Former pound-for-pound king and boxing legend Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, widely regarded as the greatest defensive boxer of all-time, died at the age of 55 after being hit by a car in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Sunday night.
The Virginia Beach Police Department said that the incident remains an active investigation, but stated that Whitaker was struck by a vehicle around 10 PM Sunday night while he was walking at an intersection.
“When officers arrived on scene they located an adult male victim who had been hit by a vehicle. The victim succumbed to his injuries on the scene,” Virginia Beach Police Department spokesman L.M. Bauder said in a statement, according to ESPN’s Dan Rafael.
“The driver of the vehicle remained on scene with police.”
The International Boxing Hall of Famer won world titles across four weight classes,was the undisputed lightweight world champion and also won titles at junior welterweight, welterweight and junior middleweight, and won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics.