Aurora’s Verno Phillips, a former world champion, will challenge Cory Spinks for the IBF junior middleweight title in a boxing bout Thursday in St. Louis.
In Spinks’ corner will be his father, Leon Spinks, a former heavyweight champion who once beat Muhammad Ali, and his uncle Michael Spinks, also a former champion.
The 38-year-old Phillips (41-11-1) is a former three-time 154-pound world junior middleweight champion, but he hasn’t held the belt since 2004 and has gone 4-2 in his last six bouts. Spinks, 30, is 36-4 with 11 knockouts.
Phinney has shot at Beijing.
Boulder cyclist Taylor Phinney will compete today in the individual pursuit at the world championships in Manchester, England. He is tied for third in the overall world rankings and could earn a spot on the U.S. team for the Beijing Olympics by finishing seventh or better.
Phinney, 17, son of Olympic medalists Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter, is a senior at Boulder High.
