Thread: Is Buddy McGirt overrated as a trainer?

Flashback a few years ago Buddy McGirt was a very celebrated trainer considering his revival of a career for Arturo Gatti and his protege Tarver's two victories over former pound 4 pound king Roy Jones Jr.

Did he win trainer of the year? I'm pretty sure he did but I don't know.

But in between all that success seems to be many failures of fighters who switched to be trained by him only to become worse fighters.

Fighters like

Panchito Bojado who came a cropper against Leija when Floyd Mayweather couldn't train him for the fight.

Lamon brewster, looked terrible against Meehan and lost to Lyakovich and then Wladimer

Paulie Malignaggi, after the Cotto fight he left his trainer for Buddy. But never seemed to have the flash, or style that got him to that point and after winning the title looked absolute crap in his defenses, getting hit often, and against Ndou, someone he dominated prior, came up with a split decision win and was then beaten by Hatton.

Joel Casamayor. switches trainers after defeating Chico Corrales, gets McGirt and then loses to Corrales in the rematch, getting hit a lot more and not looking nearly as effective.

Joel Julio against Carlos Quintanna

So far the only true successes I see on Buddy's record as a trainer are Tarver beating Roy Jones Jr, and Gatti's career lasting 3 years longer.

But in your opinions is Buddy McGirt one of boxings most overrated trainers?

Lamon Brewster lost to Sergei Lyakhovich because he got his orbital bone broken early in the fight and may have suffered a detatched retina or something like that. Lamon needed to learn how to BOX because in the first fight with Wladimir he won but he still got his ass whupped at the same time....he took a hell of a beating and at that stage of his career he needed to change things up.

I think Buddy doesn't gameplan well with his fighters because any of them that get stumped by a style or a fighter he usually has no answers for them in the corner. Manny Steward and Freddy Roach (another overrated trainer) are far better in the corner than Buddy

I dont know if he is overrated or he is just BAD LUCK. Either way, I would not pick him as my trainer that is for sure.

He just gives his fighters one way to win and if they can't do it or can't adapt on their own they are screwed. Gatti and Brewster got messed up when they couldn't outbox who they were fighting.


Buddy McGirt's only advice in the corner seems to be "Do better or I'll throw in the towel"

He does not seem to inspire ? He has always been a very low-key guy.I do have a suspicion that he will 'urge' his son to call it a career though.

Maybe if he did a little "Yoel" boom boom bap boom. I think he just hasn't got the right fighter that can execute his strategy, which means he can't adapt. Perhaps overrated is the correct term.

I think hes a good trainer but hes done some questionable things. The thing that stands out to me was his gameplan for Gatti to outbox Mayweather. But hes done some other things with his fighters that proved to be very sucessful. I thought he was crazy to have his son fight Joval after his first loss, but t proved to be a genius move and the perfect fiht for Jr. Obviously his career has gone downhill since but thats not because of McGirt Sr. Overall, I think hes a good trainer, I think its fair to say a bit overrated but there was like a two year period a couple years ago when his fighters were doing well and he noticably adjusted them for the better.

I think Lyle hit the nail on the head. Those have been my thoughts exactly. Plus, he seems to pull the rug of confidence right out from under his fighters if things aren't going their way. Stuff like: "I can't let you keep taking those punches like that." The way he says it, comes out sounding to my ears like: "Either just run for the rest of the fight, or let's call it, cuz there's no way for you to win."

Could be that he's a good trainer, but maybe not so hot at cornering?

I think he is probably a very good trainer, but his work in the corner is quite frankly abysmal. He has though I think helped take fighters to world titles who quite honestly shouldn't have been there IMO. I don't think he can be blamed for Malignaggi's performances, I think that all comes down to the fact Paulie hasn't got no power, & it consistently hurts him against fighters who're even 2nd tier

I've never seen a McGirt fighter win a fight....ever.

Going by his corner work, i'd imagine his training skills are about as good as mine.

You really have to pick your spots when you give your fighter bad news in the corner and you really have to know your fighter as well. Buddy rarely gives any advice at all in the corner and he always tells his fighters bad news, maybe his fighters just can't handle it but there is some disconnect between what Buddy tells his fighters and what he expects them to do.

Originally Posted by Lyle

You really have to pick your spots when you give your fighter bad news in the corner and you really have to know your fighter as well. Buddy rarely gives any advice at all in the corner and he always tells his fighters bad news, maybe his fighters just can't handle it but there is some disconnect between what Buddy tells his fighters and what he expects them to do.

I do remember Malignaggi saying after the Hatton fight in an interview i saw on youtube that when Buddy said for him to do something or he was gonna stop the fight he didn't take him seriously, he thought he was just trying to spur him on and when Buddy did stop the fight he was like 'wtf!?' which is why he was pissed. So you'd be spot on about the disconnect between him and his fighters

I cant remeber any Buddy McGirt fighter ever winning a big fight. It has gotton to the point where if I see McGirt in the corner, I feel like I already now the outcome of the fight.

HBO should show a "spoiler alert" before showing Buddy on camera.

He also has never had an extremely talented and dedicated fighter in his crop. The fighter is 80% and the trainer is 20% IMO.

Manny Steward has had his share of flops, like Kermit and Jermaine Taylor.

If the fighter is extremely intelligent, talented, and dedicated the trainer plays a much smaller role like in Money Mayweather and Roy Jones cases....

Originally Posted by Hunter

He also has never had an extremely talented and dedicated fighter in his crop. The fighter is 80% and the trainer is 20% IMO.

Manny Steward has had his share of flops, like Kermit and Jermaine Taylor.

If the fighter is extremely intelligent, talented, and dedicated the trainer plays a much smaller role like in Money Mayweather and Roy Jones cases....

You are one helluva trainer if J Taylor is one of your 'flops.'