FIGHTLINE BY DOUG FISCHER
Fights only last a matter of minutes, but fighters are connected to each other by chains that extend for decades – even centuries – into the past. Their bond is a lineage built face-to-face: A young prospect struggles with the skills of an aging veteran whose nose was once broken by a fighter now enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In that way, muscle memory carries knowledge and boxers face a piece of everyone their opponent has fought, everyone those people fought, and so on. This month we’re linking two American Olympic medalists who won world titles in four weight classes – former pound-for-pound king Pernell Whitaker and newly crowned Ring/WBO junior welterweight champ Shakur Stevenson. A slippery southpaw with a genius-level ring IQ, Whitaker was not a physically imposing boxer (he stood 5-foot-6 and didn’t look athletic). However, the 1984 Olympic lightweight champ mentally broke down opposition with his uncanny ability to evade punches when in close. In March 1988, Whitaker challenged WBC lightweight beltholder Jose Luis Ramirez in France, where the Mexican was based. Despite Whitaker’s relative inexperience – it was his 16th pro bout and the 107th for Ramirez (100-6) – he outclassed the defending titleholder over 12 rounds but was stuck with a disputed split-decision loss. Whitaker rebounded in 1989, winning the IBF title from Greg Haugen (UD 12) and the vacant WBC strap, as well as the Ring Magazine championship, with a rematch victory over Ramirez (UD 12). “Sweet Pea,” The Ring’s 1989 Fighter of the Year, continued his excellence in 1990 by dominating Ghanaian great Azumah Nelson (UD 12) and blasting Juan Nazario (KO 1) for the WBA strap to become the first undisputed lightweight champ since Roberto Duran. After a pit stop at junior welterweight for the IBF belt, Whitaker proved he was pound-for-pound No. 1 by dethroning WBC welterweight champ Buddy McGirt and defending the title against undefeated (87-0) Julio Cesar Chavez by way of a controversial majority draw. Whitaker stepped up to junior middleweight to win his seventh world title in a fourth weight class by outpointing Julio Cesar Vasquez but continued to defend his welterweight title until Oscar De La Hoya outpointed him in 1997. Whitaker’s last stand came in 1999 against Felix Trinidad, who handed him the first clear decision loss of his storied career. He retired in 2001 with a record of 40-4-1 (17 KOs) and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2007. Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) is every bit the elusive boxing genius that Whitaker was. The 5-foot-8 southpaw demoralizes his opposition with lightning-quick reflexes and a classic stand-up style. After winning a silver medal in the 2016 Olympics, Stevenson turned pro in April 2017. The vacant WBO featherweight belt, claimed by outpointing Joet Gonzalez in 2019, was his first world title. Two years later, Stevenson annexed the WBO junior lightweight title by dominating Jamel Herring to a 10th-round stoppage. A unification bout followed with WBC beltholder Oscar Valdez, whom he outclassed over 12 rounds to earn the vacant Ring Magazine championship. Stevenson moved to lightweight in 2023, but hand troubles hampered his performances vs. Edwin De Los Santos (UD 12) for the vacant WBC strap and Artem Harutyunyan (UD 12). However, he recaptured elite form vs. late sub Josh Padley
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WHITAKER UD 12 PAEZ OCTOBER 5, 1991
PAEZ UD 10 JONES SEPTEMBER 26, 2003
RAHEEM TKO 1 JONES APRIL 22, 2004
RAHEEM UD 10 JARGAL JANUARY 10, 2014
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SILVA KO 3 JARGAL DECEMBER 11, 2015
LOPEZ TKO 6 SILVA JULY 14, 2018
(TKO 9) and top-rated William Zepeda (UD 12) in 2025. On January 31, Stevenson nearly shut out Teofimo Lopez for the 140-pound championship. It was a star-making performance that shot the 28-year-old to No. 3 in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings. There are multiple paths linking the defensive wizards, whose primes are separated by 35 years, but we found this six- boxer Fightline. Can you find a faster route? If so, or if you have another Fightline you’d like to submit, send it to
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STEVENSON UD 12 LOPEZ JANUARY 31, 2026
comeoutwriting@gmail.com. And remember, some fighters can be linked on paper by jumping forward and backward in time, but to be a true lineage, the fights must come in chronological order.
96 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
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