Big-time boxing has vanished from Virginia. Long gone are the days when the late Pernell Whitaker was featured as a hometown hero in the Old Dominion State. “Sweet Pea” fought 11 of his 45 career bouts at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, but none since 1994 when Whitaker defended his welterweight title in a rematch against Buddy McGirt. Whitaker retired in 2001 and passed away in 2019, and the region has mostly been devoid of the sweet science over the last 30 years.