JUST when one thought Phillip "No Deal" Holiday would hang up his boxing gloves, especially after retiring in the 11th round against Samuel Colomban for the WBO Oriental welterweight title in March, the former world IBF lightweight champion who is based in Brisbane, Australia, won the Australian junior middleweight title.

JUST when one thought Phillip "No Deal" Holiday would hang up his boxing gloves, especially after retiring in the 11th round against Samuel Colomban for the WBO Oriental welterweight title in March, the former world IBF lightweight champion who is based in Brisbane, Australia, won the Australian junior middleweight title.

Holiday defeated Jason Kanofski at the Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane on a split points decision last week. According to international reports, it was a hard-fought victory. Judges Alan Burford and Tonny Kettlewell scored it 97-93 and 96-85 for Holiday while Alan Moore' s card read 98-97 for Kanofski.

The 40-year-old exiled South African improved to 39 wins (22 KOs), seven losses and a draw.

Holiday, who was born on May 23 1970 in Benoni, left South Africa for Australia after losing the IBF lightweight world championship to Shane Mosley in 1997.

Holiday was trained by Harold Volbrecht and promoted by Rodney Berman under Golden Gloves Promotions.

The soft-spoken but temperamental fighter continued to box, eventually settling in Queensland. He defeated Ernie Artango and Fred Kinuthia in 2002.

Holiday's last fight was on the Kosta Tszyu-James Leija bill at the Telstra Dome on January 19 2003 where he lost inside the distance for the first time - in round five against Mohommad Abdullaev.

Holiday held the world title from 1995 to 1997 and made six defences, including a second-round stoppage of Australian great Jeff Fenech. He lost to the title to future Hall of Famer Mosley in a close fight. Holiday's last competitive fight was in 2003 when he was stopped in four rounds by Muhammad Abdullaev for the WBO Intercontinental junior welterweight title.