27 years ago

Date: 12th April 1997

Venue: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

Title: WBC World Welterweight Title

Promoter: Top Rank

Tv: TVKO

Pernell Whitaker
( 40 - 1 - 1 )
Weight: 146½ lbs

Oscar De La Hoya
( 23 - 0 - 0 )
Weight: 146½ lbs

On Saturday, April 12th, 1997, the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, played host to the WBC World Welterweight Title fight between Pernell Whitaker and Oscar De La Hoya. Promoted by Top Rank and aired on HBO Closed Circuit, the fight was the 9th defense by Pernell Whitaker, who was the reigning WBC champion. Oscar De La Hoya was the challenger and came into the fight as a 3-1 favorite.

De La Hoya ultimately won the fight by unanimous decision, with judges Chuck Giampa, Jerry Roth, and Dalby Shirley scoring the bout 111-115, 110-116, and 110-116, respectively. The fight was a closely contested affair, and both fighters put in strong performances.

In the third round, De La Hoya suffered a cut under his right eye from an accidental headbutt, and as a result, Whitaker had a point deducted.

De La Hoya suffered a flash knockdown in the ninth round, caught off balance by a left from Whitaker that caused his right glove to touch the canvas. However, De La Hoya quickly regained his composure and continued to fight well for the rest of the bout.

Throughout the fight, Whitaker landed 232 of 582 punches, while De La Hoya connected with 191 of 556 punches. Of Whitaker's punches that connected, 160 were jabs, compared to just 45 for De La Hoya.

The fight generated an impressive 720,000 pay-per-view buys and $28.8 million in PPV revenue, with fans paying a fee of $39.95 to watch the fight. De La Hoya earned $10 million for his victory, while Whitaker received $6 million. The fight drew a crowd of 12,200 fans, all of whom were treated to a high-quality boxing match between two of the sport's finest fighters.