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Phillips wins split decision to land IBF title

Cory Spinks, right, escapes an uppercut from Verno Phillips during their IBF Junior Middleweight Championship fight on Thursday in St Louis, Missouri. PHOTO: AP

Having his famous father and uncle working the corner was no help to Cory Spinks, who lost his IBF light middleweight title to Verno Phillips in a 12-round split decision on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Spinks (36-5) has lost his past two fights. This defeat came a few weeks after a split with longtime trainer and manager Kevin Cunningham, and despite moral support from Leon Spinks and Michael Spinks, Cory's father and uncle and both former heavyweight champions.

"I felt good, just a little rusty, that's all," Spinks said of his first fight in 10 months. "I'm upset with myself. I let myself down."

Spinks said the layoff was too much to overcome and that he ended up going toe-to-toe as a result.

"I was trying to give the fans a little excitement," he said. "I should have just boxed, but it was also the rust."

"I felt like I could just get myself out of the way, but that wasn't the case and he caught me with some shots I shouldn't have gotten hit with," he said.

Michael Spinks thought his nephew had won the fight.

"Being the champ, I thought Cory was going to get the decision," he said. "I thought it was going Cory's way."

Cory Spinks, the former undisputed welterweight champion, hopes to get back into the ring soon.

"I will get my titles back," he said. "I'm a still a champ. I will still succeed."

The fight was Spinks' third in his hometown and perhaps his last, given the lackluster attendance of 8,874, including thousands of free tickets. His first fight in 2005 sold out the 22,000-seat Scottrade Center.

"I felt like his people were booing him because he didn't bring it," Phillips said.

The 38-year-old Phillips (42-11-1) had held the IBF light middle belt in 2004, winning the vacant title by defeating Carlos Bojorquez before losing it to Kassim Ouma.

Unlike Spinks, Phillips overcame a layoff -- it was his first fight in 13 months.

Cunningham's focus now is on unbeaten Devon Alexander (15-0), the aggressor throughout his 12-round unanimous decision over Miguel Callist of Panama on the undercard, taking the WBC's Continental Americas light welterweight title.

Alexander knocked down the 33-year-old Callist (24-7-1) in the final round and had him in full retreat by the end of the fight.

The 21-year-old Alexander said he wants to fight for a world title by the end of the year.

"St Louis has a new champion," he said. "And I'm going to stay around."
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