The gloves are gone, but the mark he left still hits home as Whitaker Weekend kicks off with a Thursday night gala.<\/p>\n
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. \u2014 A hometown hero is back in the spotlight this weekend as the city kicks off \u201cWhitaker Weekend,\u201d a three-day celebration honoring boxing legend Pernell Whitaker.<\/p>\n
The event recognizes Whitaker\u2019s legacy both inside and outside the ring, while also raising money for a youth boxing program that carries his name.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about the fight \u2014 it\u2019s about honoring the fighter,\u201d some organizers said as the celebration got underway on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
Whitaker, a Norfolk native and Olympic gold medalist, built a career defined by world titles across multiple weight classes and elite defensive skill. But organizers said this weekend is about more than his accomplishments in boxing.<\/p>\n
Coordinator Tiffany Jenkins said the goal is simple: keep Whitaker\u2019s impact alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to revive people\u2019s memory of Sweet Pea \u2014 his legacy and what he meant to the Hampton Roads area,\u201d Jenkins said.<\/p>\n
At the heart of Whitaker Weekend is a focus on mentorship and community impact.<\/p>\n
Virginia Beach City Councilman Cash Green, who helped lead the effort, emphasized that the initiative goes beyond boxing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not just about boxing, but it\u2019s about mentorship. Youth mentorship in the boxing community,\u201d Green said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Funds raised during the weekend will support the Pernell \u201cSweet Pea\u201d Whitaker Youth Boxing Club, an after-school program based at Powerhouse Gym. The initiative supports youth through mentorship and boxing discipline.<\/p>\n
Councilman Green believes the program is somewhere young men and women can turn to for guidance they may not have at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can come to the boxing community and have a father mentor them,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among those attending is Dr. Khalilah Camacho Ali, the former wife of Muhammad Ali and a close friend of Whitaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left a legacy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ali described Whitaker as someone who helped young people channel their energy in positive ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have children out here who need something to look forward to,\u201d she said. \u201cSweet Pea showed them how to put that energy in the right place. And I admire him for that.”<\/p>\n
She returned to Virginia for the first time since Whitaker\u2019s death in 2019 to support the event, and to make sure his name still holds weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s like an unsung hero,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Whitaker Weekend continues through Saturday, wrapping up with a showcase featuring up-and-coming boxers inspired by Whitaker\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n
The weekend is also bringing out some of boxing\u2019s biggest names. Scheduled appearances include former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and Olympic gold medalist Mark Breland, both teammates of Whitaker on the U.S. Olympic boxing team.<\/p>\n
Watch 13News Now’s interview with Dr. Khalilah Camacho Ali on LIVE Impact News below:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The gloves are gone, but the mark he left still hits home as Whitaker Weekend kicks off with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":548206,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-548205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=548205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/548206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=548205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=548205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=548205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}