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ST. LOUIS (AP) -Cory Spinks split from his longtime trainer and manager about three weeks ago and turned to familiar faces for his latest title bout this Thursday.
His father and uncle are among the ringside replacements.
Leon Spinks, a former heavyweight champion who once seized the title from Muhammad Ali, will assist his son when he defends his IBF junior middleweight championship against former three-time champ Verno Phillips. Michael Spinks, Cory Spinks' uncle and also a former heavyweight champion, will be working the corner as well.
Cory Spinks insists that his split from Kevin Cunningham, with whom he'd worked for about 13 years, will not be a distraction. He'll be trained by another longtime St. Louis boxing fixture, Buddy Shaw.
"We're just going with our game plan, that's all you ever do," Spinks said on Tuesday. "You can't worry about that right now, you've got a man in front of you that's trying to hurt you. All of them will be giving me advice, and it'll work to my advantage."
The 30-year-old Spinks is 36-4 with 11 knockouts and is a former undisputed world welterweight champion. He'll be fighting for the first time since May 19, when he lost a split decision to middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.
Spinks is nowhere near the puncher that his father or uncle were, diminishing his appeal even in his hometown. Leon Spinks, who lives in Chicago, said he'll advise his son to "keep his hands up and throw his best shot."
"He can't fight like I can, but he's got pretty good defense," Leon Spinks said. "He can duck and dodge and run. I tried not to get hit, too, but I'll catch you when I can."
The 38-year-old Phillips (41-11-1) is from Belize and lives in Denver. He is a former three-time 154-pound (70-kilogram) world junior middleweight champion, but he hasn't held the belt since 2004 and has gone 4-2 in his last six bouts.
Cunningham's sole focus on Thursday will be on another St. Louis fighter, WBC super lightweight champion Devon Alexander in a unification bout. The 21-year-old Alexander is unbeaten in 14 fights with eight knockouts entering his bout against Miguel Callist, 24-6-1 with 17 knockouts and the WBA title holder.
Cunningham indicated it was never that rosy working with Spinks, and that it was time to move on.
"He's being influenced by some new people, so it's best that we just part ways," Cunningham said. "I run a tight ship, my program is proven, and I'm not going to change the way I do things."
Cunningham walked past Cory Spinks without a greeting before a news conference held by promoter Don King, who gave history lessons about the Alamo and the Titanic during a rambling session at the microphone while not mentioning the split.
Cunningham and Alexander wore St. Louis Cardinals jackets and caps. Spinks, wearing a black sweater and sunglasses, sat on the other side of the dais.
"For sure, he'll beat this guy," Cunningham said. "I just think he's got too much. He's too talented and he has no business losing to Verno Phillips."
Promoters were hoping for a crowd of perhaps 8,000 for a card that will include eight fights with competitors from across the country and abroad, although three boxers have losing records. The Spinks name helped fill the 22,000-seat Scottrade Center for Cory Spinks' first St. Louis fight in 2005, when he lost on a ninth-round TKO to Zab Judah for the welterweight championship.
