Lance Whitaker (born May 29, 1971) is an American former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

. As an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

in the

super heavyweight Super heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and bodybuilding, competitive bodybuilding. Boxing In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms (200 pounds). Int ...

division, he won a bronze medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. Nicknamed "Mount", or more recently "Goofi", Whitaker was known for his size – 6 feet, 8 inches – and personability.

Early life

A native of

Granada Hills, Los Angeles Granada Hills is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. The community has a sports program and a range of city recreation centers. The neighborhood has fourteen public and ten private schools. History The Granada Hills ...

, Whitaker attended San Fernando High School, where he played football and basketball. In 1989, he was convinced to start boxing by local trainer Francisco Ortega, who spotted him while he was waiting in line at a

Burger King Burger King Corporation (BK, stylized in all caps) is an American multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacks ...

restaurant.

Amateur career

Whitaker won the National Golden Gloves Super Heavyweight title in 1993, followed by the United States (AAU) National Amateur Super Heavyweight title in 1994.

National Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, May 1993: * 1/4: Defeated Marcus Johnson * 1/2: Defeated Levone Seegars KO 1 * Finals: Defeated Ed Mahone PTS U.S. Olympic Festival,

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, July–August 1993: * Finals: Lost to Reginald Blackmon 9–18 United States National Championships, 1994: * Finals: Defeated Robert Geer PTS

Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...

, Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 1994: * 1/2: Defeated Erik Fuhrmann (Germany) 21–3 * Finals: Lost to

Alexei Lezin Alexei Vladimirovich Lezin (, born February 27, 1973) is a Russian former boxing, boxer, who won the List of Olympic medalists in boxing, Super Heavyweight bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Accomplishments *1993 competed as a Heavyweight ...

(Russia) 0–17 U.S. Pan Am Trials,

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, January 1995: * 1/2: Defeated Ed Mahone 32–21 * Finals: Defeated Alvin Manley 25–13 Giraldo Córdova Cardín,

Matanzas, Cuba Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

, February 1995: * 1/4: Defeated Roberto Camilo (Cuba) 13–9 * 1/2: Lost to Pedro Carrión (Cuba) by walkover

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

Mar del Plata, Argentina Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...

, March 1995: * 1/4: Defeated Andrew Stewart (Grenada) by walkover * 1/2: Lost to Leonardo Martinez Fizz (Cuba) KO 1 United States National Championships,

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

, February 1996: * Finals: Lost to Lawrence Clay-Bey RSC 3 U.S. Olympic Box-Offs, 1996: * Day 1: Lost to T. J. Wilson PTS * Day 2: Lost to Charles Shufford

Professional career

Whitaker turned pro in 1996 and quickly climbed the rankings with knockout wins over limited competition. A win over faded contender Alex Stewart landed him a fight against Lou Savarese in 1999. Savarese ended Whitaker's 18 fight unbeaten streak with a decision win. Whitaker then went on later that year to hand Monte Barrett his first loss and in 2000 knocked out undefeated Robert Davis. Whitaker then scored a devastating KO victory over contender Oleg Maskaev 2001, perhaps the biggest win of his career. At this point Whitaker was seen by many as having the potential to be a future heavyweight champion. Unfortunately for Whitaker, he lost his next fight to Jameel McCline by unanimous decision. He then drifted into journeyman obscurity, and was knocked out by Luan Krasniqi in 2005. In 2006 Whitaker lost to Sultan Ibragimov by knockout, effectively putting an end to his hope for future title belt opportunities. Whitaker continues to fight, but hasn't been highly ranked as a heavyweight in several years.

Nickname

Whitaker is likely most known for his bizarre adoption of the "Goofi" nickname prior to his fight with McCline in 2001. Whitaker's popularity was skyrocketing in boxing circles, and his promoter, the infamous Rock Newman, concocted the stunt to generate publicity and sentiment towards Whitaker.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 35 Wins (28 knockouts, 7 decisions), 7 Losses (3 knockouts, 4 decisions), 1 No Contest , - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opp
Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Loss , , align=left, Franklin Lawrence , KO , 7 , 11/09/2010 , align=left,

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Andrey Fedosov , SD , 12 , 12/06/2010 , align=left,

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Oliver McCall , UD , 10 , 23/10/2009 , align=left,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mathew Ellis , TKO , 1 , 21/08/2009 , align=left,

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent Beach Cities, beach c ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Danny Batchelder , UD , 10 , 17/07/2009 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jason Estrada , UD , 10 , 04/04/2008 , align=left, Lincoln, Rhode Island, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ron Johnson , TKO , 1 , 23/02/2008 , align=left,

Russellville, Arkansas Russellville is the county seat of and the largest city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States, with a 2022 estimated population of 29,133. It is home to Arkansas Tech University. Arkansas Nuclear One, Arkansas' only nuclear power plant is nea ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Sultan Ibragimov , TKO , 7 , 15/12/2005 , align=left,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gabe Brown , TKO , 5 , Oct 1, 2005 , align=left,

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Louis Monaco , TKO , 3 , 26/08/2005 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Luan Krasniqi , KO , 6 , 28/05/2005 , align=left,

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, Germany , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Otis Tisdale , TKO , 1 , 05/08/2004 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Friday Ahunanya , TKO , 5 , 17/04/2004 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Al Cole , UD , 12 , 30/10/2003 , align=left, Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Russell Chasteen , TKO , 2 , 28/06/2003 , align=left, Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cliff Couser , KO , 5 , 13/10/2002 , align=left, Choctaw, Mississippi, U.S. , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Ray Austin , SD , 10 , 13/04/2002 , align=left, Chester, West Virginia, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Willie Chapman , TKO , 4 , 01/02/2002 , align=left,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jameel McCline , UD , 12 , 01/12/2001 , align=left,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Oleg Maskaev , KO , 2 , 10/03/2001 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Robert Davis , TKO , 2 , 07/10/2000 , align=left,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, David Dixon , DQ , 1 , 21/07/2000 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Thomas Williams , TKO , 2 , 11/06/2000 , align=left, Concho, Oklahoma, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Monte Barrett , SD , 12 , 28/08/1999 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Lou Savarese , SD , 10 , 06/03/1999 , align=left,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Alex Stewart , TKO , 7 , 16/01/1999 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jason Yarosz , TKO , 2 , 08/10/1998 , align=left,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ray Butler , TKO , 6 , 01/05/1998 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Garing Lane , UD , 8 , 27/03/1998 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Everett Martin , UD , 8 , 27/02/1998 , align=left, Studio City, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe Ballard , TKO , 1 , 16/01/1998 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eddie Gonzales , TKO , 1 , 13/12/1997 , align=left,

Northlake, Illinois Northlake is a city in Leyden Township and Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,840 at the 2020 census. The city's moniker is "The City of Friendly People". The name "Northlake" comes from two streets, N ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Marcus Rhode , TKO , 2 , 14/11/1997 , align=left,

South Padre Island, Texas South Padre Island is a resort town in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville, Texas, Brownsville–Harlingen, Texas, Harlingen Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Larry Menefee , TKO , 2 , 17/10/1997 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Isaac Brown , TKO , 1 , 09/08/1997 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Muhammed Raheem , KO , 1 , 19/07/1997 , align=left,

Indio, California Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. Indio is approximately east of Los Angeles, east of Palm Springs, ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jerriel Bazile , TKO , 3 , 05/07/1997 , align=left,

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Rock Island County and the List of municipalities in Illinois, ninth-most populous in Illinois outside ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Orlando Leavall , KO , 2 , 25/02/1997 , align=left,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Marco Dickson , KO , 2 , 17/01/1997 , align=left,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ricardo Phillips , KO , 2 , 03/12/1996 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dion Burgess , KO , 1 , 21/11/1996 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mario Osuna , TKO , 1 , 16/09/1996 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Keyes , KO , 1 , 10/07/1996 , align=left,

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

, U.S. , align=left,

References

External links

*
BoxingRecords
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Lance 1971 births Living people People from Granada Hills, Los Angeles Heavyweight boxers National Golden Gloves champions Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Boxers from Los Angeles American male boxers Goodwill Games medalists in boxing Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games Boxers at the 1995 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in boxing 20th-century American sportsmen