| Interview with Buddy McGirt, trainer of Clifford Etienne James 'Buddy' McGirt is a legend in the making. At only 39 years old, McGirt is well on his way to becoming one of the great trainers in boxing. His work with Arturo Gatti, Antonio Tarver and Nate Campbell have shown tremendous results and have grabbed the attention of boxing fans and pundits alike. McGirt has also caught the attention of Kathy Duva of Main Events. Days ago, McGirt inked an exclusive deal to train Main Event's stable of fighters, effective immediately. The deal also allows McGirt the freedom to train those fighters not associated with the promotional company. However, a Main Event fighter is to take precedence over any of McGirt's non-Main Event fighters, should they happen to be matched against each other in the future. With a ring record of 73-6-1, 48 KO's, McGirt is a two time title holder (1988 IBF Jr. Welterweight, 1991 lineal WBC Welterweight). The unique ability of funneling his knowledge directly into his fighters have made McGirt one of the most sought after trainers today. Coincidentally, both Mike Tyson and Clifford 'Black Rhino' Etienne have actively sought the services of McGirt for their February 22nd match against each other. As McGirt has chosen to work Etienne's corner, Tyson has hired top flight trainer, Freddie Roach. Roach was mentored as a fighter and trainer by the late legendary trainer, Eddie Futch. For months, an announcement of whether you would train Etienne or Tyson was eagerly anticipated. What was the holdup in making it official? Was it a money issue? No. It had nothing to do with money at all. It was just about being a man of my word and sticking with Clifford. A lot of people told me I was making a mistake and that I should go with the money. But, I'm a firm believer that if I give someone my word, I've got to stick with it. Sorry. But I have to ask. How much did the Tyson camp offer you? (Laughing). It was enough. Well, actually.... the money was great! But, I wouldn't have felt right about going against my word to Clifford. Money doesn't last forever, but your word as a man does. After Etienne approached you about training him, how much time elapsed before Tyson came to you? Well, it's funny that you ask that. Because, the same week that Clifford came to me back in August, Tyson called me that same week. Was Etienne concerned that you would choose to train Tyson instead? Well, I think he might have. Yeah. But, after I had a meeting with Mike in Las Vegas, Clifford picked me up from the airport. He was the one who encouraged me to go and see what Mike had to say. He understood it was business. Have you signed to train Etienne for a certain amount of fights? No. I didn't want to do that. We shook hands like men. I feel if you shake hands like a man, you don't have to have a contract. A lot of people tell me I'm crazy for doing that. But, when the word was out that I might be training Mike, Cliff could have easily went and got someone else. Instead, he stuck around and waited for me to see what I was going to do. That showed me what type of man he is. He is a man of his word. Besides, I've known Les Bonano for a long time. Les is a straight up guy and I felt I didn't need a contract. After this fight, is there still a possibility of you training Tyson? Has the offer been presented to you? No. There has been no offer. Do you feel Etienne is championship material? I think he is. If I didn't believe he could be a champion, I wouldn't be working with him. If that was the case, I would have went with Tyson and the money. But then again, I believe that Tyson can become champion again too. What strengths do you feel Etienne has? He has a dogged determination. He is determined to be the best at what he does, by any means necessary. It will be a challenge. But I think all fighters are a challenge in one way or another. A couple of months ago in Vegas, you spent several days with Tyson in an attempt to feel each other out. What transpired from that meeting and what impressions did you walk away with? We just hung out, laughed and talked about the good old days. I've known Mike for 20 years. So, we just reminisced. I've got a lot of love and respect for Mike. I think he has what it takes to become heavyweight champ of the world again. I wish him nothing but the best. Buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield showed that Tyson can be beaten by backing him up and applying pressure. Had you been in Tyson's corner for either of those fights, how would you have coached Tyson? I think they really underestimated Douglas and Holyfield. I would have had a whole different type of attitude going into the fight. It wouldn't have been a laxidasical, 'I'm going to walk through this guy' type of attitude. Mike would have gone in thinking 'I'm fighting the best guy in my division... Even though I'm the champ, this guy is still the best and I've got to beat him and prove that I'm the best.' All he needed was the mental edge. That's it. Since then, fighters have looked to use that same aggressive strategy against Tyson. Will you train Etienne to do the same? I've got a couple of strategies. This has to be dissected very carefully. It's also a matter of what Clifford is going to stick to. It's all up to Clifford. If he listens to me, he can beat Tyson. What might those strategies be? Uh... I can't tell you. It's G-14 classified (laughing). Tyson said his loss to Lennox Lewis was a 'humbling experience'. What are your thoughts on Tyson's performance? On the night of that fight, there were too many Chiefs and not enough Indians in his corner. Everybody wanted to be the boss. As it was the worst loss of Tyson's career, do you think Lennox might have taken the fight out of him? Definitely not. It has been said that Tyson is a 'shot' fighter. Do you feel Tyson is 'shot'? No. I don't think that at all. He's not shot. Far from it. Mike is still a threat to any heavyweight out there. We're taking Mike very seriously for this fight. Etienne has had a very limited amateur career and has yet to face someone as powerful as Tyson. His chin is also suspect. How do you plan to supplement that? With a lot of work. We want to build up his leg strength. Clifford is very strong. He has a strong upper body. But the key is to work on the lower body as well, to balance it out. We have to be able to get inside and not let Mike bully him. Will you look to bully Tyson as well? Oh, yeah. If it came to that. But, we're not really looking at that aspect of 'bullying'. When Clifford gets inside, I want Mike to feel Clifford's strength. Will you look to gain a mental edge over Tyson? Mike has been around the game a long time. He's seen everything. He's been through everything. So, it won't be a case of 'let's get over on him mentally'. That's not part of our plan. Our plan is to go out there and do what we have to do to win. We have to harness Mike's power and impose our own strength. Last July, Etienne fought Francois Botha to a controversial decision. What are your thoughts on Etienne's performance? I think his legs weren't as strong as they should have been. To me, he looked over worked and under worked. His legs didn't look steady. I know him to be a work horse and I felt he might have over trained for that fight. Main Events has just appointed you as a trainer for their fighters. You have also developed quite a stable of fighters yourself. How will you find time to train them all? Well, there's 24 hours in a day. I start early in the morning and I finish when I finish. It's tiring, but I love it. |