Local boxing veteran inducted into Florida Hall of Fame
(CNS): Caymanian boxer Charles “The Killa” Whittaker has been inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame, which recognises individuals who have made a significant impact on the sport. Whittaker, who turned 51 this weekend, will join the other inductees in a ceremony this June at the St. Petersburg Hilton Lake Carillon.
The Cayman Islands Elite Boxing Federation said the achievement highlights Whittaker’s “incredible career and contributions to the sport”, his enduring legacy as a pioneer in Caymanian boxing and his role as an ambassador for the Cayman Islands and the sport.
“Over his illustrious career, ‘The Killa’ has demonstrated exceptional skill, dedication, and resilience in the ring, amassing an impressive record and earning international respect,” the CIEBF stated in a press release. “His journey from humble beginnings to a decorated professional boxer embodies the spirit of determination and excellence that defines Caymanian athletes.”
CIEBF President Alva Suckoo said Whittaker’s influence had transcended the ring, inspiring a new generation of boxers in the Cayman Islands. “Charles’ induction into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame is a fitting tribute to his exceptional career,” Suckoo said. “We celebrate this milestone with him and look forward to continuing to build on the foundation he has laid for boxing in the Cayman Islands.”
CIEBF board member Roy Jones Jr said, “Charles Whittaker was one of the better fighters that I have ever seen from the Cayman Islands. He came to my gym when I was in my prime. He had an awesome professional career, and he was nothing but the best of a person the whole time that I’ve known him. I’m so happy to hear that Charles Whittaker is now in the Boxing Hall of Fame in Florida. It’s a beautiful thing, and he is getting inducted the same year as my father, so that’s another awesome situation. I’m so glad for Charles.”
Whittaker, who fought in the super middleweight division, was the first Caymanian professional boxer to fight on primetime TV. He has had a long and interesting career in the ring, which includes 43 wins, 16 losses, and 2 draws. It lasted until five years ago, when he recorded his final victory in 2019 before hanging up his gloves.
See an excerpt from the documentary “The Charles Whittaker Story” by Ben Hud below:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Local News, Sports
Congrats, Charles. Mr. Dalmain would be very proud.
Congrats to Charles for his achievements, but young Caymanians should not be encouraged to go into boxing. Too much is now known about the vulnerability of the brain to repeated trauma. Signing up a kid to get repeatedly punched in the head should be viewed as criminal negligence.
Charles life story should be taught in schools.
his name should be tracey in the Hero square
Bravo sir
I remember the shenanigans at the boxing association. All it needed was the Benny Hill theme tune. Cops were clueless.
Congrats Charles!!!! Well done brother!!!!!!
He did ok but lacked mental toughness ! It showed when he faced better fighters but all in all the Cayman Islands should be proud of the man he became considering his troubled childhood .
Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor
Well done Charles! Sometimes you got to move on, you can’t help everyone. Good guy, glad Florida is treating him well
Exactly a week before Hurricane Ivan, I watched Charles Killa Whittaker beat veteran Chantel Stanciel at the Kings Gym – the fight mc’d by the legendary Michael Buffer no less…LETS GIT READY TO RUMBLEEEE! Being fairly new to Cayman, it was the first time I’d seen him fight and he impressed me immediately; it was obvious he was truly talented (Stanciel was trained by Buddy McGirt, incidentally). Killa had incredible hand speed.
At the time Killa was age 30, on the up, and ranked #47 in the world at light middleweight 154lb (the champ was Sugar Shane Mosley, and Roy Jones Jr was then the #2 at Light Heavy 175lb).
The generally accepted benchmark to be a world class pro boxer is to be ranked in the top 35 fighters at the weight. To get in that 35 is unbelievably hard. Killa went on to fight and win consecutively 13 more times at 154lb before he was beaten by Gabriel Rosado in 2012 in a televised genuine title eliminator fight from the Christmas City USA. He then lost again in another big tv fight v Demetrius Hopkins in Atlantic City, and effectively that was the end, at least at the very top. I don’t recall his highest ranking in 2012 right now unfortunately, but likely just outside the top 10.
Killa was a magnificent fighter, never an ounce of fat on him, obsessively dedicated, and fanatically fit. Statistically, it is unlikely any future Cayman boxer will match his achievements, he really was that good, although boxing is taken seriously in Cayman so happily there is plenty of potential. Professionally, he trained and based himself in Florida as a pro. So recognition by the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame is very well deserved. Congrats, Killa!
He was literally banned by CIBA, and now he’s a hero?
CIBA bans Whittaker after series of troubling incidents:
https://caymannewsservice.com/2021/04/ciba-bans-whittaker-after-series-of-troubling-incidents/
And McKeeva gave him $100K of our money. To be fair, Big Mac was probably drunk at the time and may have mistaken him for a church.
Maybe Mac used his government credit card to pay him.
Why insert negativity into this, clearly they have resolved their differences….Dont be a crab
Last time I saw Charles was in a packed and raucous Saltys Bar for a Manny Pacquiao tv fight about 10 years ago. He was with an entourage of young Cayman boxers, and was the quietest, humblest, politest guy in the place (impecable manners, sipped water throughout, the entourage the same). The big man had the respect of everyone, and was the complete opposite of flash.
For those suffering from chronic amnesia, we also have video of the hotheaded aggression against peers and property in Cayman. Completely unacceptable. Moments of normal civil behavior observing a headline title fight, doesn’t cancel his self-initiated extreme, or rebalance the public sentiment average back to zero.
One day of out of character behavior should not define a man’s entire career. Be real! He was completely upset because the manager refused to open the doors for him…his argument was that there wouldn’t have been a CIBA facility without Charles’ support and international acclaim allowing for local investment govt to recognize they needed a facility to grow local talent. Charles was upset rightfully so and should have never been locked out of the facility that He advocated for and helped to build!
Being upset and smashing your way through a glass door are slightly different orders of magnitude.
Ah, yes, the old “he’s a good boy who only acted bad once” defense. Except Charles acted that way plenty of times and only one incident is documented to the public. We get the same defense over Kenny B’s (and several other current and past Parliamentarians) past transgressions. With role models like this, who needs villains?
7.05pm Just for clarity..the article linked in your comment shows that Charles was banned from the gym,it does not say that he was banned from the association.
He is passionate about the sport. Something you wouldn’t understand.
Is the CIEBF the same as the CIBA?