I remember watching Pernell's pro debut, thinking, "how is anyone ever gonna beat this guy?". That sentiment pretty much never changed. I didn't see the Ramirez fight at the time but looking at it today, it was fairly close, hardly the robbery I'd always heard it was and although I thought he clearly won the Chavez fight, I didn't think that was as lopsided as they said at the time either. Pernell really shouldn't have been defeated until the drugs totally derailed him, which is an impressive thing in itself, how did he maintain when no one does on cocaine? Emmanuel Steward once said that Frankie Randall would beat Chavez because he could do the things whitaker could but was "mentally tougher" . I don't know what stewart saw that made him say that but I always thought Pernell was a vicious, mean guy, basically a brawler stuck in a boxers body. Buddy McGirt also gave him credit for being a great body puncher, which not many slicksters are.