By: Steve Gallegos
In 1996, HBO launched a new boxing series which was a spinoff from it’s World Championship Boxing program. It was called HBO’s Boxing After Dark. The bouts were televised later in the evening around 10 or 11 PM EST. It was a program for young, up and coming talent to be showcased and the main events were evenly matched bouts in which either fighter had a chance to win. 1997 was probably B.A.D.’s biggest year and probably the most exciting bout that year was a Jr. Welterweight championship bout between unbeaten champion Kostya Tzsyu and hard hitting “Cool” Vince Phillips.
Kostya Tszyu was one of the hottest young champions in the sport of boxing. He had power in either hand, knocking out 14 out his first 18 opponents. His Russian, Korean and Mongolian heritage gave him a rather unique look as he resembled somewhat of a kung-fu star, sporting a Mongolian style, braided tail. Vince Phillips was very exciting boxer-puncher who loved to mix it up. He had a major league right hand, which was probably the hardest right hand in boxing at that time. He was a seven year veteran who was 31-1 with 22 KO’s when he challenged Ike Quartey for his welterweight championship in April of 1996. He gave it his all and threw everything he could at Quartey for three rounds before being stopped.
Nine months later, he appeared on Boxing After Dark, losing a close split decision to 1988 olympic gold medalist Romallis Ellis in which Phillips was a late substitution for former world champion Christano Espana. After fighting those bouts at welterweight, Phillips decided he would move down to Jr. Welterweight. In the spring of 1997, Oscar De La Hoya vacated his WBC Super Lightweight title and fellow Mexican warriors Julio Cesar Chavez and Miguel Angel Gonzalez were scheduled to fight for the vacant title. Kostya Tszyu was hoping to meet the winner of that bout and unfify the 140 lb division as well as meet up with Oscar De La Hoya some time down the road. In order to do that, he first had to get past Vince Phillips.
They met on 05/31/97 at the ballroom at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ and it was for the IBF Jr. Welterweight championship. Phillips walked out of the dressing room to the song “I believe I can fly” by R. Kelly and he sported a welt underneath his right eye that he suffered during sparring. When Tszyu made it to the ring, he put both gloves on the top rope and jumped into the ring. In the first round, both fighters had their moments, getting in some good shots; however it was Kostya’s round. Tszyu was very relaxed and confident inside the ring as he stood back and picked his shots. Phillips showed a little more movement as he used his jab to setup his right hand.
Tszyu would dominate the second round as the left hook got going and he was able to land it at will. Although Phillips lost the round, he was still able to get in a right hand or two and it was getting Tszyu’s attention. The pace increased in the third round as both men exchanged hard shots, all with the intention of getting the other man out of there. There was also a battle in the stands as a portion of the crowd chanted “U.S.A., U.S.A” in support of Phillips and the Tszyu fans countered with there own chant of “Tszyu!!, Tszyu!!” The fourth round was more of the same as both men continued to trade hard shots. Phillips began to work the body very well and his right hand was finding its mark; however Tszyu was walking through Phillips‘ shots and countering with his own power shots.
The action continued in both the 5th and 6th rounds. In the seventh round, the tide began to turn as Phillips would land a 1-2, left, right combination that put Tszyu on the canvas. Tszyu was on his feet almost immediately; however it was a momentum boost for Phillips. The two men would stand in the center of the ring in the eighth round and trade hard shots. Both men looked tired, but they kept firing. Phillips‘ right hand was still finding its mark and Tszyu continued to counter with his own hard shots. In the ninth, Tszyu landed a left hook that opened up a bad cut over Phillips‘ right eye. Referee Benji Esteves called time and had the ringside doctor take a look at the cut. The doctor said the cut was ok and the fight resumed.
Phillips wasted no time as he began to go for the kill. He was getting the better of the exchanges and it looked like he was wearing Tszyu down. Larry Merchant, who was calling the fight ringside said, “Now we know what World War III would have looked like”. In the 10th, Phillips landed a hard right hand that buckled Tszyu. Seconds later, he would land another right hand that buckled Tszyu again and sent him reeling against the ropes. Phillips went in for the kill and landed five or six hard unanswered shots that had Tzsyu out on his feet and helplessly dazed, causing referee Benji Esteves to step in and stop the bout.
After 8 long years, Vince Phillips was finally a world champion. Jim Lampley and Roy Jones Jr. were ecstatic as they cried “Yes!!, Yes!!” It was 1997’s Upset of the year and Comeback of the year by Ring Magazine. Phillips would make his first defense just two months later against Lowell, Massachussetts’ “Irish” Micky Ward. Ward earned this title shot after a come from behind KO win over Mexican Alfonso Sanchez in which Ward lost every minute of every round before landing a hard body shot in the 7th which put Sanchez down and out. He would get a shot at Phillips‘ title which was an event that was omitted in the 2010 movie “The Fighter” starring Mark Whalberg.
Vince was successful in his first title defense by scoring a third round stoppage of Ward due to a cut caused by a right hand. Phillips would successfully defend his title twice more, both by KO before losing to Terron Millett in 1999. Phillips would continue fighting for the next 8 years, going 9-8-1 with 5 KO’s. His record as a professional stands at 48-12-1 with 34 KO’s.
Kostya Tzsyu rebounded well from this loss and would win another world title 18 months later when he stopped Cuban Diosbelys Hurtado. He would rack up 13 straight wins, unify all three major Jr. Welterweight title belts and would beat top notch opposition such as Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Sharmba Mitchell, and Zab Judah. He ruled the 140 lb. division for seven years before losing to Ricky Hatton in 2005. He retired with a record of 34-2-1 with 25 KO’s. In 2011, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The 1997 clash between Kostya Tszyu and Vince Phillips was only a small bump in the road for Tszyu, who went on to have a hall of fame career. For Phillips it was his crowning achievement that he strived so hard to reach. He was a fighter that wasn’t going to be denied on that night. The word “can’t” just wasn’t in his vocabulary.
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