H&G All-Time Index public fighter card
Pernell Whitaker
Lightweight · United States
Pernell Whitaker ranks #26 in the H&G All-Time Index at Lightweight, with a 91.92 All-Time Index score and a 40-4-1 professional record. His best wins on record include James McGirt, Julio Cesar Vasquez and Azumah Nelson. His career span on this page is 1984-2001.
- All-time rank
- #26Elite Greats
- H&G All-Time Index
- 91.920-100 ranking index. This is the number that orders the list.
- Career record
- 40-4-1Professional wins, losses and draws.
- Active years
- 1984-2001
- Data Confidence
- MediumSolid but wider career evidence. Treat close ranks with extra care.
Career story
How Pernell Whitaker's rating rose and fell year by year, with his peak marked.
Yearly peak-form Elo rating points. This curve is separate from the 0-100 ranking index.
Signature wins
- James McGirt - 1994 - signature win
- Julio Cesar Vasquez - 1995 - signature win
- Azumah Nelson - 1990 - signature win
- Jose Luis Ramirez - 1989 - signature win
- Diosbelys Hurtado - 1997 - signature win
Show the year-by-year numbers
| Year | Peak-form Elo rating |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 1,863 |
| 1985 | 1,897 |
| 1986 | 1,950 |
| 1987 | 1,974 |
| 1988 | 2,006 |
| 1989 | 2,045 |
| 1990 | 2,063 |
| 1991 | 2,074 |
| 1992 | 2,078 |
| 1993 | 2,077 |
| 1994 | 2,071 |
| 1995 | 2,063 |
| 1996 | 2,036 |
| 1997 | 2,011 |
| 1999 | 1,944 |
| 2001 | 1,896 |
Why this ranking
Pernell Whitaker ranks #26 with a 91.92 score on the 60-100 H&G All-Time Index. His standout win in our data is over Buddy McGirt in 1994, who reached a 1,975 Peak-form Elo, one of the stronger opponents on his record. He also fought James McGirt 2 times, going 2-0-0 across that series. Holding the score back, dominance over contemporaries sits below the field of ranked fighters in this release. Data Confidence is Medium, so the rating should be read with wider uncertainty. Peak-form Elo is 2,078 (±204), separate from the 60-100 career Index.
What lifts or lowers this ranking
Bars show each weighted signal's relative size. Gold lifts the placement; grey holds it back.
Collapsed signal from peak rating, sustained rating and same-era separation.
How much major title evidence supports the rating.
How much repeat elite-year presence supports the all-time case.
How much the record is helped by wins over contemporaneous title-level opponents.
A narrow signal for lineal, explicit undisputed or major multi-belt class control in this release data; it is not a full title history.
Same-era separation left after the shared peak and sustained rating signal is removed.
Compare and explore
Put Pernell Whitaker next to any other ranked fighter, or open the tools built on the same rating data.
Top fights
The highest-ranked fighters Pernell Whitaker actually faced, biggest names first. Each one opens the head-to-head tool with the pair filled in.
- Julio Cesar Chavez#12 · Index 95 · 1993
- Oscar De La Hoya#24 · Index 92 · 1997
- Felix Trinidad#37 · Index 90 · 1999
- Azumah Nelson#114 · Index 83 · 1990
- Buddy McGirt#249 · Index 79 · 1993, 1994
- Jorge Paez#345 · Index 77 · 1991
Show 6 more
- Jose Luis Ramirez#376 · Index 77 · 1988, 1989
- Roger Mayweather#380 · Index 77 · 1987
- Greg Haugen#435 · Index 76 · 1989
- Diosbelys Hurtado#569 · Index 74 · 1997
- Julio Cesar Vasquez#641 · Index 74 · 1995
- Rafael Pineda#775 · Index 73 · 1992
Ranked-vs-ranked bouts from the pinned fight archive, ordered by opponent ranking. An objective record of who they shared a ring with.
Great rivals he never fought
Ranked fighters who shared a recognised division and whose competitive careers overlapped, with no bout between them on record. Each name opens the head-to-head tool with the pair filled in.
- Kostya Tszyu#18 · Super Lightweight / Welterweight · 10 overlapping years (1992-2001)
- Sugar Ray Leonard#40 · Welterweight · 8 overlapping years (1984-1991)
- Alexis Arguello#60 · Lightweight / Super Lightweight / Welterweight · 12 overlapping years (1984-1995)
- Roberto Duran#73 · Lightweight / Welterweight · 18 overlapping years (1984-2001)
- Hector Camacho#77 · Lightweight / Super Lightweight / Welterweight · 18 overlapping years (1984-2001)
- Erik Morales#78 · Lightweight / Super Lightweight · 9 overlapping years (1993-2001)
Show 6 more
- Thomas Hearns#86 · Welterweight · 18 overlapping years (1984-2001)
- Artur Grigorian#93 · Lightweight · 8 overlapping years (1994-2001)
- Sugar Shane Mosley#108 · Lightweight / Welterweight · 9 overlapping years (1993-2001)
- Juan Manuel Marquez#126 · Lightweight / Welterweight · 9 overlapping years (1993-2001)
- Donald Curry#129 · Welterweight · 8 overlapping years (1984-1991)
- Wilfredo Gomez#134 · Super Lightweight · 6 overlapping years (1984-1989)
Shared recognised division, overlapping competitive years, no recorded bout between them. A measured pattern only.
Linked style profile
8-axis style breakdown
Pernell Whitaker also has a reviewed style profile with radar scores, study notes and diagnostic comparisons.
About this rating
Rankings: H&G All-Time Index v2.0.0. Reflects fights up to , the most recent on record. The ratings are fixed to that point, so fights after it are not yet included.
The rating itself is built from the 44 bouts we hold full data for from 1984 to 2001, which is why this count differs from the professional record above.
For the data-minded
Peak-form Elo rating: 2,078 (peak dated 1992-07-01). This best-point rating sits on its own scale and is not directly comparable with the 0-100 index.
The peak estimate carries an uncertainty band of about ±204 Elo, so read close comparisons with care.