
DATE: Tuesday, March 11, 1997               TAG: 9703110475

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHANDLER, ARIZ.                   LENGTH:  107 lines

CAMP SWEETPEA PERNELL WHITAKER HAS PITCHED HIS TRAINING CAMP ON THE GROUNDS OF AN ARIZONACOUNTRY CLUB, FAR FROM THE COMFORTS OF HOME, THE BETTER TO FOCUS ON HIS APRIL 12 MEGAFIGHT WITH OSCAR DE LA HOYA.

Boxing has been called a lot of things over the years - from the Sweet Science to a cesspool - but it's never been called a country club sport.

Which makes Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker's training location curious, if not downright ludicrous. Whitaker is training for his April 12 megafight in Las Vegas against Oscar De La Hoya here in the desert among the country club set.

The 40-by-50-foot tent Whitaker toils in daily at the San Marcos Country Club abuts the tennis courts and is one wicked hook off the driving range.

That's a golfer's hook, not a boxer's hook.

Whitaker awakens every morning in his condo overlooking the third green to the whack of golf shots before he heads to the tent to unleash some body shots. Curious 50-ish guys wearing golf shirts and hats occasionally peek through the tent flaps while Whitaker and other members of his training camp spar. When Whitaker cranks up his portable CD player before beginning a workout, nearby golfers must cringe.

It is here that Whitaker has come to get away from the routine and capture a focus for De La Hoya, who will attempt to wrest away Whitaker's World Boxing Council welterweight title at the Thomas & Mack Center. It's the first time since early in his 12-year professional career that Whitaker has not trained in Virginia Beach, where he lives.

The setting in this camp is almost tranquil, the atmosphere loosey-goosey. Whitaker is in good spirits as he relentlessly jokes with his handlers and other fighters, including longtime friend and fellow 1984 Olympian Mark Breland. Breland, Whitaker and co-trainer Bob Wareing are roomies in the condo.

But there is an undercurrent of hostility and indignation here as well.

Whitaker has held a world title almost continuously since February 1989 and has won six total in four different weight classes. De La Hoya, 24, was a mere 16 years old at the time Whitaker first became a world champion.

But De La Hoya will earn more money April 12 - $10 million to Whitaker's projected $7 million. De La Hoya is favored by oddsmakers. It's De La Hoya whose skill, charm and glamour-magazine looks have captivated people both inside and outside of boxing.

Whitaker is not waiting until April 12 to take jabs at The Golden Boy.

``I'm going to ruin him,'' Whitaker said. ``I'm going to end his career. Then he's going to have to go into the movies.''

Hyperbolic boasts by cocksure fighters are nothing new in boxing. But the Whitaker camp is genuinely both alienated and ecstatic with the perception that De La Hoya is too much for the aging Whitaker to handle.

``In retrospect over the last five years, we haven't taken anything lightly - that's not the right word for it,'' Wareing said. ``Pete's just different than he was. He's not the hungry kid from the projects like he used to be. He has different motivation.

``You can't go from mountaintop to mountaintop. You've got to go through the valleys between them. There aren't any shortcuts. The hard stuff, it's easy to ignore. It's human nature. Hey, we've gotten fat. There's little shortcuts here and shortcuts there. We're all like that.''

Whitaker has struggled with lightly regarded opponents in recent outings, fueling speculation that he's slipping.

Wareing said he doesn't like the perception, although he admitted maybe that extra motivation to prove he is not will benefit Whitaker. Wareing said he gets the impression from people at HBO, which has had a solid business relationship with Whitaker since 1990, that the cable network is ready to pass the torch to rising star De La Hoya.

HBO's pay-per-view arm, TVKO, is televising the fight.

``You realize we're not in their long-term plans anymore,'' Wareing said. ``They hand-picked us for this fight. It's like they're grooming cattle. They feed you and stuff, and then it's time for the slaughter.''

Head trainer Ronnie Shields also has a healthy-sized chip on his shoulder.

``I've just got this feeling they're trying to build this guy De La Hoya bigger than Pete,'' Shields said. ``But younger is not always better.''

Whitaker insists it will not be April 12.

``I'm going to destroy him, nothing else I can say,'' Whitaker said. ``Hopefully I don't break his spirit and he can come back. It's good for him to have this punishment now when he's young rather than later.''

Whitaker bristled at the notion that, at 33 and no longer regarded as the best fighter in the world, pound-for-pound, he has something to prove in this fight.

``No, c'mon,'' Whitaker said. ``After 12 years I don't have anything to prove. Whoever fights Pernell Whitaker has to prove what they can do. I get sick and tired of hearing the same question. Why would I have anything to prove against a kid who hasn't proven anything? He's stepping in with the man, he's got to prove himself. I'm the man.

``That's all he is, a young kid. He's 22-23 years old, he's just a baby. You can talk to the media about how pretty you are or how gorgeous you are, but when it's time to come out and fight, c'mon, he's still in the amateurs compared to me.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

BETH BERGMAN/The Virginian-Pilot

ABOVE: Pernell Whitaker hones his skills in a 2,000-square-foot tent

at the San Marcos Country Club in Chandler, Ariz.

LEFT: Head trainer Ronnie Shields wraps Whitaker's hands for a

sparring session. Behind Whitaker is co-manager Lou Duva.

Photo

BETH BERGMAN/The Virginian-Pilot

Pernell Whitaker makes the heavy bag dance at his training camp in

Chandler, Ariz. He trains in a 40-by-50-foot tent at the San Marcos

Country Club, far from Virginia Beach and the interruptions of home.

His focus is on his April 12 fight with Oscar De La Hoya for

Whitaker's WBC welterweight title.