A word to the wise: Don’t pick a fight with Phil! “I never lost in the street, as an amateur, or as a pro,” Phil once said with a laugh. In 1936, he won the sub-novice middleweight NYC Golden Gloves boxing title by scoring five knockouts in six bouts. One time, he scored two KOs on the same night. In May of the following year, he turned pro and was such a popular attraction, he fought his second bout at Madison Square Garden. He retired from the pros in 1939 with a 7-0 (5 KOs) record.