Russian Left Whitaker Out in Cold

Lance Whitaker knows where he stands.

The amateur boxer from San Fernando is well aware of his limitations and is certain to face that foible again, toe to toe.

Next time, he’ll be better prepared.

For the third time in as many meetings, Whitaker, the top-ranked amateur super heavyweight in the United States, lost to Russia’s Aleksei Lezin. The most recent setback came in the gold-medal bout of the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“It was the same old thing,” said Whitaker, whose goal is to make the 1996 Olympic team. “The only thing he’s got over me is that he’s a lefty--and that gives me problems.”

Not many boxers have troubled the 6-foot-8, 235-pound Whitaker.

The former San Fernando High football and basketball player has been boxing for two years. He has won 29 of 33 bouts, but three of his four losses are to Lezin, the three-time Russian national champion.

“He’s in my place, he’s holding me back,” Whitaker said. “He has my gold medal. I should be No. 1 in the world.”

There’s work to be done before he can accomplish the latter. In a 17-0 loss to Lezin over three three-minute rounds in Russia, the soft-spoken Whitaker never landed a punch--or so the judges ruled.

“I hit the guy plenty of times, but they didn’t count it,” he said.

Although Whitaker claims he was a bundle of nerves before the bout because of the Russian crowd of 2,500 and the media interviews that preceded the fight, he respects his opponent’s skills. Whitaker was never hurt in the bout, but Lezin repeatedly beat him to the punch--and in amateur bouts, landing a punch is everything.

Whitaker intended to stay outside Lezin’s reach, but the 6-foot-5, 222-pound Russian picked off Whitaker’s jab with his right hand and banged him repeatedly with his left. Despite his height and weight advantage, Whitaker was no match for Lezin’s quickness.

“It all changed when I got inside the ring,” said Whitaker, 23. “I couldn’t get my punches off like I wanted to. After the first and second round, it was pretty much over.”

The battle was over, but not the war. Whitaker and Lezin will fight at the Pan American Games in January, so it’s no surprise Whitaker is looking for a good sparring partner--with one requirement.

“Yeah, I’m looking for a left-hander,” Whitaker said with a chuckle.