05.06.04 – In a bout in which he had his way throughout, IBF No. 2 contender Verno Phillips registered a sixth-round TKO over late substitute and IBF No. 15 contender, Carlos Bojorquez, to capture the vacant IBF junior middleweight title Saturday on SHOWTIME. In the co-feature undefeated Jeff Lacy retained his WBC Continental Americas/NABA and USBA super middleweight crowns when his IBF elimination bout with Vitali Tsypko ended in a no-decision after the second round. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader aired at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on West Coast) and was promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, in association with Tony Holden Productions.
Phillips (38-9-1, 20 KOs), of Troy, N.Y., did not come close to losing a round en route to winning his seventh bout in a row and the IBF crown previously owned by Winky Wright, who was stripped of the belt. Assuming total command from the outset, Phillips punished Bojorquez with both hands to the head and body and landed the harder, more effective punches. He scored the bout’s lone knockdown after landing a series of blows that dropped Bojorquez in the closing seconds of the sixth round. Phillips’ last defeat came two-and-a-half years ago to Kassim Ouma. The rematch of what was a terrific action fight was supposed to be Saturday on SHOWTIME, but the No. 1-ranked Ouma withdrew with an injury earlier in the week. The hard- working Phillips is a former World Boxing Organization (WBO) 154-pound champion. He captured the title by scoring a seventh-round TKO over Lupe Aquino on Oct. 30, 1993, and made three successful defenses. A seasoned boxer-puncher, who has won 12 out of his past 13 starts, Phillips owns victories over former world champions Julian Jackson, Gianfranco Rosi, Aquino and Julio Cesar Vasquez.
Bojorquez (22-5-6, 18 KOs), of Los Mochis, Mexico, gave his best and tried to be competitive, but never could find a rhythm. Mostly, he fought like a guy who accepted the opportunity to fight for a world title on five days’ notice. Bojorquez, who learned of the fight last Tuesday and was on a plane to Joplin the next day, owns a victory over former three-time world champion and future Hall of Famer Pernell Whitaker.
Lacy (16-0, 1 ND, 13 KOs), of St. Petersburg, Fla., was starting to get into a groove and landed the best punch of the abbreviated bout when he connected with a right hand that rocked Tsypko (photo: Tom Casino/Showtime)in the second. But the fight was stopped by the referee, after conferring with the ringside physician, at the conclusion of the round. Lacy, who was making his ninth SHOWTIME appearance, entered the bout ranked No. 4 in the IBF. A victory would have advanced him to No. 2 and a shot with IBF No. 1 contender Syd Vanderpool for the vacant title later in the year. His promoter, Gary Shaw, indicated that he would petition the IBF to approve the matchup, with the winner to meet Tsypko. Lacy went 209-12 in the amateurs, won numerous competitions and made it to the second round of the 2000 Olympics.
Tsypko (15-0, 1 ND, 8 KOs), of Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine, suffered a bad cut over the left eye from the unintentional headbutt. His cornermen were unable to stop the bleeding between rounds, and the southpaw fought the entire second round with blood streaming down his face. Tsypko, who was making his United States debut, showed some ability and had fought mostly on equal terms until the bout was stopped. Until Saturday, he had fought all but one of his contests in his homeland and Germany since turning pro on Oct. 16, 1999.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called Saturday’s action from ringside with Steve Farhood serving as roving reporter. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was Jay Larkin, with David Dinkins, Jr. producing and Bob Dunphy directing.
The next SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast is Saturday, July 3. In the main event, former World Boxing Association (WBA) junior lightweight champion and current WBA No. 3/IBF No. 5 and World Boxing Council (WBC) No. 6 contender Joel Casamayor (30-2, 19 KOs) will be opposed by undefeated former North American Boxing Organization (NABO) featherweight champion Daniel Seda (20-0-1, 16 KOs). The telecast will air at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on West Coast) from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla.