Whitaker Dominated in Goodwill Final

Lance Whitaker of Northridge, the country’s top-ranked amateur super heavyweight who began boxing about two years ago, lost to Alexi Lezin of Russia, 17-0, Saturday in the gold-medal bout of the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The inexperienced Whitaker (29-4), 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, was no match for Lezin, losing to the three-time Russian national champion for the third time.

Lezin, a left-hander, continually befuddled Whitaker, beating him to the punch at almost every opportunity and preventing the American from using his height and weight advantages.

“He beat me, he beat me good,” Whitaker said. “He was faster than me and I was about two seconds late with every punch I threw.”