Whitaker vs. McGirt I & II: Best Welterweight Fights in the Last 20 Years?

I was recently reviewing the second fight between Pernell Whitaker and Buddy McGirt and whilst it turned out to be quite one sided at the end, the skill level and action involved quite overwhelmed me. I had forgotten what a great fight it was, especially for the first half, where both fighters stood toe to toe and tried to assume physical and tactical control of the fight. Whitaker put on quite a masterful display of boxing in the second half of the fight and seized control completely.

The first fight between the pair was probably even better, owing largely to the closer nature of the contest. McGirt was sharp that night and gave Pernell a lot of trouble with his laser-like straight right. The inside battle there was extraordinary as well. Lot of skillful inside work on display.

Can anyone think of any better welterweight fights in the last 20 years? I'd say DLH-Mosley I is up there, but that Pea-McGirt fights were still more skillful encounters imo, given the defensive proficiency of both guys.

Bouts like Brown-Trice and Breland-Davis have to be up there because of their sheer brutality, but skillwise they aren't on the same plane.

Thoughts?

P.S. I'm in the process of putting up about 20 mins of highlights from Pea-Buddy II. It really is a bout to marvel at for the level of skill these guys have. I might put it up in the general forum later and ask the folk what they think of these two compared to the current crop of welters. To me, there is a CLEAR distinction in class.

 

Fair call.

I think McGirt would trouble pretty much any welter that didn't fight at an express pace. Stamina was probably his one real flaw. As such he would definitely be in the discussion with the likes of DLH, Quartey and the like.

 

Bill, they were quite different fights from each other. Whitaker and McGirt traded with each other much more on the inside than what Leonard-Benitez did.

Leonard-Benitez was primarily a battle of reflexes and speed. A boxing equivalent to a game of "snap!" if you will.

Whitaker-McGirt was more a battle of techniques at close and mid-range, with Whitaker's more even handedness winning the day.

That said, Leonard-Benitez was fought at a higher level of talent than Whitaker-McGirt, who were both probably better at lower weights, and didn't have the speed or reflexes of Benitez and Leonard at welterweight.

In terms of enjoyment, I like Pea-MGirt better, but there's no doubt in my mind that Leonard beats Pea and McGirt, and Pea has his hands full with Benitez, who should also take a close but comfy decision against Buddy.

 

McGirt's one-twos were extremely quick, and he even got the better of the exchanges against Meldrick Taylor early in their fight with those shots. But Meldrick was quicker in sustained combinations, and once he started flurrying he tired Buddy out and seized command. Not sure Buddy was at his best for Meldrick, by the way, but Meldrick beats the best Buddy at 140 regardless...

 

How so?

 

Whilst I regard it as one of the best welter fights of the last 20 years, I have to admit that I have always thought that it gets a little more air play than it deserves.

Sure, it featured DLH and Mosley in their physical primes, and the last round was great, with two willful champions putting it all on the line to secure the win, but I think tactically it was a little bland.

DLH fought a bit of a stupid fight, abandoning his boxing ability for long stretches of the fight, trying to walk through Mosley, who he underestimated as the weaker fighter. Mosley fought the best fight of his career imo and and showed flashes of brilliance, none more so than in the final round, but the fight also lacked much of the action that a fight like McGirt-Whitaker delivered on a consistent round-by-round basis.

Also, from a defensive standpoint, which I admit, I have a predilection for, I think Whitaker-McGirt was better.