Cory Spinks captured the IBF junior middleweight crown with a majority decision win over Roman Karmazin in front of a large pro-Spinks crowd at the Savvis Center.

Two judges scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Spinks, while a third had it a draw, 114-114.

Spinks (35-3) the former undisputed welterweight champion, asserted himself well in his first fight at 154 pounds. Despite a 17-month layoff following his knockout loss to Zab Judah, Spinks showed no ring rust as he built up an early lead on the scorecards.

The St. Louis native routinely beat Karmazin (34-2-1), who was making the first defense of his title, to the punch in the early rounds, using a quick right jab followed by a straight left hand to do his damage.

Karmazin found the challenger more frequently as the fight progressed, enjoying his best rounds down the stretch. In the 10th, the Russian caught Spinks with a hard right hook, and followed it with a short left that briefly staggered the hometown favorite. However, the action occurred in the final 30 seconds of the round, and Spinks escaped on his feet.
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