Exclusive Boxing Interview: James McGirt Jr

© Jim Everett / Saddo Boxing

Friday night at the Miccosukee Resort in Miami, Florida, undefeated Super Middleweight James McGirt Jr 18-0 (9) will face Carlos De Leon Jr 19-2-2 (12) in his first scheduled ten round bout live on Showtime’s Shobox, the New Generation.

No pun intended but the “new generation” is just what James McGirt Jr has become. He is the son of former World Champion James “Buddy” McGirt and has already made his own claim rising up the ranks of the heavily talented Super Middleweight division.

Only in the professional ranks for the past four years McGirt Jr fought in both the Middleweight and Super Middleweight divisions deciding to compete specifically at the 168 pound weight class last year. He has been very active in his career fighting five times in 2007 and looking to stay just as busy in 2008.

Saddoboxing had the pleasure of speaking with McGirt Jr at his father’s gym in Florida in an exclusive phone interview as he wrapped up his training camp.

Saddoboxing: How are you feeling? Are you ready for Friday?

James McGirt: “Yes sir, I’m very excited.”

SB: Is there any additional pressure from fighting a live telecast versus a non-televised bout?

JM: “No, a fights a fight, television or not. This is my dream, this is what we work hard for, this is the fun part.”

SB: How much do you know about your opponent, Carlos De Leon Jr?

JM: “I don’t really know too much about him, I know my father has studied tapes of him. He says he’s a very good fighter and throws a good left hook. We just have to go in there and bring what we have to bring and let them worry about us.”

SB: Did you and your father work on anything specific during training camp?

JM: “Yes, we worked with a lot of pressure fighters; we worked with Glen Johnson and a couple of Light Heavyweights. They all brought excellent pressure and a lot of experience to the ring.”

SB: Is there anything specific that you are anticipating from De Leon Jr?

JM: “No sir, I’m not a big trash talker; I just go in there and try to do what I have to do and get the win. I don’t worry about too much, as long as you’re boxing and being smart there’s nothing that can stop you.”

SB: I’d like to give your fans an opportunity to learn more about your background; how old were you when you started boxing?

JM: “I started when I was nineteen turning twenty.”

SB: Oh, so kind of a late start?

JM: “Yes, I played basketball growing up through middle school, high school and college but things didn’t work out in college. I was seventeen and on my own, trying to live the college life but I couldn’t do it.”

SB: What was it that got you into boxing specifically?

JM: “I didn’t have my dad around to tell me no.”

SB: So it wasn’t something that he encouraged for you?

JM: “No, no he always steered me away from it. As a kid you look up to your father. My father being a professional athlete, a boxer and a world champion I looked up to that and I wanted to do the same thing he did. But he always steered me away from it. When you’re around something every single day you grow to love it. That’s all we did in the backyard my cousins and I would box, that’s all we wanted to do.”

SB: How long were you boxing before your father found out you got involved with it?

JM: “I trained for four months and I fought in my first amateur tournament and I won. I called him and told him and he thought I meant basketball and I said no boxing.”

SB: How extensive was your amateur career?

JM: “I fought amateur for a couple years. I had 48 fights I was 44-4 and I was ranked number six in the nation. With the little time I had I think I made a bit of a mark in there, if I started earlier and had more amateur experience I’m sure I could have became number one.”

SB: What were some of the major highlights of your amateur career?

JM: “I fought in my first national tournament with five fights and made it to the quarter-finals. I made it to the quarter finals three times and lost but just being there as an amateur and traveling with the team mates, it was an excellent experience, cool times.”

SB: When you decided to turn professional was that something that you talked about with your father first?

JM: “Not really. I had my son right before I was going to fight in the Olympic Trials and I was in the process of moving from Tampa to Vero Beach . I was training with my dad for the Olympic Trials and he called me up and told me I was turning pro. I turned pro; I had to start making some money.”

SB: Have you been working with your father for your entire professional career?

JM: “Yes sir.”

SB: How is your relationship with your father? What are the disadvantages and benefits of working with him?

JM: “I’ll start with the bad first, he’s my father so he’s going to push me and criticize me more than anybody else. As a fighter and that being your father you have got to take it for what it’s worth, you have got remember that he is your father and that he’s going to yell at you more than anybody else because he wants you to be the best. The benefits is just who he is, the bond that my father and I have, he’s a very nice guy, he’s my best friend. My father and I have a real close relationship and just absorbing all that knowledge from him is a great experience.”

SB: There always seems to be a lot of comparisons in the boxing industry about some of the father – son teams that are out there. Some critics say that it’s a benefit while some say it’s a hindrance; if the pressure is on and you are under the gun maybe taking a lot of punishment that a father may be quicker to throw in the towel that another trainer. How do you feel about those types of comments?

JM: “It all depends on the relationship that the father and the son have with each other. I know my father has all the trust in the world with me, he’s very confident in what I can do. He’s seen me in the ring with top notch professionals, champions and I have very much held my own. That’s what I think it should rely on the most, the trust that the father and the son have together. What the father knows, what the son is capable of and not capable of.”

SB: Do you feel at this point in your career you are your own individual or do you still feel that you are referred to more often than less as Buddy’s son?

JM: “I just did another interview for a local paper and had to answer this same question. (laughing) I’m going to tell you the same thing. My father being who my father is, the nice guy, the cool guy that he is, the world champion and the excellent trainer that he is I can win a hundred titles, I’m still going to be regarded as Buddy’s son. That’s just what it is and I’m cool with that.”

SB: What has been the highlight of your career so far?

JM: “Everyday, everyday as a professional. Every fight I go in there, every training camp that’s my highlight. Like I told you before I have been wanting to do this since I was a little kid, just living it from when I was a little kid watching all the other fighters and now this is me, everyday is the highlight.”

SB: I believe within the last year you moved up to a more comfortable weight class and started increasing the rounds; how has that progression been for you?

JM: “Excellent, I have been at weight for at least a week now. Eating comfortable, when I was trying to make 160 I was eating two egg whites a day. Now, I ate two meals yesterday, two and a half actually, 168 is comfortable, I don’t have to kill myself. This time around we had an eight week training camp so it’s been to my benefit.”

SB: Do you feel you are at the point in your career where you can begin to challenge some of the top fighters in the division such as Joe Calzaghe or Mikkel Kessler?

JM: “Very much so, they have the experience over me but I know I have the skills. With the right trainer and the right fights I’m sure I can be in the ring with them. I can very much hold my own.”

SB: What is the one thing that you would like to accomplish in your career?

JM: “World champion. World champion, without a doubt.”

SB: Would you like to take this opportunity to say anything to your fans?

JM: “Just get ready for a great fight on Friday, an exciting year and years to come.”

SB: On behalf of Saddoboxing, we appreciate your time and wish you the best of luck on Friday and in your career.

JM: “Thank you very much baby, you have a good day.”