Lance Whitaker

Lance Whitaker (born May 29, 1971) is an American former professional boxer. As an amateur in the super heavyweight 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, 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 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, Little Rock, Arkansas, 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, July–August 1993: Finals: Lost to Reginald Blackmon 9–18 United States National Championships, 1994: Finals: Defeated Robert Geer PTS Goodwill Games, Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 1994: 1/2: Defeated Erik Fuhrmann (Germany) 21–3 Finals: Lost to Alexei Lezin (Russia) 0–17 U.S. Pan Am Trials, Portland, Oregon, January 1995: 1/2: Defeated Ed Mahone 32–21 Finals: Defeated Alvin Manley 25–13

Giraldo Córdova Cardín, Matanzas, Cuba, February 1995: 1/4: Defeated Roberto Camilo (Cuba) 13–9 1/2: Lost to Pedro Carrión (Cuba) by walkover Pan American Games, Mar del Plata, Argentina, 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, 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

Loss

KO 7 11/09/2010

Win

SD 12 12/06/2010

Loss

UD 10 23/10/2009

Win

TKO 1 21/08/2009

Win

UD 10 17/07/2009

Loss

UD 10 04/04/2008

Win

TKO 1 23/02/2008

Loss

TKO 7 15/12/2005

Win

TKO 5 Oct 1, 2005

Win

TKO 3 26/08/2005

Loss

KO 6 28/05/2005

Win

TKO 1 05/08/2004

Win

TKO 5 17/04/2004

Win

UD 12 30/10/2003

Win

TKO 2 28/06/2003

Win

KO 5 13/10/2002

Draw

SD 10 13/04/2002

Win

TKO 4 01/02/2002

Loss

UD 12 01/12/2001

Win

KO 2 10/03/2001

Win

TKO 2 07/10/2000

Win

DQ 1 21/07/2000

Win

TKO 2 11/06/2000

Win

SD 12 28/08/1999

Loss

SD 10 06/03/1999

Win

TKO 7 16/01/1999

Win

TKO 2 08/10/1998

Win

TKO 6 01/05/1998

Win

UD 8 27/03/1998

Win

UD 8 27/02/1998

Win

TKO 1 16/01/1998

Win

TKO 1 13/12/1997

Win

TKO 2 14/11/1997

Win

TKO 2 17/10/1997

Win

TKO 1 09/08/1997

Win

KO 1 19/07/1997

Win

TKO 3 05/07/1997

Win

KO 2 25/02/1997

Win

KO 2 17/01/1997

Win

KO 2 03/12/1996

Win

KO 2 03/12/1996

Win

KO 1 21/11/1996

Win

TKO 1 16/09/1996

Win

KO 1 10/07/1996