DATE: Friday, August 8, 1997                TAG: 9708080813

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   44 lines

WHITAKER'S FIGHT WITH WISE RESET FOR OCT. 17 HE'LL FOLLOW THAT BOUT WITH A DEC. 6 FIGHT IN NORFOLK.

The Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker-Willy Wise fight, postponed from its original Aug. 16 date, is back on for Oct. 17. Whitaker will follow that bout with a Dec. 6 fight in Norfolk against an opponent to be determined later.

The site for Whitaker-Wise on HBO will be either New York's Madison Square Garden or Las Vegas, Whitaker promoter Dino Duva said Thursday. It is tentatively set to be an undercard bout on a pending Ike Quartey-Terry Norris title fight at the Garden, but if that bout doesn't come off, Whitaker-Wise could move to Las Vegas.

``That will all fall into place maybe next week,'' Duva said.

The initial Whitaker-Wise date was scrapped last month because Ray Mercer pulled out of the featured heavyweight bout with Andrew Golota because of a herniated disc in his neck.

Whitaker - a six-time world champion from Virginia Beach - will earn $1 million, Wise $85,000. Whitaker has not fought since he lost his World Boxing Council welterweight title to Oscar De La Hoya in April.

Wise is a journeyman who has never made more than $10,000 for a fight. He was selected as Whitaker's opponent for the tuneup bout almost as an act of charity because he has a 3-year-old son who suffers from unexplained seizures. Wise has $75,000 worth of medical bills and no insurance.

The December bout, most likely at Scope, will also be a non-title fight as part of HBO's Boxing After Dark series. The Whitaker fight will begin around midnight.

``Pete's been bugging us that he wants to fight at home,'' Main Events publicist Mike Boorman said. ``When we told Pete about a December or January date, that's the one he said he wanted to do in Norfolk.''

After that, Whitaker's handlers are hoping for a rematch with De La Hoya in April or May, but if not will pursue Quartey. They are confident, however, that a De La Hoya rematch can be worked out with rival promoter Bob Arum.

``We're pretty much on the same page,'' Whitaker co-manager Shelly Finkel said.

Whitaker could not be reached for comment Thursday. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Sweetpea Whitaker

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