THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, April 13, 1996               TAG: 9604130469
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: CUPECOY BAY, ST. MAARTEN           LENGTH: Medium:   51 lines

SWEETPEA WINS SPLIT DECISION "THE MAN WAS HUNGRY," WHITAKER SAID OF RIVERA

Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker split Wilfredo Rivera's forehead, but didn't do enough otherwise to earn more than a split-decision victory Friday night to retain his WBC welterweight title.

Judge Tomatsu Tomihana of Japan scored it 117-112 for Whitaker. George St. Andrew of Trinidad had it 115-113 for the champion. But judge Barbara Perez of New Jersey scored it 116-113 for Rivera.

``I knew I didn't lose the fight,'' Whitaker said. ``Everyone thinks I can't get hit. The man was hungry. He came here to win.

``He came in ready, but I was still prepared to win the fight.''

Rivera claimed he won.

``He held, he jabbed, then he held me again,'' Rivera said.

Punchstats had Whitaker landing 37 percent of his punches, while Rivera landed 28 percent. On power shots, Whitaker had a 42-35 edge.

Whitaker bloodied Rivera's forehead in the third round, then revisited that spot throughout the fight, opening the cut again in every round but the sixth.

Except for the sixth, Whitaker was in command in the early and middle rounds, but Rivera seemed to grow stronger in the late rounds. Rivera's best round was the 12th, when he landed several punches while Whitaker seemed content to let the clock run out.

Handlers of the Puerto Rican Rivera wore shirts that said, in fractured English, ``Wilfredo Rivera: At last is my time.''

It's still Whitaker's time, but the Norfolk native, now 38-1-1, has had better nights. He hinted afterward that he had trouble getting up for the virtually unknown Rivera.

``I need the big fights,'' Whitaker said.

Whitaker scored with combinations all night, but never staggered Rivera. The challenger never hurt him, either, as Whitaker easily slipped most of Rivera's punches.

Heavy betting on Rivera made Whitaker just a 5-2 favorite by fight time. Whitaker had been a 9-1 pick Wednesday.

Whitaker had been battling a chest cold the final week of camp, and had been taking antibiotics, a source close to the fighter said.

Whitaker's next foe could be WBA welterweight champ Ike Quartey, who won a third-round TKO over Vince Phillips on the undercard. by CNB