Virgil Hill - Professional Career

Professional Career

After going eighteen straight fights without a loss to start his pro career, 'Quicksilver' (his nickname) was a challenger to Leslie Stewart of Trinidad for the latter's WBA light heavyweight tile in September 1987 in Atlantic City. After an even match in the early going, Hill floored the defending title holder twice in the fourth round - first with a left hook and the second time with an uppercut - to take the title on a TKO win.

A series of ten successful defenses followed, eight of which took place in Bismarck, North Dakota. Offers were being made for Hill to fight in Las Vegas and other cities, but Virgil chose the place of his 'roots' and 'hometown fans' to be the place of the majority of his defenses. Opponents in his first run as champion included Bobby Czyz, James Kinchen, Joe Lasisi, and Ramzi Hassan. Then superstar Thomas Hearns would meet - and defeat - Hill in Las Vegas by decision in June 1991 to end Hill's first reign as champion.

After a couple of fights over the next year or so, it was Hill pitted against 1984 Olympic teammate Frank Tate in September 1992 for the vacant WBA 175-lb. title (the same title that Hearns won from Hill, but which was vacated after Iran Barkley dethroned Hearns afterward). It was a 'grudge match' between the two, and Hill won the decision (and the title) on his home turf of Bismarck. Another string of ten defenses would follow, including a rematch with Tate, a close decision over Lou Del Valle (who almost upset Hill), and a decision over IBF title holder Henry Maske to unify the belts, before German/Polish fighter & WBO title holder Dariusz Michalczewski scored a unanimous decision over Hill in June 1997 to unify the WBA, WBO & IBF titles.

Hill continued to fight, including against Roy Jones Jr. the following year, and was stopped in four. It was then on to the cruiserweights for the aging Hill, and he won a title at age 36 - the WBA cruiserweight title - by knocking down Fabrice Tiozzo three times to win the title in Villeurbanne, France by TKO in the first. He made his first defense, also in France, against Jean-Marc Mormeck, but would lose both match and title on cuts after nine rounds. He then decisioned Donny Lalonde in July 2003 in a North Dakota-Manitoba 'border fight', but later lost a disputed decision to Mormeck in a title rematch in South Africa in May 2004.

On Saturday January 27, 2006 Virgil Hill defeated previously undefeated Russian cruiserweight Valery Brudov by unanimous decision to win the 'regular' WBA World Cruiserweight championship. Despite being cut on the face in the sixth round, Hill was able to out hustle and out work his much younger opponent to capture his fifth world title at the age of 42.

His next to last fight was held in Germany on March 31, 2007. He faced Henry Maske, whom Hill had beaten in 1996 to unify the WBA and IBF light heavyweight titles. Maske had announced his retirement prior to that fight and was frustrated to end his career with a loss, the only loss in his professional career. When he heard about Hill capturing the world title again at the age of 42, he decided to challenge him for a rematch. Hill lost the Maske rematch, then lost to Firat Arslan in a 12 round title bout. Hill worked with his wife, Carla Hill, for their first ever boxing card and promotion at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on July 16, 2011.