- yesterday
Pernell Whitaker defends his WBC Welterweight title against Diobelys Hurtado on HBO Boxing. Plus an interview with Oscar De La Hoya.
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00:00:00which is going to earn you a lot of respect if in fact you can win the fight
00:00:03i know you're nervous about the task that faces pernell here
00:00:06so we'll let you go and relax and sit and watch the fight
00:00:08and we'll see you again at the end of these next several rounds
00:00:12how many of them there are okay thank you very much
00:00:14all right thanks very much oscar de la hoya
00:00:16larry merchant uh terrific chance to talk to the young man
00:00:19just six days removed from that victory over gonzalez last saturday night
00:00:23and your personal view how golden was the golden boy in las vegas
00:00:27well he certainly was golden at the box office
00:00:30you know fighting uh a largely unknown unappreciated fighter in america
00:00:37a formidable fighter but still unknown
00:00:40he attracted a gross gate of nearly 20 million dollars
00:00:45no one south of the heavyweight division comes anywhere close to that
00:00:50as for the fight itself i'd give him about 15 or 16 carats
00:00:55up from 14 carats but he'll have to be at 18 carats at least
00:01:00to fight the solid gold 24 carat pernell whitaker or as whitaker put it
00:01:06it will be the golden boy against the golden man
00:01:10all right well let's welcome our own 24 carat 260 pound heavyweight george foreman
00:01:16to get his reflections on this upcoming matchup if in fact it's going to take place
00:01:20pernell whitaker goes into this bout with oscar de la hoya seated at ringside
00:01:25now pernell as we mentioned has been one of the greats in the sport for the past seven or eight years
00:01:29but really george he hasn't had the spotlight since his 1993 feet with uh fight with julio cesar chavez
00:01:35and he wants it really badly so is the de la hoya fight on the horizon a great incentive for pernell that will help him tonight or a distraction which could hurt him well you just got to concentrate on one fight at a time and that's easy to say but you can't hardly do it because
00:01:49whitaker not only want to win this fight he's made he's going to try to make sure that he looks good
00:01:54that's an awful difficult task especially when your opponent is sitting out there at ringside
00:01:59it can make it really hard for him he's had to go up against these great fighters that the crowd's always
00:02:03been pulling for one after another he's always been the other guy he's never been that one guy
00:02:08it's going to be a task for him yeah indeed the challenge for pernell to focus on the opponent in the ring
00:02:12tonight as we told you a former cuban refugee named diabeles hurtado larry merchant who is he and why
00:02:19is he here well the who part is the easy part as we've been saying he was the top amateur in cuba
00:02:26he's a defector he doesn't have experience on the pro level at this pro level but he is undefeated
00:02:35the why part is a little trickier the cynics who didn't think that gonzalez was a worthy opponent
00:02:42for de la hoya think the same about this fighter but there are many people here at ringsiders inside
00:02:50boxing people who want to see de la hoya fight whitaker who are very very nervous about this fight
00:02:58lou duva the co-trainer of whitaker said this of his opponent tonight he's quick he's handed he's
00:03:05got a good chin he's tough and he's strong also he's young and he's hungry so why would you want to
00:03:12fight a guy like that even if there's exaggeration in that assessment by all that is wholly in boxing
00:03:21which means for this occasion why would you jeopardize a major big buck showdown against such
00:03:28a fighter we find ourselves wondering why is he here and we'll soon find out well he's awfully happy
00:03:35to be here that's for sure he's one of a half dozen or so cuban refugees and cuban defectors to have
00:03:40made a mark in the sport here in the usa in the past six years he has at this moment risen further
00:03:46than any of them here's how the fighters are cuban the crowd is cuban they're all in miami supporting
00:04:00the boxers of team freedom for the fighters team freedom is more than just a gimmick they all escaped
00:04:07from cuba 24 year old diabeles hurtado is the first with a shot at a world title in cuba boxing was
00:04:16hurtado's patriotic duty here in america he can cherish it as his privilege here i am in a country
00:04:24where i'm free where i have the right to do what i want here i can be a professional fighter after
00:04:31fidel castro's revolution in 1959 professional boxing was banned in cuba but it lived on as a
00:04:38national passion and cubans have dominated olympic and amateur boxing for the past 20 years
00:04:44from cuba like many cuban athletes hurtado left his family when he was 12 to train at a special
00:04:51national team school dedicating his life to boxing for the glory of cuba castro and communism but as
00:04:58he began to see more of the world he began to question his life at home i began to realize that i
00:05:05had been full in the cuban system and that it is the system that gives man his opportunity to succeed
00:05:11i realized that in the u.s i could have an opportunity to succeed like other fighters
00:05:15and to be compensated for my work for 40 years now cubans have fled to the united states any way they
00:05:23could as an athlete hurtado had opportunities during team travels to defect the door opened for him in
00:05:30places like canada peru and switzerland but for years he held back this was a decision i had been
00:05:37contemplating for a long time but i would start to think about my family and then i would not go
00:05:43through with it but in 1994 i had the opportunity to stay here in the u.s the land of the free and i
00:05:49decided to do it november 1994 after a meet against the united states national team in connecticut hurtado
00:05:56contacted a cuban exile in miami that night the obelis hurtado left his life behind i waited until
00:06:03everyone was asleep and that's when i left i went out through the door of the bedroom to the elevator
00:06:10and the man who was going to help me was downstairs waiting for me i kept thinking what if my plan to get
00:06:17political asylum fails here in the u.s would they find me track me down if they did my career as a boxer
00:06:24would be over and also i thought about my family my parents and seven brothers no one stopped him
00:06:32and even though the united states has no diplomatic relations with cuba when hurtado started winning
00:06:37purses he did manage to send money back home to the family that is never far from his thoughts
00:06:44they support all that i'm doing here in the united states and they just wish for the same thing i do
00:06:48to see each other again the team freedom fighters are still getting cuban style training from manuel
00:06:54elizandro who was a trainer for the cuban national boxing team until he too defected in 1994. it helps
00:07:02them this team freedom because the fighters are all together and can support each other and improve
00:07:07together and we all know that if liobelis does well and wins everyone moves up along with him
00:07:12rutado's daily schedule still revolves around his training just as it did in cuba that's the only
00:07:19aspect of his life that hasn't changed my home in cuba was so humble we didn't have electricity running
00:07:27water television we used candles for light here i have cable tv central air conditioning and many other
00:07:34things that i didn't dream of having there but all the luxuries in the world couldn't fill team freedom's
00:07:40loneliness we the team are like a family we are united we train together we even live near each
00:07:47other and go to each other for support and advice but it isn't like the members of team freedom can
00:07:52replace your mother father brothers and family although he's made some sacrifices diavele certado believes
00:08:00having freedom of choice makes any hardship worthwhile above all else i like the fact that i'm free
00:08:07people aren't trying to control the things that i do i can work for what i want instead of depending
00:08:14on someone to give it to me here i can fight for whatever i want and we bring it back live to atlantic
00:08:24city ringside for the tail of the tape between brunel whitaker and deal of bill billy certado and you can
00:08:30see that hurtado enters with a five inch height advantage and a five inch reach advantage as well
00:08:38jim whenever a fighter turns up early for a weigh-in as pernell whitaker did yesterday it usually
00:08:45indicates he's having a hard time making weight and can't wait to get it over with
00:08:50and just as soon as it was over he started to drink water whatever that means rules of the bout with
00:08:56our unofficial ringside scorer harold letterman the pernell whitaker diabellis her title fight is
00:09:01scheduled for 12 rounds there is no standing gate count no three knockdown rule only the referee can
00:09:07stop the fight and you cannot be saved by the bell at any round including the 12th and final round jim i like
00:09:13those rules harold free fight punch stat analysis larry merchant
00:09:25what these numbers about pernell whitaker show is that he is throwing fewer punchers now
00:09:32than he did earlier in his career and landing at a lower percentage what they don't show is now that
00:09:38that he's gotten older and a little slower that he's sitting on his punches better throwing them harder
00:09:51here you see her titles numbers he throws a lot of punches lands a modest percentage of them
00:09:58how modest will it be against the defensive genius whitaker
00:10:03and the look at diabellis hurtado already in the ring along with the members of his camp from miami
00:10:09hurtado surrounded there by his small entourage and there he is the members of team freedom
00:10:16dressed in cuban colors and as we get a look at his record hurtado like whitaker beat rivera in his last
00:10:23fight except it was antonio rivera one question about these cuban amateurs who have had many
00:10:32many many many amateur fights is how well they will make the transition to being top professionals
00:10:44and now hurtado begins to dance to whitaker's entry music
00:10:49you don't want to dance to the other guy's entry music do you george no you don't want to dance to
00:10:54his music seems like a relaxed confident kid though yeah he's either blasé or unruffled
00:11:04we'll find out in the ring or he doesn't understand what's going on which may just be just as well
00:11:09well so far we've just got just the entry music and no entry ah here we go
00:11:22not only is it his eighth defense of the welterweight title and he held titles at 135 140 pounds as well
00:11:30but tonight pernell whitaker appears here on hbo for the 17th time in his career that breaks the
00:11:37previous record of 16 which he shared with mike tyson so this is the all-time number one most hbo
00:11:43exposed fighter of them all
00:11:48many of them when he was a lightweight when i believe he was really at his very best
00:11:54the record for whitaker 39 wins the loss to ramirez regarded by many as a bogus decision later event
00:12:02the draw with chavez an obvious bogus decision this man could very easily have been 41 and 0. of course
00:12:10he also could have lost that bout with wilfredo rivera last april in san martin when a lot of people felt
00:12:16that he was given a gift on the scorecards and now let's go up to michael buffer for the pre-fight
00:12:23introduction ladies and gentlemen from caesar's atlantic city main events monitor in association with
00:12:37your undisputed undefeated king of beers budweiser this buds for you present 12 rounds of boxing
00:12:47for the wbc welterweight championship of the world this ballot is sanctioned by the new jersey state
00:12:56athletic control board boxing commissioner larry hazard senior chairman jerry gormley board members
00:13:02gary shaw and steve katz deputy commissioner john grego physicians at ringside dr dominic coletta
00:13:10dr eric wermsor dr kenneth remsen and dr charles wilson this contest is also sanctioned by the world
00:13:18boxing council president jose suliaman wbc supervisors at ringside are dr jose mayorga and dr pedro ciguera
00:13:29the three judges scoring this bout on a 10-point must system will be jose lazaro carrasco
00:13:36serio silvi and john stewart and when the bell rings the man in charge of the action your referee
00:13:44arthur mercanty and now for the thousands in attendance and the millions watching around
00:13:52the world from caesar's atlantic city ladies and gentlemen let's get ready to rumble
00:14:09in the red corner wearing white blue and red and weighing 146 pounds he brings the perfect professional
00:14:17record of 20 consecutive victories without a loss 13 by knockout he is a native of cuba but now resides
00:14:26and fights out of miami florida ladies and gentlemen introducing the undefeated challenger ranked number
00:14:3410 in the world and across the ring in the blue corner wearing black and weighing 147 pounds in 1984 he
00:14:57captured olympic gold and now as a professional his record is 39 victories 16 by knockout with one
00:15:06disputed loss and one controversial draw he has six world title belts in four different divisions and is
00:15:15still recognized as the pound for pound king of boxing ladies and gentlemen from norfolk virginia
00:15:23presenting the wbc welterweight world champion and four-time champion of the world turnell sweet
00:15:34sweet
00:15:43wbc welterweight
00:15:49comes out
00:15:54wbc wilterweight
00:16:00let's go champ
00:16:01I expect you to obey these rules.
00:16:03Let's have a nice, clean fight.
00:16:05Good luck to the both of you.
00:16:07Jim, Hurtado is known as the ring dancer.
00:16:11I hope it's less Alvin Ailey than Muhammad Ali.
00:16:16Judge ready here. Judge ready. Judge ready.
00:16:20Time up.
00:16:22Sweet histories of boxing.
00:16:24Whitaker a totally known quantity.
00:16:26Hurtado at this level totally...
00:16:28And Hurtado plants Whitaker on his butt.
00:16:33Legitimate knockdown with a right-hand punch.
00:16:36Grinnell smiling as if to say,
00:16:38imagine this, it's a joke.
00:16:41George, I don't think that was a slip.
00:16:43That was a knockdown.
00:16:45It wasn't a slip, but he was standing square to Hurtado
00:16:49and he was off balance.
00:16:51But it is a knockdown and he has to overcome
00:16:53what could be a knockdown.
00:16:55But it is a knockdown and he has to overcome
00:16:57what could be a two-point lead already.
00:17:00Last Saturday night, a total unknown from Colombia
00:17:04named Mauricio Pastrana put away Michael Carvajal
00:17:08before that big crowd in Las Vegas.
00:17:10And the crowd sat in stunned disbelief
00:17:13through much of the bout as Pastrana befuddled Carvajal.
00:17:16Could the same thing happen to Whitaker tonight?
00:17:19Whitaker lands a left-hand over the top.
00:17:28One thing Whitaker doesn't want to do right now
00:17:30is go and pay him back.
00:17:31He got 12 rounds to get even.
00:17:33You don't want to do it the first round.
00:17:34This one, these young guys, reflexes the best.
00:17:38Well, for as great as Purnell has been,
00:17:40he's been on his trunks before.
00:17:42He was down against Raphael Williams early in his career.
00:17:44He was knocked down by Roger Mayweather.
00:17:46He was knocked down by Buddy McGirt.
00:17:48So it isn't the first time.
00:17:50Herrera is doing all of this by almost instincts and reflexes.
00:17:55He's not aiming to do it.
00:17:56It's just happening on its own.
00:17:58Whitaker generally have those antennas working
00:18:00and to come a point where you just got to keep your hands up
00:18:03and not depend on your quickness in the middle.
00:18:06Ricardo likes to move and flurry.
00:18:10Doesn't stand still a lot.
00:18:12Circles to both sides.
00:18:14Tries to land punches in bunches when he gets close
00:18:16and takes a shot.
00:18:21Where do you get hit with one hand?
00:18:29Round one, the convention center.
00:18:31Brunel Whitaker trying to step right through
00:18:35the Avelis Hurtado on his way to Oscar De La Hoya.
00:18:38Referee Arthur McKinney.
00:18:39Warning Hurtado not to hold and hit.
00:18:43And to avoid head contact.
00:18:45Let's keep this free now.
00:18:46Hold those hands up!
00:18:55That's what happens sometimes when you have a lot of experience.
00:18:57You have a tendency to get in close.
00:18:59Let the guy throw his punches thinking you're going to hit him.
00:19:01But those judges, they count those little shots.
00:19:04You can easily lose a lot of rounds under estimating young kids.
00:19:08This is the style I believe that Cubans were taught to be able to fight in the Olympics.
00:19:15Throw your punches and get out of there.
00:19:18And Arthur McKinney working the vocal cords pretty hard here in round number one.
00:19:31Whitaker goes out of his way to bump into Hurtado as the two finish the round.
00:19:34Round one, a knockdown by Hurtado of Brunel Whitaker in the opening seconds of the bout.
00:19:40Now listen to me.
00:19:41I'm trying to fall down for you.
00:19:42Okay?
00:19:43I'm trying to back up and pull back.
00:19:44You can't pull back with the right hand.
00:19:45Get that head up, have it go down.
00:19:46Alright?
00:19:47But look, you got to jab this guy.
00:19:48Alright?
00:19:49You got to use a jab.
00:19:50You got to faint at the guy.
00:19:51When he throw it in the right hand, then he's got to...
00:19:52You'll take a look at the quick knockdown.
00:19:53This is like a wake-up call at about 12.01 a.m.
00:19:54That's how fast that happened.
00:19:55Solid right hand.
00:19:56Purnell was not hurt at all, but as you can see, his stance was square to Hurtado.
00:20:16So there is some hurt in Hurtado's fist.
00:20:21Round two in Atlantic City.
00:20:37Whitaker almost certainly in what is a rare position for him.
00:20:40Behind on the scorecards.
00:20:42Doesn't spend a lot of time trailing in fights.
00:20:48And a two-point round for Hurtado on Harold Lederman's scorecard.
00:20:55So Purnell, who throughout his career, has won habitually 75 to 80% of the rounds in which he's fought.
00:21:01Loses the first round here and now gets a measure of revenge with a hard left hand that drives Hurtado back.
00:21:08The thing about following one of these young guys, especially the Cuban fighters, they have known they have good right hands.
00:21:14You can't follow them just by walking to them.
00:21:17You've got to have a left jab, a right jab, something touching them all the time.
00:21:20Well, it's clear that Hurtado's going to try to stay away from Purnell.
00:21:23So the job here, George, is to cut off the ring.
00:21:26How can he do it?
00:21:27Well, Whitaker's got to cut off the ring with his fist.
00:21:29He can't just do it with his feet, which he is doing.
00:21:32Stepping in front of him and then waiting for the kid to hit him.
00:21:35Put his right jab in.
00:21:37So you believe that Purnell should be a little busier with his fists than he has been.
00:21:44He's got to get better, uh, busier.
00:21:47He's got to put together some combinations.
00:21:49They don't have to be exactly on the button, which he's trying to do.
00:21:52Whitaker's knee touches the canvas again.
00:21:54This one, Mercanti rules the slip, as indeed it was.
00:21:58There he go!
00:21:59There he go!
00:22:01There he go!
00:22:02There he go!
00:22:03There he go!
00:22:04There he go!
00:22:05There he go!
00:22:07There he go!
00:22:08There he go!
00:22:09Tieu has a great advantage,
00:22:11trend where Spart great work for so many soft powers for Cuba,
00:22:14it's no difficult task for him to face a softball at Whitaker.
00:22:17And you saw Hurtado taking that little angry shot at Whitaker.
00:22:22Clearly, this is going to be a working night for Arthur McKầnen.
00:22:26Hurtado with a low blow, they hold and hit again, and Mercanti says keep your forehead
00:22:34off on him.
00:22:41Successful rabbit punch for Hurtado as Whitaker had all but turned his back on him.
00:22:46That's why when you're fighting these guys, you almost have to bring amateurs in camp
00:22:50with you to train, because if you prepare yourself against seasoned pros, you just will
00:22:55get their time.
00:22:56He's got like a glorified amateur and he's doing good.
00:23:00Yeah, his style is so awkward that Purnell seems thrown out of sync by it, George.
00:23:05That's right.
00:23:08Like a jazz musician at a rock concert.
00:23:16So far, Hurtado's had the jazz, and Purnell Whitaker hasn't been able to rock.
00:23:22The good thing about Whitaker, he's making this kid work every minute of each round.
00:23:30If you hear a lot of fans cheering for Hurtado, there's several hundred of them up from Union
00:23:35City, where there's a large, Cuban population.
00:23:41Union City and North.
00:23:42Keep moving your legs.
00:23:43And as we go to Hurtado's corner, where the primary language is Spanish, use your left
00:23:47hand, keep using your left hand, and then come in with your right.
00:23:49From right here in New Jersey is Hector Garcia.
00:23:51Come out with that right hand real quick.
00:23:52Don't hold it back.
00:23:53Throw that right hand.
00:23:54And surprise him with that right hand.
00:23:55And go down.
00:23:56Keep moving yourself.
00:23:57Don't tackle this guy.
00:23:58If he touches it, don't worry about it.
00:24:00You have to keep doing your own job.
00:24:01Don't work.
00:24:02Hector is playing to his strength tonight as Oscar De La Hoya watches from ringside.
00:24:19De La Hoya, Mexican American.
00:24:20Our interpreter, Hector Garcia, Cuban American.
00:24:23And therefore, the dialect in the corner is his dialect.
00:24:26And we're going to get more out of Hector than ever before.
00:24:33Third round begins.
00:24:34First two rounds haven't been particularly kind to Pernell Whitaker as he tries to establish
00:24:38a rhythm in fighting young Diobeles Murtado, a former Cuban national team member who defected
00:24:45to the USA in 1994.
00:24:47Now Whitaker's starting to use his hand and just stop trying to cut him off with his feet
00:24:55as much.
00:24:56Now he's using his hand a bit more.
00:24:57Which is what you got to do.
00:25:03Whitaker by punch count numbers through only 20 punches or landed only 20 out of 61 punches
00:25:09in round two.
00:25:10Hurtado threw 80 punches so Hurtado has been the busier fighter and has done the most damage
00:25:17so far.
00:25:18Hurtado landed a little counter in there against the ropes.
00:25:20Whitaker steps across the ring and can't find it as Hurtado turns a leg.
00:25:24Keep him up, Sweet Pea.
00:25:25You see that Sweet Pea has now made the transition all the way from a very sophisticated boxer who
00:25:39moved the way Hurtado is moving now but in a smoother style to now that he's become the
00:25:46total aggressor here.
00:25:47Only because of that quick knockdown.
00:25:48He realizes he's got to catch up now and get some momentum going and get those points
00:25:53back.
00:25:54He's got a little dance.
00:25:55That's a lot of nerve to go in there with Cornell Whitaker doing the dances.
00:26:04And Whitaker moving more and more toward a brawling style as he tries to open Hurtado up and
00:26:13make him fight.
00:26:14He may not want to do that.
00:26:17Third time that Whitaker's knee has been down on the canvas.
00:26:23One knockdown, two slips.
00:26:24Break!
00:26:25You often see awkward confrontations between southpaws and conventional fighters.
00:26:30Hurtado, on top of being conventional, is a side-to-side mover who throws punches only
00:26:36in flurries.
00:26:37Has a totally awkward style and has brought Whitaker out of his game plan early.
00:26:42Not only that, you'll notice whenever these fighters get to a certain kind of fights and
00:26:48they'll start to lose.
00:26:49First thing goes, their legs.
00:26:51Sometimes you just tap them a bit and they fall and they don't even understand.
00:26:55Well, you heard what Willie Pepp said last week, what happens to old fighters, Jerry,
00:26:59is that first their legs go, then their chin goes, and then their friends go.
00:27:03Whitaker sometimes just stumbling down on his own.
00:27:13Yep, left out the best part.
00:27:16How many marriages did he have?
00:27:18Six.
00:27:19Now this is just so ugly I can hardly stand it.
00:27:24Makes me wonder even more why Hurtado is here because you can never look good against
00:27:31a fighter of this kind.
00:27:33I don't care how great you are, you cannot look good against this kind of fighter.
00:27:37Hey, you got to just keep the pressure on him.
00:27:38Faint with the guy, your hands got to be high.
00:27:40Okay?
00:27:41And look, snap that jab.
00:27:42You can't just lay that jab out there.
00:27:44Faint at him.
00:27:45Look, as soon as you get close, you just got to throw punches with him, all right?
00:27:48Keep your hands going.
00:27:49Fast punches.
00:27:50Forget the power.
00:27:51Fast punches, all right?
00:27:52But this guy ain't got nothing.
00:27:54He's trying to hit and run.
00:27:55He can't win no fight like that.
00:27:56You got to come back with a body punch and hit those ribs in the sand with that right hook
00:28:01at yours, right?
00:28:02Punch fast.
00:28:03That's all you got to do with this guy.
00:28:04Okay, baby?
00:28:05Yeah.
00:28:06Oh.
00:28:07Ten cuidado.
00:28:08Ten cuidado.
00:28:09Ten cuidado.
00:28:10Ten cuidado.
00:28:11Ten cuidado.
00:28:12Ten cuidado.
00:28:13Ten cuidado.
00:28:14Ten cuidado.
00:28:15Ten cuidado.
00:28:16Ten cuidado.
00:28:17Ten cuidado.
00:28:18Ten cuidado.
00:28:19Ten cuidado.
00:28:20Ten cuidado.
00:28:21Ten cuidado.
00:28:22Ten cuidado.
00:28:23Ten cuidado.
00:28:24Ten cuidado.
00:28:25Ten cuidado.
00:28:26Ten cuidado.
00:28:27Ten cuidado.
00:28:28Ten cuidado.
00:28:29Ten cuidado.
00:28:30Ten cuidado.
00:28:31Ten cuidado.
00:28:32Ten cuidado.
00:28:33Ten cuidado.
00:28:34Ten cuidado.
00:28:35Ten cuidado.
00:28:36Ten cuidado.
00:28:37Ten cuidado.
00:28:38Ten cuidado.
00:28:39if you knock them down four or five times i guess you would but he doesn't even seem
00:28:43intent on repeating that knockdown oh it didn't happen out of strategy it just happened by way
00:28:49of reflexes catches him on the tail end of an accidental shot well he's going to have a better
00:28:55chance of repeating that knockdown if whitaker has to keep chasing him and chasing him and chasing
00:28:59him like this because when he connects he's going to be connecting on a guy who's coming in that's
00:29:05right you can't tell these guys they have a punching reputation whitaker's got to keep his
00:29:10hands up whenever he's throwing a shot defense has got to be in position ritado was coached by the
00:29:15legendary alcida cigar the long-time coach of the cuban team the man who's developed
00:29:19such great right hand punchers into heavyweight ranks as elise savon and teofilo stevenson
00:29:35whitaker's corner told him to stop throwing power punches because this fight is going to go into
00:29:39maybe the 10th round and throw all your power you're not going to have any whitaker lands a hard left
00:29:45hand as he chases hurtado along the ropes but by and large it's been another one of those ugly rounds
00:29:50and pernell hasn't gotten any rhythm going on his jab at all and hurtado stops him in his tracks with a
00:29:57couple of counter shots those shots hurt and hurtado lands two to the body step back
00:30:08if he goes to pernell's body when pernell comes in and can wear him down a little going through the
00:30:13middle rounds we will have some high drama coming down the stretch but cat is getting the best of
00:30:18this fight there's no doubt about it because he's got pernell whitaker following him around i think i
00:30:24imagine that whitaker thinks he's back in the 84 olympics except this time the kids have showed up
00:30:31sometimes you really think you're backing the other guy up and really the guy is making you
00:30:35follow him along literally in one good shot here and there
00:30:38this is one good hitter right step back
00:30:46whitaker's got the stuff adjusted he seems not prepared for the quickness of a lot
00:30:53well he's gonna win her title her title you're gonna get it
00:30:57you're only in the fourth round all right let go don't just don't try for the first net
00:31:03See, those shots are hurting Purnell Whittaker.
00:31:09And they're going to hurt him more and more as the fight goes on
00:31:11because he's throwing his energy away,
00:31:12looking for one shot to get this knockdown back.
00:31:15Now Whittaker starts to go to the body,
00:31:17and Hurtado reacts in such a way
00:31:19that that looks like a good idea for Purnell.
00:31:22I think you can bet that between rounds,
00:31:24Lou Duva and Ronnie Shields are going to ask Purnell
00:31:27to go back to the ribcage of Diabeles Hurtado,
00:31:30and Hurtado lands a low blow
00:31:32as that round comes to a close,
00:31:34and Pete limps around as though for the moment in agony.
00:31:39Give me your warning now, okay?
00:31:41One more time and take the point away.
00:31:43Keep it clean, all right?
00:31:44The guy's fucking picking up his legs now.
00:31:46We're watching him every time he hit him to the body,
00:31:48he picks his legs up.
00:31:49You got to go to the body with this guy.
00:31:52Move the head.
00:31:53Go.
00:31:55I find it difficult.
00:31:57There you saw the low blow.
00:31:58I find it difficult to give these kind of rounds to her title.
00:32:01I'm sorry.
00:32:01I may be subconsciously rooting for the old guy
00:32:07and the great champion,
00:32:08but how do you give these kinds of rounds to a challenger?
00:32:13Harold?
00:32:14Larry, 39, 36, three rounds to one.
00:32:18Diabeles Hurtado.
00:32:19I thought he outboxed him for three rounds.
00:32:21Effective aggressiveness wins rounds,
00:32:23and when Purnell came in during the first three rounds,
00:32:25he wasn't effective.
00:32:26In the fourth round, he certainly was.
00:32:28He won the fourth round.
00:32:29Three to one, Hurtado.
00:32:30Keep it clean now, okay?
00:32:30I have it three to one for Whitaker.
00:32:36So you have the classic confrontation in the ring
00:32:39between the old champion
00:32:41and the unknown young challenger
00:32:43with the young challenger seeming in the eyes of
00:32:45Harold Letterman to get the better of it,
00:32:47and you have the classic confrontation at ringside
00:32:49as Larry is diametrically opposed
00:32:52to Harold's scoring of the fight.
00:32:54A side show.
00:32:58Whitaker's got the power.
00:32:59He's just behind all quickness this time.
00:33:02First time.
00:33:03And again, Whitaker almost loses his feet
00:33:06as the right knee dipped almost all the way down to the canvas.
00:33:09He did throw the left hand straight to the body,
00:33:11and you heard Lou Duba between rounds
00:33:13imploring Purnell to go to the body.
00:33:18Whitaker comes over the top of the left.
00:33:21Hurtado managing to tie him up momentarily,
00:33:23and Hurtado throws awkward punches from odd angles
00:33:26but lands them.
00:33:27And he goes to the body,
00:33:29which means that this could be a...
00:33:31have a decaying effect on Whitaker in the latter round.
00:33:33Hey, come on. Let's stop it now.
00:33:35I'm telling you,
00:33:35if Hurtado would concentrate his attack to the body now,
00:33:38he would set himself up for a real shot.
00:33:41That's true.
00:33:44You don't get credit for body punches in the amateurs.
00:33:49Not enough, that's for sure.
00:33:53But he's had 20 professional fights.
00:33:55He's learning,
00:33:56even though all those fights
00:33:58are against relatively unknown opposition.
00:34:00Straight left hand for Whitaker.
00:34:01Backs Hurtado into the ropes.
00:34:03Best punch of the fight for Purnell.
00:34:05He remembers to go back to the body,
00:34:07and Hurtado lands a little right-hand counter in close.
00:34:10Problem with Whitaker,
00:34:11he throws a good one-two
00:34:13and doesn't come back with a hook.
00:34:14And that's where the trouble starts.
00:34:15This guy beats him with that third shot.
00:34:18There's another flurry of punches from Hurtado.
00:34:21Now Hurtado comes back.
00:34:23Whenever you hit him with two shots,
00:34:25you've got to finish back on balance
00:34:26by closing up with a hook.
00:34:28Hurtado with another low blow.
00:34:29Mercanti too late to do anything about that one.
00:34:32Hurtado's blinking his eyes
00:34:34as though the sweat is bothering him,
00:34:36or perhaps he's gotten something in there
00:34:38that stings him.
00:34:39As long as he's blinking his eyes like that,
00:34:41Purnell ought to tattoo him with the jab.
00:34:43Yeah, he can't see on that side,
00:34:44no doubt about it,
00:34:45but Whitaker just doesn't seem to want to penetrate
00:34:47and concentrate on that.
00:34:50One point!
00:34:51One point being deducted from Hurtado
00:34:54for hitting behind the head.
00:34:56So that'll make it closer on the scorecards,
00:34:59if, as you might suspect,
00:35:01Hurtado still has an early lead.
00:35:03Remember, he knocked Whitaker down
00:35:04in the opening seconds of the fight.
00:35:06Up, up, up!
00:35:08Up, up!
00:35:14Whitaker will not be able to walk around
00:35:16with his hands down like that,
00:35:18thinking this kid can't hit him.
00:35:19I don't understand, frankly,
00:35:21that point deduction
00:35:22because Whitaker is ducking
00:35:24in an awkward way,
00:35:26and Hurtado is just swinging
00:35:27and hitting on the top.
00:35:35He's coming, don't come in.
00:35:36The body shots are doing this guy,
00:35:38and he's taking on no place
00:35:39with the body shots.
00:35:39Just a matter of time with this guy.
00:35:41All right?
00:35:41No, no.
00:35:41Come on, Chok.
00:35:43Hey, listen to me.
00:35:45You just feel it.
00:35:46You must feel it.
00:35:47All right?
00:35:48When you...
00:35:48This guy's running,
00:35:49when he's stopping,
00:35:51all he's doing is to the back,
00:35:52six points.
00:35:53Okay?
00:35:54Move the head, please.
00:35:55Rather with...
00:35:57Don't fall asleep in front of this guy.
00:36:06When he comes forward,
00:36:08you stand up in front of him.
00:36:09Don't turn around
00:36:10and get this guy in the back.
00:36:12And beat this guy.
00:36:13There you can see.
00:36:20There you can see.
00:36:21Camille goes down.
00:36:22I don't understand
00:36:22why that's a point deduction.
00:36:25So far, this fight
00:36:26has been like
00:36:27a beef stew without the beef.
00:36:29I don't know what it is.
00:36:31Round six of the scheduled 12.
00:36:35Punch stat numbers
00:36:35through five rounds.
00:36:37Hurtado has thrown more punches
00:36:39than Whitaker.
00:36:40211 to 192.
00:36:41Has landed more punches
00:36:43than Whitaker.
00:36:4370 to 64.
00:36:45Has landed more power punches
00:36:46than Whitaker.
00:36:48So statistically,
00:36:49at least,
00:36:49Hurtado has the numerical advantages
00:36:51according to our punch stat computations.
00:36:54Whitaker has an advantage
00:36:59if he stays to
00:37:00Hurtado's left side.
00:37:05Gets in trouble
00:37:06because the guy can't see up
00:37:08on that side.
00:37:08Yeah.
00:37:09He doesn't seem to be able to.
00:37:11So you start your punches
00:37:12from that side
00:37:13and you won't get counted as much.
00:37:15Whenever he starts
00:37:16with his straight left,
00:37:17that's when the trouble
00:37:18starts for Whitaker.
00:37:19But Whitaker
00:37:19is defending more
00:37:21on the straight left
00:37:22than the jab
00:37:23up to this point
00:37:23although he threw two jabs there
00:37:25and then set up
00:37:25what became a low blow.
00:37:27Hurtado goes down.
00:37:29Time out.
00:37:30And Mercanti gives a break
00:37:31to Hurtado
00:37:32who could get as many
00:37:33as five minutes
00:37:34to recover here.
00:37:36Now it's beef stew
00:37:38without the beef
00:37:39and the stew.
00:37:40And I think Brunel
00:37:41is thoroughly frustrated
00:37:42by what's going on in there.
00:37:43He's going to have
00:37:44to keep his cool
00:37:45if he's going to be able
00:37:46to think his way back
00:37:47into dominance
00:37:48in this fight.
00:37:50And this will take
00:37:50some thinking, George.
00:37:52That's true.
00:37:52And it's hard to think
00:37:53when a guy's hitting you
00:37:54four to one.
00:37:58You've got to be
00:37:59the aggressive too.
00:38:01Stop holding.
00:38:01Break.
00:38:02Stop holding now.
00:38:04Whitaker can fix all of that
00:38:06just by throwing combinations
00:38:07of three or more punches.
00:38:10When he throws a one-two
00:38:11he's going to get hit.
00:38:12Back.
00:38:16Down goes Whitaker
00:38:18for the second time
00:38:19in the fight.
00:38:20One, two, five, six, seven,
00:38:25three.
00:38:25It comes in the sixth round.
00:38:27There was one in the first.
00:38:29And Brunel Whitaker
00:38:30is burying himself
00:38:31on the scorecard so far.
00:38:32And again,
00:38:33it's because of the way
00:38:35he's coming into Hurtado
00:38:36flat, head down,
00:38:38off, in an awkward stance.
00:38:41He's following a puncher
00:38:42around.
00:38:43You don't want to follow
00:38:44a puncher
00:38:44unless you are running
00:38:46at him almost.
00:38:47Somewhere at ringside,
00:38:48Oscar De La Hoya
00:38:49can feel the millions
00:38:50draining away.
00:38:52And you're reminded
00:38:53of some of the great
00:38:54missed opportunities
00:38:55in the history of the sport.
00:38:57Most recent one,
00:38:58of course,
00:38:59Tommy Morrison
00:38:59had a signed contract
00:39:00for $7.5 million
00:39:01to fight Lennox Lewis,
00:39:03took a tune-up fight
00:39:04against Michael Bent,
00:39:05got knocked out
00:39:06in the first round.
00:39:07Want a better one?
00:39:09Mike Tyson
00:39:09had a $20 million
00:39:10agreement to fight
00:39:11Evander Holyfield
00:39:12when he went to Tokyo
00:39:14to take on a fellow
00:39:15named Buster Douglas.
00:39:16So it's happened before.
00:39:18Break, break, step back.
00:39:20You spend a whole career
00:39:22trying to be
00:39:22an excellent boxer.
00:39:24You don't want to end it
00:39:25trying to be a slugger,
00:39:26and that's what Whitaker's
00:39:26doing now.
00:39:28Whitaker lands
00:39:28a big left hand
00:39:29as the round comes
00:39:30to a close,
00:39:31but Hurtado
00:39:31walks back to his corner
00:39:33with his hand in the air.
00:39:34He's got a step over.
00:39:51Move it, all right?
00:39:53You've got to snap that jab.
00:39:54Score a punch with the jab.
00:39:55When you get close,
00:39:56thank you for the guy,
00:39:57then let the punches go,
00:39:58okay?
00:39:59You've got to step over.
00:39:59The guy's swinging
00:40:00while a shot sets him.
00:40:01He's just swinging and punching.
00:40:02He don't know what he's doing.
00:40:03He's just swinging and punching.
00:40:03now that was a clean knockdown a much cleaner knockdown i felt than in the first round
00:40:17that one stung a little bit and that was a definite two-point knockdown in the sixth round
00:40:24so two knockdowns of the well-obey champion of the world in the first six rounds
00:40:31by relatively unknown cuban diobeles hurtado with whitaker trying to earn his way toward a
00:40:39multi-million dollar payday against oscar de la hoya in april and an ashen-faced de la hoya
00:40:46moves in to join us at ringside right now
00:40:49oscar de la hoya with a headset on now and a microphone in front of him
00:40:58let's open that mic up guys because uh this is some drama and oscar how's your heart doing
00:41:04well i'm still crossing my fingers i'm kind of shaking now but uh i think whitaker will do well
00:41:10he's uh he's having trouble with him but um he'll come on in the later rounds whitaker's always a
00:41:16game fighter he's uh always prepared but uh you know i thought that punch hurt whitaker more than
00:41:23any punch that's hit him so far even though he didn't go down well and he's smiling and shaking
00:41:28it off which sometimes indicate that a guy really has been hurt technically and stylistically oscar
00:41:33what can pernell do to reverse the tide against this guy who is so unusual in his style
00:41:39whitaker has to use more jabs he's not using his jab whatsoever and i feel that if whitaker uses his
00:41:45jabs more he can lead with those right hands afterwards he's just coming straight in with the
00:41:49right hands if he comes in moving his head moving his waist with the jabs he will do well against
00:41:54him meanwhile another point deduction from hurtado for holding behind the head so the points he's
00:42:00gained with the knockdowns he has lost to foul deductions
00:42:03halfway through round seven
00:42:10and oscar we've been saying the same thing why doesn't pernell throw more jabs and try to get a
00:42:20rhythm going with the jab well sometimes what happens is uh when you think you have an easy
00:42:25opponent you tend not to train as hard and i feel that whitaker really didn't train as hard for this
00:42:30guy he thought he had an easy fight but as we know he's having a tough time with this guy but also
00:42:35he's fighting a guy who is supremely awkward and yet has a certain kind of quickness and movement
00:42:41that makes it difficult to fight him well he does have a tough opponent against him but um i feel if
00:42:48whitaker was at 100 and sticking that jab he would have had an easier time with this guy
00:42:54whitaker trying right hooks off the front foot now
00:42:59well coming in with the straight left
00:43:01come on
00:43:01hurtado beginning to tire a little bit as round seven progresses and he's still
00:43:07blinking his eyes george although he's having trouble seeing him there
00:43:10whitaker's got him hurt now but has he enough to finish him out
00:43:14that's hard to do when you've been the puncher for the whole fight you've got to finish him out
00:43:18while you got him hurt
00:43:19brunell landed a hard right hand closing seconds of the seventh hurtado will be happy to go to his
00:43:26corner this time
00:43:27you can't go out here and bullshit with this guy you just had this fucking guy hurt all right keep leading up with the hook and finally behave with the left hand all right the guy is hurt keep your hands high all right now don't bullshit with this guy no more get out there snap the punches you gotta snap the punches
00:43:56don't get desperate stop him don't get desperate and keep that counter-attack with that right hand
00:44:17don't play the tricks with this guy
00:44:21Now we're going to see if this young fighter with just 20 professional fights
00:44:27has the poise to deal with this weird fight in which points are being deducted
00:44:34and he's knocking down the champion and stuff is happening
00:44:37that's probably never happened in his entire career.
00:44:40But all of a sudden, Hurtado looks very shaky on his feet
00:44:45as though he has suddenly been overcome by fatigue
00:44:49and is worried about his ability to finish the fight.
00:44:52He's trying to stay away from Whitaker as the eighth begins.
00:44:57He's had some problem with that left eye all night.
00:45:00Whitaker's still not able to land his jab, but the secret here tonight is
00:45:03Hurtado's got the advantage with the reach.
00:45:06Whitaker thinks he's out of the way and he gets hit.
00:45:09Whitaker with a hard left hand to the body.
00:45:11That hurt.
00:45:12And Ronnie Shields has been begging Pernell to go back to the body.
00:45:15Lou Dubas mentioned it too.
00:45:16I think he's done his most damage on those occasions when he's concentrated downstairs.
00:45:22Given how unorthodox that Hurtado is, Oscar,
00:45:27is anything that happens in this fight relevant to your fight with Whitaker if it happens?
00:45:34Well, we have totally different styles.
00:45:36And, I mean, of course, we're going to pick up different things from what Hurtado is doing
00:45:40because it is being effective on this fight.
00:45:44But, of course, I mean, we're two totally different fighters, two totally different human beings.
00:45:48But Hurtado is giving them trouble.
00:45:50And I feel that from each fighter that Whitaker has picked up and has fought,
00:45:54we can pick up a different move and pick up different combinations
00:45:58that Whitaker's opponents have been, you know, giving them trouble with.
00:46:03Well, of course, one huge difference as Whitaker goes down to the canvas again.
00:46:08And this is the third slip for Whitaker.
00:46:10He's actually been on the canvas five times tonight.
00:46:13Two knockdowns, three slips.
00:46:15But Pernell is having to chase Hurtado all over the ring.
00:46:19And you're probably the one who's going to have to chase if you face him in April.
00:46:23Well, actually, it's going to be a very tough fight if Whitaker does win.
00:46:26And one point I want to bring out is that slip that Whitaker had just right now,
00:46:30I truly feel that Whitaker didn't train for this fight
00:46:33because a slip like that, you don't just slip down and go down by somebody shoving you.
00:46:39You go down if you don't have legs, if you didn't train.
00:46:41And that's what Whitaker's doing now.
00:46:42He just didn't train for this guy because he thought it was going to be an easy fight.
00:46:45Norman nodding his head vigorously at that comment.
00:46:47But, you know, I pointed out earlier, if you remember.
00:46:52Down goes Hurtado.
00:46:54And this will be called a slip.
00:46:55That Pernell had some difficulty making the weight.
00:47:00Who knows what it indicates.
00:47:02Oscar is saying maybe it indicates that he wasn't in top, top shape.
00:47:07But the other thing here is Pernell is not used to being the aggressor.
00:47:10So that he's getting himself into positions, into awkward positions where he can be knocked down.
00:47:16Well, he's in a totally different situation because Whitaker's a fighter who always tends to go back
00:47:23and wait for you to throw, to make mistakes and throw punches.
00:47:26What he's doing is he's being the aggressor, which he's not used to being.
00:47:30He did a great job of it in that round, though.
00:47:32And Hurtado continues to look a little tricky.
00:47:35How are you fighting?
00:47:36That's the way you fight the guy.
00:47:37That's the body.
00:47:38Stay on top.
00:47:38You don't let this motherfucker breathe.
00:47:40You hear me?
00:47:41You get on top of this motherfucker and just keep crunching.
00:47:44Come on.
00:47:44I know you are.
00:47:45I know you are.
00:47:45I know you are.
00:47:46I want you to go to the body with this guy.
00:47:48You got to go to the body with this guy.
00:47:49Keep going to the body.
00:47:50You understand?
00:47:51Now, look.
00:47:52This guy ain't got nothing left.
00:47:53He fighting on heart alone.
00:47:54All right?
00:47:55You're fighting on experience.
00:47:57All right?
00:47:57You're fighting on experience.
00:47:58Here you see a series of some of the stuff that's going on between this fighter who George
00:48:13calls a glorified amateur, and I think correctly, so this is not like anything that Whitaker has
00:48:23seen probably for 15 years since he himself was a great amateur.
00:48:26In the last two rounds, Hurtado's punch count has spiraled downward dramatically.
00:48:33Only 35 punches thrown in that last round.
00:48:36Only seven landed.
00:48:37Pete, on the other hand, stepping the pace up.
00:48:40He landed 21 punches in that round.
00:48:42Many of them power shots.
00:48:45Whitaker's got to get closer and stay close.
00:48:47He's getting in trouble whenever he gets on the end of those shots.
00:48:51Once he's close, it's an easy fight to him.
00:48:53And you thought he deserved credit for a knockdown in the last round.
00:48:55Oh, yeah.
00:48:56He ruled a slip.
00:48:57He got a knockdown.
00:48:58He wasn't giving credit for it.
00:48:59But he's got to stay close to this kid.
00:49:00He can't stay on the outside.
00:49:01This kid has got a good reach.
00:49:03And he's quick.
00:49:05As Whitaker reaches down to acknowledge what he thought was another low blow, Andrew Galata
00:49:10is sitting at ringside.
00:49:13Just a coincidence.
00:49:16Whitaker's too late now to start working on the jab.
00:49:18You've got to get close to this kid and don't allow him to get anything going.
00:49:27The last time he reached out to shake hands, this kid hit him.
00:49:31Right.
00:49:32So this time, Brunel didn't reach back out.
00:49:34No, you've got to stop that.
00:49:37Now, that was a pro move.
00:49:39Maybe the only one we've seen him use tonight.
00:49:41Come on.
00:49:42Come on.
00:49:42Keep it clean.
00:49:43You're going to fly.
00:49:43Keep it clean.
00:49:44Whitaker's making a bad mistake standing on the outside trying to match jabs and things
00:49:48of that nature.
00:49:49Get close and stay close.
00:49:51Whatever happens in this fight, it's clear now that this is a terrible match for Brunel
00:49:57Whitaker.
00:49:58Because even if you win, you can't look good against a fighter of this kind.
00:50:02Whittaker has an easy time throwing that right hook.
00:50:17I don't know why he's stopping to die, you know.
00:50:19There it was.
00:50:21And Hurtado completely turns his back and Whitaker decides to keep going after him.
00:50:26And now Mercanti deducts a point from Whitaker.
00:50:29So he's deducted two from Hurtado.
00:50:32He's deducted one from Whitaker.
00:50:34He's called a slip on what George Foreman thought out to have been a knockdown credited
00:50:39to Whitaker.
00:50:40He's called three slips when Whitaker's been to the canvas and Whitaker has twice been
00:50:43knocked down.
00:50:44It has been a bizarre and action-filled evening in Atlantic City.
00:50:49And it's nervous time now as Oscar De La Hoya watches at ringside and considers how to
00:50:56replace the millions of dollars that will go away if Brunel Whitaker loses the Diabeles
00:51:01Hurtado.
00:51:04Straight left hand by Whitaker.
00:51:05Now Brunel holds Hurtado behind the head with the right hand and gets away with it before
00:51:11Mercanti breaks him.
00:51:13No doubt about whenever Whitaker decides to throw that right hook, he connects every time.
00:51:17And once he moves to the straight left, that's the trouble.
00:51:21Break!
00:51:22Break!
00:51:22Stop holding now.
00:51:25He's not going to do a lot of damage out here in the center of the ring the way Hurtado's
00:51:28fighting.
00:51:29He's going to have to pin him against the ropes in these closing rounds.
00:51:32Come on, let's get that second win now.
00:51:41This fight is ours.
00:51:47He can't punch.
00:51:49He's going to box now.
00:51:51Teach him how to box.
00:51:53You show him how the Cuban box works.
00:51:55We're going to show him, we're going to show him, we're going to show him.
00:52:04Well, let's see about the point that was taken away.
00:52:09I don't know.
00:52:10That's another, just as I didn't think that Whitaker earned a point that was taken away
00:52:18from Hurtado earlier.
00:52:19I don't think a point should have been taken away from him now.
00:52:23It was accidental, it wasn't hard, and it was Hurtado who turned his back on Whitaker.
00:52:31And Harold, how do you have it scored through nine?
00:52:33Larry, with all these points being taken away, I got it even.
00:52:3683-83, 4-4-1 even.
00:52:39I got it all even to this point.
00:52:41But let me tell you something.
00:52:42If you turn away, the other guy has no right to hit you in the back of the head.
00:52:45What a kick is.
00:52:46You can kill a guy like that, Larry.
00:52:48You can't do it.
00:52:49You can't whack him in the brainstem.
00:52:51It's illegal.
00:52:53I receive your point, Harold.
00:52:54I have Whitaker ahead six rounds to two with one even.
00:52:59It shows how weird I am about this fight.
00:53:02What punch?
00:53:03Hard right hand by Hurtado as Whitaker left himself wide open
00:53:08as he throws haymaker punches to try to put Hurtado in trouble.
00:53:14Every time that Whitaker thinks this guy is on the verge of fainting,
00:53:18he throws something and shake hits him up.
00:53:20Good right hand.
00:53:22He is one unusual customer in there.
00:53:26And that's giving him the best of it.
00:53:31Whitaker is able to land a good straight left hand right to the middle of the face that time.
00:53:34Yep.
00:53:35Right off the nose of Hurtado.
00:53:38But if he's intending to knock him out, he's probably waited a lot of energy too late.
00:53:44Well, the late knockout is not a Purnell Whitaker specialty, that's for sure.
00:53:48So if he's going to be staring at going to the scorecards, and despite the generosity of Larry's scoring,
00:53:55I suspect Purnell would be well advised to win these last three rounds.
00:53:59I think Oscar will feel a lot better if Purnell wins these last three rounds.
00:54:02He tries to make it abundantly clear on the scorecards.
00:54:05Oh, Jim, I'm crossing my fingers.
00:54:08Now I'm going into crossing my toe fingers.
00:54:11I'm hoping Whitaker just keeps on throwing punches, wins the rounds, and we can get it on in April.
00:54:18The thing about going into training with these guys, sometimes you physically can do it,
00:54:22but psychologically you've got to be afraid of them to train properly too.
00:54:25Good body punch, Bob.
00:54:27Potato.
00:54:28You know, Hurtada is a boy who walked 16 miles to and from a gym to become a fighter.
00:54:37He later got a master's degree in phys ed at Havana University,
00:54:41so he probably can fight like this all night and all weekend.
00:54:46Whitaker, whenever you pull him, his legs give out on him.
00:54:49He's having a rough time making his legs obey.
00:54:51Now time out to restore the tape on Purnell Whitaker's glove.
00:54:58We're in round 10.
00:55:00Time in!
00:55:13Whitaker makes the mistakes of throwing one-twos rather than one-two-three,
00:55:17and that's when the trumpet starts.
00:55:19How do you throw one-two-three against this guy, George?
00:55:22You just got to do it.
00:55:23You don't wait to hit him.
00:55:24Just throw that.
00:55:25It's like trying to hit a snake.
00:55:26Yeah, but just throw to him.
00:55:27If you can hit him with one, you can hit him with three.
00:55:30That hurt.
00:55:31Right-hand lead by Hurtado.
00:55:33He has damaged Whitaker several times with quick right hands.
00:55:37Hurtado with some swelling around his left eye as the 10th comes to a close.
00:55:41No, you need a knockout to win the fight.
00:55:53No, you got to get on top of this guy.
00:55:53No, you got to go both hands with this guy.
00:55:56You can't just go one hand with this guy.
00:55:58No, you need a knockout to win the fight, all right?
00:56:01So everything you got now, you just got to go out and get these last two lines.
00:56:05You got to put the pressure on this kid, all right?
00:56:07You got to show this kid who's boss.
00:56:10You just get in there and just let your hands go.
00:56:11Use that hook.
00:56:15Dry his mouth.
00:56:20Open the towel.
00:56:21Jab, jab, jab.
00:56:26And come down with the right hand.
00:56:30Very interesting, George.
00:56:35Lou Duva and Ronnie Shields, regarded by many as one of the best corners in the sport, telling
00:56:39for Nell Whittaker that he needs a knockout to win.
00:56:43Believe me, it's a little closer than that.
00:56:50That's the judgment they've decided to pass on to the fighter.
00:56:53Whether he's going to listen to them remains to be seen.
00:56:56Certainly, Ronnie Shields wants what George Foreman has been suggesting Whittaker should
00:57:00do, which is to flurry and throw more punches in bunches.
00:57:03See, you get close and just let three or four go, you don't worry about if they're going
00:57:07to win that.
00:57:09Sometimes you...
00:57:14In his 41-fight career, Pernell Whittaker has never had a knockout beyond the sixth round.
00:57:21Never.
00:57:26So in all likelihood, this baby's going to the scorecard.
00:57:32And it doesn't promise to get any prettier or more fluid in the last couple rounds.
00:57:36Good right hand by...
00:57:38Chopping right over the top by Hurtado.
00:57:40That's right.
00:57:41Hurtado is really having a feels day here, and he didn't expect it to be a good body
00:57:45from him.
00:57:46Yeah, left of the body by Whittaker.
00:57:47Hurtado stops throwing.
00:57:49Whittaker keeps going to the body.
00:57:52Hurtado holding Whittaker's head between his gloves.
00:57:57He's a young fighter.
00:57:58He's going to pay him back for that.
00:58:00And he lands the left hand over the top, although softly.
00:58:08Whittaker gets closer.
00:58:09Doesn't do anything.
00:58:10One thing I've been observing throughout the whole fight is that Hurtado's beating Whittaker
00:58:15to a kick.
00:58:16Oh, what a left hand by Whittaker.
00:58:18And he takes advantage with four more straight left.
00:58:22Arthur McKinney left in.
00:58:25And it's over.
00:58:27It is over.
00:58:29Pernell Whittaker rescues himself dramatically.
00:58:32And Oscar De La Hoya lights into a smile as big as all Atlantic City.
00:58:39I love it.
00:58:40I love it.
00:58:41That's what boxing is all about.
00:58:42That's what boxing is all about.
00:58:43And that's what champions do.
00:58:45And that's what multi-million dollar paydays are built on.
00:58:51Well, I just told you about 20 seconds before that that Pernell Whittaker never in his
00:58:57own career had a knockout pass in the sixth round.
00:59:00But then again, he never fought in a fight like this one, George.
00:59:03A new day is here.
00:59:06Evidently, he needs to have paid in more than you think, Oscar De La Hoya.
00:59:11One thing about what happened there, you know, we've often said in the past that Whittaker
00:59:15has trouble finishing when he gets guys in trouble.
00:59:18He finished this time, that's for sure.
00:59:20And that guy got himself twisted up into the room.
00:59:22Fighting a gifted amateur with great legs, youth, hunger, but an amateur nonetheless.
00:59:31He'll never be able to fight a fight with someone again like that.
00:59:35This guy was quicker than any fighter he's ever going to get in the ring with.
00:59:39You know, as Hurtado got hung up in the ropes there, I thought for a moment about
00:59:43a Cuban star of the 1950s and early 60s named Benny Kidd-Paret.
00:59:47He got himself hung up in the ropes one night at Madison Square Garden and wound up dying in a New York hospital.
00:59:54I think if he had it to do over again, Arthur McKinney might have stopped this one or two punches short of where he finally did so.
01:00:01I agree with you, Jim.
01:00:03He was helpless there on the ropes, he couldn't escape, and he wasn't returning any far.
01:00:09Stopping right there would have been okay. That's okay. That would have done. That would have been nice.
01:00:17I think Arthur would like to have that one back. Just a couple punches short of there.
01:00:21Be that as it may, you can't expect Whitaker to back up now, knowing that he's been behind all night.
01:00:28Trying to finish him.
01:00:29No, Whitaker's just doing his job. He did exactly what he had to do under those circumstances.
01:00:35Well, like George Foreman and Joe Frazier.
01:00:38Nobody ever followed a corner's instructions better.
01:00:41That's for sure.
01:00:42They told him he had to go out and knock the guy out.
01:00:44And he did it.
01:00:45And he went out and did it.
01:00:46No, James Toney against Tim Littles followed instructions in exactly the same way.
01:00:51I said better.
01:00:52And I've just gotten word through our communication system that Oscar De La Hoya will open on that fight.
01:01:07Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.
01:01:09Here at Caesars Atlantic City, the end comes at one minute.
01:01:1452 seconds of round 11, the winner and still WBC welterweight champion of the world,
01:01:26Pernell Sweet Pea Whittaker.
01:01:36And here, Harold Letterman and George Foreman are the numbers that underline the significance of what Pernell Whittaker just did.
01:01:44I'm holding the three official scorecards.
01:01:47On which going into the 11th round, Diabeles Hurtado was leading Pernell Whittaker.
01:01:5394-92, 96-91 and 93-92.
01:01:57In other words, Hurtado was headed toward a possible unanimous decision.
01:02:02Final punched at numbers and you can see that Whittaker stepped up the pressure in the closing rounds
01:02:07and wound up landing and throwing more than Diabeles Hurtado.
01:02:10But if Whittaker goes out against Oscar De La Hoya and throws only 440 punches in 10-plus rounds, he is expected to be in trouble.
01:02:21George Foreman, I know that from a style standpoint,
01:02:34Whittaker De La Hoya is going to look a lot different than this, but does this showing by Pernell tonight
01:02:40diminish, in your view, his chances against a fighter like De La Hoya?
01:02:44As a matter of fact, it improves in my mind.
01:02:47Really? Why is that?
01:02:48Because not only is he able to take a good shot, get up, and not lose his concentration anymore,
01:02:52he can chase in the latter round.
01:02:54I didn't know that Whittaker was able to do that.
01:02:56Quickly, let's go to Larry in the ring.
01:02:58All right, thank you very much.
01:03:07Pernell, Pernell, congratulations.
01:03:11And what were you just saying? It isn't over until when?
01:03:14It's not over until we say it's over.
01:03:17Your corner told you you had to go out and knock him out.
01:03:21Did you believe that yourself?
01:03:22Well, I believe in what my corner tells me.
01:03:24So, you know, dollars, I wasn't looking for it, you know.
01:03:28I just knew it was going to happen. It was late in the round.
01:03:31Could you see that he was getting progressively more tired as the fight went along?
01:03:36Well, you know, it turned into a winding situation.
01:03:39I just knew I just had to keep the pressure on him.
01:03:42And with the punches that he was throwing, they really wasn't bothering me,
01:03:45but, you know, I just knew it was a matter of time that I reached him.
01:03:47Why were you knocked down? Was it simply being off balance?
01:03:53Were you fighting a fight that you're not used to fighting,
01:03:56having to chase a guy like that off all over the ring?
01:03:59Mostly I was off balance a couple of times,
01:04:02and I can't take anything away from my opponent.
01:04:05He came in with a world championship heart.
01:04:07He wanted the title, and he gave me my money's worth for a little while.
01:04:11How ugly of a fight was that?
01:04:13Have you ever been in anything like that as a professional?
01:04:15Well, you know, I wouldn't say no.
01:04:19I just can't remember it so far back.
01:04:21But I'd like to thank the fans around the world for the support.
01:04:25I'd like to thank the favorite network, HBO, for...
01:04:28I understand that this was my 17th or 18th title fight.
01:04:3217, but we're not counting.
01:04:34Okay, well, you know, it's been a great relationship between myself and HBO,
01:04:37and it's not over till I say it's over.
01:04:39Talk to us now about Oscar De La Hoya.
01:04:45Does this fight have any reference at all to fighting a more classic professional fighter like Oscar De La Hoya?
01:04:53I don't think Oscar De La Hoya is no better than Hurtado.
01:04:56Matter of fact, I think they pretty much similar.
01:04:58But if the student doesn't bring the teacher an apple, I must punish him.
01:05:03But like I always say, Larry, he's the boy Wonder, but I'm Batman.
01:05:08All right, let's...
01:05:10Here's Oscar De La Hoya.
01:05:12Oscar, give us your thoughts now that it's clear that you two are going to meet.
01:05:17Give us your thoughts about the fight.
01:05:20Well, first of all, about the fight, I want to congratulate Sweet B. Whitaker for another great performance.
01:05:25He just showed the boxing fan that that's what a true champion is all about.
01:05:30You know, he, of course, I mean, we have to admit he was having a bit difficulty in this fight, which we all didn't expect.
01:05:37But a great champion always comes back, wins the fight impressively, and that's what he did tonight.
01:05:42And I feel that April 12th is going to be a good show.
01:05:45People are going to get their money's worth.
01:05:47Once again, I'll be in the best shape of my life.
01:05:48He'll be in the best shape of his life, and the best man is going to win.
01:05:52Were you in the best shape of your life for this fight, or was it simply how awkward and fast your opponent was?
01:05:58Well, this was one of my finest training camps I've had.
01:06:02You know, it wasn't particular to fight...
01:06:04So you don't want to blame it on taking this guy lightly?
01:06:07No, I want to finish. I want to finish. Oh, okay, go ahead.
01:06:09I want to say... You finished the show.
01:06:11I didn't take... I didn't look past the title, you know.
01:06:13I knew there was something bigger and better beyond him, so I had to go through him.
01:06:18I couldn't go over or around the opponent. I had to go through him to get to Oscar.
01:06:22Oscar deserves the title, the title shot, but I'm still the champion, and April 12th, you'll see he's the best champion.
01:06:28The fact that you say you got in top shape because you wanted to fight Oscar, did that help you come through in the championship rounds, the end of the fight?
01:06:41No, not at all. I give Oscar a lot of credit.
01:06:44No, I'm talking about tonight. Did that help you?
01:06:45Oh, my opponent. See, I don't want to take... See, y'all brought in Oscar. I don't want to take anything away from my opponent.
01:06:51He fought a terrific fight. He was a champion. I mean, he gave me all I could handle for 11 rounds.
01:06:58All right, thank you very much, Purnell. You went out like a champ, and we're going back to Jim and George.
01:07:03One thing about Purnell, he's never had a moment of trouble in the ring, regardless of whether he's been down or anything like that.
01:07:09In his view, he wins just about every round. That kind of confidence will serve him well going into the Delahoy about.
01:07:15In my mind, he was whipped from pillar to post tonight. He ended up retrieving and winning this thing by knockout.
01:07:21If it had gone to the judges, I can't see him being a winner tonight.
01:07:23But you know, Sweet Pea, if we took those three judges' scorecards up there and showed him that he was trailing on all three cards, he would probably contend that we fabricated him, right?
01:07:31No doubt about it, because this guy's got a lot more heart than I thought. Whitaker has got more heart probably than any fighter in the ring today.
01:07:38He'll need more than heart, as great as he is, to beat Oscar Delahoya.
01:07:42I think he has a little more than heart, too, now.
01:07:45George, thanks very much. Looking forward to seeing you again soon. Larry, very quickly, final comments.
01:07:48We've got to move right along and get on to the Dennis Miller live show coming up, but there's room here for you to say one thing well.
01:07:56Well, what I would say is if that Hurtado would have won this fight, it would have been as if Sir Isaac Newton saw an apple fall up from that tree.
01:08:05But the apple did fall down, and it came down on him from Purnell Whitaker.
01:08:10And that's why Whitaker says if the student won't bring the teacher the apple, then the teacher will have to punish him.
01:08:14I'll have a final word on what happened in boxing here tonight in Atlantic City in just a moment.
01:08:19Right now, let's look ahead to some upcoming programming right here on HBO.
01:08:25World Championship boxing returns February 7 with the long-awaited rematch between Oliver McCall and Lennox Lewis.
01:08:31You may recall Lewis was apparently headed toward a meeting with Riddick Bowe when he was shockingly derailed by Oliver McCall's one-punch knockout in September 1994.
01:08:38So don't miss Lewis McCall 2.
01:08:43Two weeks later, HBO's Boxing After Dark returns with its own rematch.
01:08:46Tracy Patterson gets another shot at junior lightweight champ Arturo Gotti in December of 95.
01:08:51These two fighters staged a thrilling war with Gotti holding off a late rallying Patterson.
01:08:55Which way will this fight go?
01:08:57Check it out.
01:08:58Don't miss the show the pros have watched for 20 seasons inside the NFL.
01:09:02Join hosts Lynn Dawson, Nick Bonacani, Chris Collinsworth, and Jerry Glanville next Thursday the 30th.
01:09:07They'll be showing exclusive NFL films highlights of the Super Bowl tonight here in Atlantic City.
01:09:14With Oscar De La Hoya watching at ringside and hoping against hope that Brunel Whitaker could win to set up their big matchup in April.
01:09:20Whitaker trailing on all three scorecards, knocked out Diabeles Hurtado with a furious rally in the 11th round.
01:09:27The welterweight showdown of April is on.
01:09:31Coming up immediately following World Championship Boxing.
01:09:34Stay tuned for Dennis Miller Live on the East Coast and The Crush on the West Coast.
01:09:38That's it for us.
01:09:40For George Foreman, Larry Merchant, Harold Letterman, and Hector Garcia, I'm Jim Lampley saying goodbye from Atlantic City.
01:09:46The executive producer of HBO Sports is Ross Greenberg.
01:09:51Tonight's coverage of Whitaker Hurtado was produced by Dave Harmon.
01:09:54While De La Hoya Gonzalez was produced by Rick Bernstein.
01:09:58Both were directed by Mark Payton.
01:10:00The feature producers, Dave Leapson and Sue Chubb.
01:10:03The associate producers, Steve Cohen and Mike Santini.
01:10:06Assistants to the producer, Lisa Bennett and Thomas Odelfelt.
01:10:09The production manager was John McKellie.
01:10:11And the technical supervisor, Bob Hunter.
01:10:16who'll turn the film into the film despite his performance,
01:10:19written by Heidi Hollis and John McKenna.
01:10:22That is a great film.
01:10:26And I'll go to the film.
01:10:28The film is just so creepy.
01:10:30And the film will be made as a film which is now in the film.
01:10:35But it's a film which is a film which is more of a film.
01:10:38And he will also play a film.
01:10:41And his book has wrote a film.
01:10:43The film is so mysterious.
01:11:44This has been a presentation of HBO Sports, the network of champions.
01:11:53A sensational career that saw him climb to the top, the only time he hit rock bottom,
01:12:03was courtesy of Oliver McCall's shocking knockout punch.
01:12:06Now, Lennox Lewis gets his rematch.
01:12:09World Championship Boxing, Lewis vs. McCall 2.
01:12:13Live Friday, February 7th on HBO.
01:12:15Next on...
01:12:18Was the coach at Indiana State?
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