By Cliff Rold
Sometimes a defeat is just what a fighter needs to get started with their career. It might just be the case for 25-year old James “Buddy” McGirt Jr., the son of the former World Welterweight champion. Entering the ring for the first time since being stopped by fellow family dynasty hopeful Carlos DeLeon Jr. in April of this year, McGirt scored the biggest win of his young career by earning a crowd-pleasing decision over 39-year old Middleweight stalwart Raymond Joval (37-5, 16 KO) of the Netherlands on Friday night at the City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Both men weighed in slightly above the Middleweight limit of 160 lbs., McGirt at 160 ½ and Joval at 162 ½.
McGirt (19-1, 9 KO) displayed the education of a first loss throughout the first two rounds, working patiently and intelligently behind a long southpaw right jab and sharp left crosses. There was no rush to his work, and he notably kept his hands high, eyes wide and focused on a Joval who has been in with some of the best. It was basic, fundamental, successful strategy for all of those opening six minutes.
The dominant boxing of the first two rounds became painful power punching in the third. At about a minute into the round, a right hook-straight left combination buckled the veteran and McGirt stalked to seize the advantage. A jarring right hook at ring center midway through the round brought the first knockdown of the round. Joval rose, but the punishment was not complete. Inside the final minute and another long left hand rocketed Joval down the ropes toward the floor. Showing hurt in both eyes, Joval gamely rose again, letting the referee know at the end of the mandatory eight that he could continue. Informed that another knockdown would end the fight, Joval stayed on his feet as McGirt failed to use his jab to set up the finishing power shots he craved.
There would no knockdowns in the fourth but McGirt continued to control the action, occasionally rocking Joval while patiently applying well timed, well chosen shots for maximum affect. The lead right hook continued to score as did the jab and long left.
McGirt applied the jab methodically to start the fifth and, while not popping the big power shots behind it, kept Joval nervously away. When he did get inside on McGirt, it was behind the double jab but nothing telling was following behind it. A slashing left connected for McGirt in the middle of the round, another in the final minute but the offensive output was showing signs of decline until the final seconds when two shoeshine flurries to the body were finished with right hooks.
Potential fatigue began to show in the younger man as the sixth round wore on. While the right hook and left cross were still being thrown, the steam that had been there only a few rounds before was missing. In the final minute, Joval mustered his best offense of the night, working his right hand to the body and some scoring hooks to the head. A brief increase of volume from the crowd paid respect to his efforts and the potential for a big turnaround in the momentum hung in the air.
With renewed confidence, Joval continued to press McGirt at the start of the seventh, creating room for both men to move their hands and land upstairs. A trading of body shots at mid-ring failed to deter either man. Punching away in a mutual clinch, McGirt’s mouthpiece fell to the floor for a brief break but he probably could have used a few seconds more. A flurry of slapping shots to the head was met by a hard left hook from Joval and then another brief break in the action after a Joval low blow drew a warning from the referee.
The warning didn’t slow Joval in round eight, who immediately landed a high right to the belt line, and then another thirty seconds later. Neither shot strayed far enough south to draw the ire of the official and both men carried on trading jabs in search of opening with more lethal potential. A double jab landed for Joval to set up some short chopping hooks upstairs and a couple more touching shots to the ribs. McGirt continued to punch with him all the way, working in occasional combinations and some singularly hard blows to the head sure to attract the attention of the judges.
McGirt began the ninth firing hard once again, perhaps with a second wind, but Joval was in no mood to give quarter. A right from Joval provoked a left-right from McGirt and in the final minute, McGirt had established the control of geography he’d had early on, popping the jab and stepping to the side, away from the rushes of Joval.
As round ten began, Joval’s need for a miracle finish was obvious and he’d rarely shown the power to make the idea realistic. McGirt set out right away to discourage any optimism with a stiff right-left. Jovial worked his way inside to give himself a chance but McGirt continued to fire, lacing Jovial with hooks between Joval combinations. In the final minute, each man let it all hang out, trading hooks and crosses back and forth on even terms to finish what had been a surprisingly entertaining effort from both men.
The official decision went to the right man, if through somewhat wide margins, by scores of 97-91 and 99-89 twice. Joval came into the bout rated just inside the top ten by Ring Magazine and unrated by any of the major sanctioning bodies. McGirt is likely to stay outside the ratings for the time being, but he took a step in the right direction in showing the ability to bounce back from defeat.
Other Televised Action
Heavyweights: Nagy Aguilera (9-0, 6 KOs) W UD8 Gary Wilcox (21-4, 7 KOs)
The card was televised live on ESPN2 and promoted by Pugnacious Promotions.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
