Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker promised his mother and his old neighborhood he’d return to Norfolk with an Olympic gold medal.
After five dominating boxing matches in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the 5-foot-6 wunderkind, 20, delivered and took his first major step toward stardom.
Whitaker, after winning a silver medal in the previous Games, jabbed, bobbed and danced his way through five three-round bouts. He won the first first four fights by 5-0 decision, then in the gold medal match punished Luis Ortiz, of Puerto Rico, through the first two rounds. Ortiz’s cornerman had seen enough, and waved a white towel to end the fight with three seconds left in the second round.