Lance Whitaker


Lance Whitaker 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 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 21–3
  • Finals: Lost to Alexei Lezin 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 13–9
  • 1/2: Lost to Pedro Carrión by walkover
Pan American Games, Mar del Plata, Argentina, March 1995:
  • 1/4: Defeated Andrew Stewart by walkover
  • 1/2: Lost to Leonardo Martinez Fizz KO 1
United States National Championships, Colorado Springs, Colorado, February 1996:
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