Virgil "Quicksilver" Hill: Light Heavyweight Great

Born in Clinton, Missouri, on January 18, 1964, Virgil Hill's family moved to North Dakota when he was 3 years old. He grew up in a family with one brother and three sisters, and it was Hill's father who got him started in boxing at the age of 8.

As an amateur, Virgil Hill ran up a record of 288-11 and won the National Golden Gloves at middleweight. Having secured a berth on the famed 1984 Olympic Boxing Team, He would have won a gold medal in Los Angeles that year, were it not for a typical Olympic snafu. Although not as famous as the famous screwjob that Roy Jones, Jr. would receive in Seoul in 1988, Hill claims he was robbed of his gold medal due to South Korean tampering with the results. The record says he lost to his South Korean opponent by 3-2, and he had to be satisfied with a silver medal.
He turned pro in November 1984, debuting as a middleweight.

Virgil Hill stood 6 foot with a 77" reach, and he would spend most of his career campaigning as a light heavyweight. He was therefore neither particularly tall or rangy for his division, but nonetheless the signature of his boxing arsenal was his jab. Hill was a quick, agile fighter who could employ his masterful jab in either offense or defense, and with it he piled on the points and won clean points victories.

In his early boxing career, Virgil Hill spent a lot of time on the road, but he never forgot his adopted home in North Dakota. As one of the few sports stars to emerge from that state, Hill found it easy and rewarding to build a loyal following there. As time went on, many of Hill's fights were staged in his home state, but not his first world championship bout.

First Reign

In September 1987, Virgil "Quicksilver" Hill was undefeated in 18 fights and set to meet Leslie Stewart of Trinidad and Tobago for the WBA Light Heavyweight crown. Stewart had won the title by beating Marvin Johnson, and also had a win over Fulgencio Obelmejias, so he was no slouch. Nonetheless, Hill knocked Stewart out in 4 and joined the ranks of 1984 Olympians who won professional gold.

Mixing most of his title defenses before an adoring North Dakota crowd, Virgil Hill made 10 title defenses over the next 4 years. Along the way he picked off Bobby Czyz and a 20-0 Joe Lasisi, a man who had beaten future cruiserweight champ Uriah Grant.

The long reign stood as a testament to the consistency and professionalism of the man, and it earned him a big money fight against living legend Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns. Hearns was the underdog going into that fight, as he was regarded as too small and too old for the seasoned and proven Hill. However, one of the things that is often forgotten about Hearns is that he actually began his pugilistic career as a pure boxer, and transitioned into being a savage puncher only in his late teens. Pulling out all his experience and skill, Hearns a close-but-unanimous decision win over Hill. 27 years old, Hill had lost his undefeated status and his title.

Second Reign

Virgil Hill would not have to wait long to get his black WBA title belt back. Hearns would lose the title to the brawling Iran Barkley, who would in turn vacate it. After a short comeback, he squared off with fellow 1984 Olympian Frank Tate for the vacant belt in front of a roaring Bismarck, North Dakota crowd in September 1992. Hill jabbed his way to a lopsided points victory, becoming a two-time 175 lbs. champion.

His second reign was, if anything, more impressive than his first. In his first defense, Virgil Hill whipped Kentuckian and future cruiserweight champion Adolpho Washington. Then Hill traveled to France and defeated future light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Fabrice Tiozzo. He also outpointed an undefeated Lou Del Valle, who would also go on to win a 175 lbs. title.

The crowning achievement of his second reign would come in November 1996, when Hill traveled to Germany to do battle with Henry Maske. An IBF champion with 10 title defenses to his name and a 30-0 record, Maske was Hill's only rival to the claim of being the best light heavyweight in the world. It was risky fighting a popular German champion on his home soil (Germany is a notorious for its crooked judging), but Hill made the journey and defeated Maske by Split Decision. He went home as the WBA-IBF champion and the clear top dog of his division.

At this point, boxing superstar Roy Jones, Jr. had moved up to light heavyweight and beaten Mike McCallum for the WBC title. Given Jones's standing with HBO, the most natural thing in the world would be to stage a unification bout to establish an Undisputed World Champion. Natural that is to everyone but Jones, who was very picky about his opponents and avoided the then-dangerous Hill. Roy Jones went on to embarrass himself against Montell Griffin, leaving Virgil Hill looking for a dance partner.

In June 1997, 33 year old Virgil Hill went back to Germany to make his 11th defense against another undefeated fighter, Dariusz Michalczewski. A Pole living in Germany, Michalczewski was a strong, tough, powerful puncher who worked behind a workmanlike style. It might not have been flashy, but Michalczewski made few mistakes and threw punishing blows. For his part, Hill was not "Quicksilver" that night. Strangely immobile, Hill was an easy target for Michalczewski, and he absorbed a lot of hard leather on his way to a crushing points loss.

Cruiserweight

Now that Virgil Hill looked old and beatable, suddenly Roy Jones was very interested in fighting him. Meeting in April 1998, Hill managed to give Jones plenty of trouble with his masterful jab for a few rounds, but ultimately succumbed to Jones's superlative speed. Landing a withering hook to the body that snapped Hill's ribs, Jones put the veteran former champion down and out. Hill was in so much pain that he simply couldn't get back on his feet. It was his third defeat, and his first by knockout.

After being beaten up by Michalczewski and smashed by Jones, boxing pundits were writing Hill off. He was an underdog when he moved up to cruiserweight (190 lbs.) and traveled to France for a December 2000 rematch with champion Fabrice Tiozzo. Although Hill had whipped Tiozzo in their first encounter, the Frenchman was making the 4th defense of his WBA title and was looking like the better man. Hill went out and destroyed Tiozzo, knocking him down 3 times in the 1st Round and producing a stunning 1st Round knockout. It was The Ring magazine's Comeback of the Year.

The comeback was short-lived, however, and there would be no long championship reign at crusierweight. Hill was unable to secure a fight for two long years, meeting Jean Marc Mormeck in February 2002. Hill's age and rust showed, and after taking a beating he gave up in the 9th.

Hill would try to comeback again, and by May 2004 had earned a rematch with Mormeck. He did much better in the return bout, but still lost on points. In 2007, Hill was humiliated when he lost on points in a rematch to Henry Maske, who had retired after losing to Hill and not fought in more than a decade. Virgil Hill last fought in November 2007, and remains an active fighter.