A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Whitaker was the lightweight gold medalist in the 1984 Olympics, and then embarked on a pro career in which he became world champion in four different weight divisions. Whitaker was known for his outstanding defensive skills, which helped garner him consideration as one of boxing's top pound-for-pound fighters during his prime.

In just his eleventh and twelfth pro bouts, Whitaker beat solid journeymen Alfredo Layne in December, 1986, and Roger Mayweather in March, 1987. On March 12, 1988 he challenged Jose Luis Ramirez for the WBC Lightweight Championship in Levallois, France. He suffered his first pro defeat when the judges awarded a controversial split decision in Ramirez's favor.

Whitaker trudged on, decisioning Greg Haugen for the IBF lightweight title on February 18, 1989. He then added the vacant WBC belt by avenging his loss to Ramirez on August 20.

Now a champion, Whitaker proceeded to dominate boxing's middle divisions over the first half of the 1990s. In 1990, he defended his lightweight title against good journeyman Freddie Pendelton and super featherweight champion Azumah Nelson of Ghana. On August 11, 1990 he knocked out Juan Nazario in one round to add the WBA title and become undisputed lightweight champ. His highlight of 1991 was beating Jorge Paez. In 1992, he began his ascent up in weight, winning the IBF junior welterweight title from Rafael Pineda on July 18. On March 6, 1993 he decisioned James (Buddy) McGirt to become the linear and WBC welterweight champion.

Whitaker was gaining momentum, by boxing experts and fans, as the pound for pound best boxer in the world, but some thought that he must win a fight against Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez. The two met in a welterweight superfight on September 10, 1993 in San Antonio, Texas. In a career-defining performance, Whitaker outboxed Chavez, winning the majority of the rounds in the eyes of many of the spectators. But as in his first fight with Ramirez, Whitaker was not awarded a decision victory, this time having to settle for a draw.

Whitaker continued to dominate for the next few years, defending his welterweight belt in a rematch against McGirt on October 1, 1994. For good measure, in his next fight on March 4, 1995, Whitaker added Julio Cesar Vasquez's WBA junior middleweight title to his collection. He moved back down to welterweight to successfully defend his WBC belt against Scotland's Gary Jacobs on August 26, 1995.

Despite his success, Whitaker's skills were in gradual decline, evidenced by lackluster defenses against Wilfredo Rivera and Diosbelys Hurtado. He met a bigger, younger Oscar de la Hoya on April 12, 1997 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitaker succeeded in making De la Hoya look bad through his crafty defense, but he was unable to mount a sufficient offense to sway the judges, and De la Hoya won by a disputed unanimous decision. Many felt Whitaker had done enough to retain his title, but the decision wasn't seen as controversial as his loss to Ramirez or his draw with Chavez.

Following this loss, Whitaker began an unfortunate decline, personally and professionally. His win over Andrei Pestriaev was declared a no-contest after a drug test revealed that he had used cocaine.

In 1999, Whitaker suffered his first sound defeat against the much bigger, much fresher F�lix Trinidad, gamely taking the Puerto Rican knockout specialist the distance. His last fight came on April 27, 2001 against journeyman Carlos Bojorquez. Whitaker broke his clavicle in round four and was forced to retire, finishing with an official pro record of 40-4-1 (17 knockouts). Whitaker has since been in and out of prison for cocaine possession and is rumored to have squandered the millions of dollars he earned in fight purses.

While Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker's future seems uncertain, his record in the ring speaks for itself. He is expected to be inducted into any boxing hall of fame, when he becomes eligible.

As of December 2005, Whitaker has taken on the role as trainer in his home state of Virginia. While the decline of speed and agility have pushed him into retirement, his knowledge of the ring and components have lead him to seek out up-and-coming boxers and train them to fight the way he did.

His first fighter, Dorin Spivey, has several matches scheduled for 2006.