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 bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

. 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 Granada Hills is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City 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. His ...

, Whitaker attended

San Fernando High School San Fernando High School (SFHS) is a high school of the Los Angeles Unified School District. It is located in the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles, in the northeastern San Fernando Valley, California. It is near and also serves the City of Sa ...

, 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 The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nationa ...

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, 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 ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, 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 Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

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

Alexei Lezin Alexei Vladimirovich Lezin (russian: Алексей Владимирович Лeзин, born February 27, 1973) is a Russian former amateur boxer, who won the Super Heavyweight bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Accomplishments *1993 comp ...

(Russia) 0–17 U.S. Pan Am Trials,

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, 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. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, 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 Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a sh ...

, 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 Lawrence Marvin Clay-Bey (born December 14, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who fought at heavyweight. As an amateur he was a two-time winner (1995 and 1996) of the United States National Championships as well as a bronze medalis ...

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 Oleg Alexandrovich Maskayev (russian: Олег Александрович Маскаев; also Maskaev; born 2 March 1969) is a Russian-American former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2013, and held the WBC heavyweight title from 2 ...

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 Luan Krasniqi (born 10 May 1971) is a German actor and former professional boxer. He held the European heavyweight title and also challenged for the WBO world heavyweight title. Background Krasniqi is the youngest of eight children to Kosovar ...

in 2005. In 2006 Whitaker lost to

Sultan Ibragimov Sultan-Ahmed Magomedsalihovich Ibragimov (russian: Султан-Ахмед Магомедсалихович Ибрагимов, av, Султан-АхӀмад МухӀаммадсалихӀазул вас Ибрагьимов; born 8 March 1975 ...

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, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

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

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

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

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ''round'') is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Sa ...

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Jason Estrada Jason Moses Estrada (born November 30, 1980) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2015. As an amateur, he competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in the super heavyweight division. He also won the gold medal at the 2003 ...

, UD , 10 , 04/04/2008 , align=left,

Lincoln, Rhode Island Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,529 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence. Lincoln is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical ar ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ron Johnson , TKO , 1 , 23/02/2008 , align=left, Russellville, Arkansas, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, TKO , 7 , 15/12/2005 , align=left, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gabe Brown , TKO , 5 , 01/10/2005 , 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. The city'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 ...

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

, KO , 6 , 28/05/2005 , align=left, Stuttgart, Germany , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Otis Tisdale , TKO , 1 , 05/08/2004 , align=left, Hollywood, Florida, 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 Alfred Rudolph Cole (born April 21, 1964), best known as Al Cole, is an American former professional boxer. He won the IBF cruiserweight title and was a major force in the division until moving up to heavyweight, where he had less success. In 20 ...

, UD , 12 , 30/10/2003 , align=left,

Coconut Creek, Florida Coconut Creek is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Situated north of Miami, it had a population of 57,833 in 2020. It is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city seceded from ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Russell Chasteen , TKO , 2 , 28/06/2003 , align=left,

, 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 Chester is a city in northern Hancock County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. Sharing a border with Ohio and lying about west of Pennsylvania, Chester is the northernmost cit ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Willie Chapman , TKO , 4 , 01/02/2002 , align=left,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, 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 or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

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, 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 an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village 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 ea ...

, 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 Concho is an unincorporated community in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. It is north of the Concho Indian Boarding School. The post office opened April 20, 1915. The ZIP code is 73022. The school and post office were named for Indian agen ...

, 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, 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, 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, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Everett Martin , UD , 8 , 27/02/1998 , align=left,

Studio City, California Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 192 ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe Ballard , TKO , 1 , 16/01/1998 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eddie Gonzales , TKO , 1 , 13/12/1997 , align=left,

Northlake, Illinois Northlake is a city in 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, North Avenue ( IL 64) and Lake Street (US ...

, 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– Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,066 at the 2020 census. The town is located on South Padre Island, a ba ...

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

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, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Muhammed Raheem , KO , 1 , 19/07/1997 , align=left, Indio, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jerriel Bazile , TKO , 3 , 05/07/1997 , align=left,

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in 2020, it is the largest city in Rock Island County. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island ...

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

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

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

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

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

References

External links

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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 at the 1995 Pan American Games Boxers from Los Angeles American male boxers Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in boxing Goodwill Games medalists in boxing Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games