Tony Thornton.
01:21:52Then, October 7th, power punchers Lennox Lewis and Tommy Morrison go head-to-head for a shot at the world heavyweight title.
01:22:02Two weekends, back-to-back.
01:22:05Jones vs. Thornton, Lewis vs. Morrison.
01:22:08You may be wondering if Jimmy Johnson is back on HBO's team this season.
01:22:23Sure, he gave us a shot last year.
01:22:25But it seems Jimmy might have found a bigger playing field.
01:22:33Inside the NFL?
01:22:34Well, it's probably the furthest thing from Jimmy's mind.
01:22:42Watch for Jimmy Johnson's return to Inside the NFL.
01:22:46Premieres Thursday, September 7th, only on HBO.
01:22:53Back live at ringside, this is the moment in our telecast which would normally be given over to acknowledgement of the men and women who do such a great job of putting us on the air every time.
01:23:01With their cooperation, we put the spotlight now on one man because this is the first chance we've had on the air to acknowledge the passing of a wonderful friend, George Wenzel, engineering supervisor for this and various other networks in the presentation of sports events, died suddenly and tragically last month.
01:23:19George Wenzel died too soon, but he leaves behind an extended family of broadcast, television, sports event types all around the world who love him and will miss him a lot.
01:23:30Farewell, George.
01:23:31This has been a presentation of HBO Sports, the Network of Champions.
01:23:53Never before, never again, the greatest names in rock, together in the biggest jam of them all.
01:24:13Thanks, sir.
01:24:13You're welcome.
01:24:24That's 예뻐 Advocacy.
01:24:25Thanks, sir.
01:24:28Thank you, point.
01:24:37Thanks, sir.
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