ST. LOUIS —  Having his famous father and uncle working the corner was no help Thursday night to Cory Spinks, who relinquished his IBF junior welterweight championship in his hometown in a 12-round split decision to Verno Phillips.

The 30-year-old Spinks (36-5) has lost his last two fights. The latest setback 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."

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 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) is a former three-time 154-pound world junior middleweight champion who last held the belt in 2004. Unlike Spinks, Phillips overcame a layoff; it was his first fight since Feb. 16, 2007.

Cunningham's focus now is on unbeaten Devon Alexander (15-0) of St. Louis, the aggressor throughout his 12-round unanimous decision over Miguel Callist of Panama in a bout matching regional super lightweight titlists.

Alexander, who delivers all of his punches with a loud grunt, 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.

"Devon did what he had to do," Cunningham said. "There's not much you can do when a guy brings his track shoes instead of boxing shoes."

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."

Five of the first six bouts on the eight-bout card were mismatches decided in the first round, with the losers all carrying sub-.500 records. Super lightweight Angelo Santana (2-0) of Cuba needed only one flurry and 28 seconds to knock out Rasool Shakoor (1-3) of Jackson, Mich.

Heavyweight Kertson Manswell of Trinidad & Tobago (15-0 with 13 knockouts) got a quick TKO over Cerrone Fox (8-8) of Benton Harbor, Mich.; heavyweight Bermane Stiverne of Las Vegas (14-1, 14 KOs) dispatched Jimmy Haynes (18-15-2) of Corbin, Ky., in 2:08; super middleweight Marcus Johnson (13-0, 14 KOs) of Killeen, Texas, beat Jose Medina of Miami; and John Jackson of Miami (11-1) got his 11th knockout in 2:10 over Leroy Newton of Michigan City, Ind.

The exception was an eight-round unanimous decision by cruiserweight Francisco Palacios (14-0) over Zack Page (14-19-1), who wore a "World's Greatest Dad" T-shirt into the ring and also at a news conference earlier in the week.

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