A native of Granada Hills, Los Angeles, Whitaker attended San Fernando High School, where he played football and basketball.

[1][2] 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.

[4] National Golden Gloves, Little Rock, Arkansas, May 1993: U.S. Olympic Festival, San Antonio, Texas, July–August 1993: United States National Championships, 1994: Goodwill Games, Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 1994: U.S. Pan Am Trials, Portland, Oregon, January 1995: Giraldo Córdova Cardín, Matanzas, Cuba, February 1995: Pan American Games, Mar del Plata, Argentina, March 1995: United States National Championships, Colorado Springs, Colorado, February 1996: U.S. Olympic Box-Offs, 1996:

Whitaker then scored a devastating KO victory over contender Oleg Maskaev 2001, perhaps the biggest win of his career.

In 2006 Whitaker lost to Sultan Ibragimov by knockout, effectively putting an end to his hope for future title belt opportunities.