Hill Remains Undefeated With a KO

Virgil Hill remained undefeated in 29 fights when a bloodied Frankie Minton threw in the towel after the eighth round of their non-title bout Saturday night.

Hill, who did not risk his World Boxing Assn. light-heavyweight title for the bout, pounded Minton with lefts and rights.

Although Minton was not knocked down, he was cut above his right eye in the fourth round.

“It was bleeding,” Minton said. “I saw a lot of blood.”

At the end of the eighth, in which Hill staggered Minton just before the bell, Minton and his manager, Pete Susens, told referee Richard Steele that they had had enough.

“He was more beaten than the cut,” Steele said. “The cut was the least worry. To save him, they felt the fight should’ve stopped.”

“I thought I had a bad cut over my eye,” said Minton, 26-9-1.

The cut did not prove to be as serious as he thought, Minton said. It did not require stitches or impair his vision.

Sitting at ringside for the fight before about 4,000 at the Bismarck Civic Center was Michael Moorer, the unbeaten World Boxing Organization light-heavyweight champion.

The Hill and Moorer camps are negotiating a title unification bout sometime next spring.

Hill’s manager, Gary Martinson, said the two fighters agree they should fight. Details of the contract are being worked out.