LINCOLN — Jason Estrada (12-1, 2 KOs), Providence’s heavyweight boxer and 2004 Olympian, took a giant leap forward in his quest for the world heavyweight title when he scored a unanimous decision over 6-foot-8, 239-pound Lance Whitikar (32-5-1, 27 KOs) of Van Nuys, Calif., last night at Twin River.

The judges scored the bout 97-93, 98-92, and 98-92.

“His size was no big deal,” Estrada said. “My hands were just too fast for him. A couple of times I though he was going [down], but he hung in there. He’s a tough guy. The key was I fought my fight. I am America’s young heavyweight hope.”

Estrada fought most of the slow-paced bout with his back against the ropes but he was able to score points against Whitikar because Whitikar tried to get inside on Estrada instead of using his huge height and reach advantage.

It was a tactical fight for the most part with not too much excitement happening until late in the fifth round when both fighters exchanged shots. The rest of the fight saw Estrada beat the slower Whitikar to the punch.

In the co-main event, cruiserweight Aaron Williams (17-0-1, 12 KOs), the self-proclaimed “future of boxing,” from Las Vegas, Nev., dominated the former North American Boxing Organization cruiserweight champion Andre Purlette (40-3, 35 KOs).

Purlette, from Miami, put up a good fight in the first round when the two fighters exchanged blows in an action-packed affair, but Williams dominated the second round. He landed two consecutive powerful right hands to Purlette’s temple midway through the round and then sent him to the canvas with a powerful right hook.

Purlette beat the 10 count, but then Williams moved in for the kill. After a flurry of punches, the referee stopped the bout at 2:50 of the second round and awarded Williams a TKO.

“All of my hard work paid off tonight,” Williams said. “I’ve been so dedicated to this and so focused on this fight. This fight meant a lot to me. This is a step up for me.

“I fight every fight as if it is my last and when you work hard, good things happen.”

Williams, 21, is a nine-time U.S. amateur champion and he hopes to get a world title some time in the near future.

Providence light heavyweight Joey Spina improved to 22-1-1 with 15 KOs. Barely.

David Whittom (10-6-1, 6 KOs), the Quebec Boxing Council light heavyweight champion, gave Spina everything he could handle but in the end, the judges awarded Spina a majority decision.

Two judges scored the bout for Spina (58-56 and 57-56) and one judge awarded the bout to Whittom (57-56).

The difference was a thundering Spina left hand he landed early in the fourth round that sent Whittom to the canvas. It resulted in a 10-8 round for Spina that swung the bout in his favor on two of the judges’ scorecards.

On the undercard, super middleweight Andrey Nevsky (5-0, 3 KOs), from Clinton, Mass., pummeled Fitzgerald Johnson (1-4, 1 KO), of Ashboro, N.C., for four rounds to earn a unanimous decision and keep his undefeated record intact in the opening bout of the night.

All three judges scored the bout 40-35.

Flyweight Isander Beauchamp (5-0, 2 KOs), of Lowell, Mass., spoiled Rob Bell’s (0-1) pro debut when he scored a second-round TKO victory over Bell. The referee stopped the bout at 2:14 of the second round.

roblee@projo.com