THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 3, 1994 TAG: 9408030549
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker no longer is grousing.
The world welterweight champion from Virginia Beach got the word he had been waiting for Tuesday: The fight with James ``Buddy'' McGirt is a go for Oct. 1.
Whitaker, who last week ripped into his management team for its tardiness in securing a fight for him, greeted the news with excitement and a sense of satisfaction.
``I feel I got the word across,'' Whitaker said from San Antonio, where he is involved in a three-week training camp. ``Somebody finally paid attention.
``I'm happy now. I've got something to shoot for. That makes training go a lot better.''
There's only one hitch. McGirt (63-3-1) could scuttle the deal by losing Sunday to Pat Coleman in a welterweight bout that will be televised on CBS' ``Eye on Sports'' sometime between 2 and 4 p.m.
``If McGirt loses, it changes everything,'' said Ross Greenburg, HBO vice president and executive producer. ``He needs to win Sunday. If he doesn't, I think we'd have to go to Plan B.''
What's plan B?
``Don't have one,'' Greenburg said.
If one has to be developed, it wouldn't necessarily include Whitaker.
``I would not be happy,'' said Shelly Finkel, Whitaker's co-manager. ``I'd rather not think about it.''
McGirt is expected to handle Coleman, but he was in a similar situation before he fought Whitaker the first time in March 1993. Two months prior to that fight, McGirt nearly got knocked out in the last round by little-known Genaro Leon. McGirt hung on to win the decision and preserve the big payday with Whitaker.
``I wouldn't have taken the Coleman fight if I knew it was a go with Whitaker,'' McGirt manager/trainer Al Certo said. ``But I couldn't hang around and wait for (Whitaker's handlers) to make up their minds.''
Both camps can thank James Toney and Roy Jones for the Oct. 1 match. Toney-Jones, which HBO had planned to air Oct. 1, was moved to pay-per-view at Jones' behest because he wanted more money.
The site of Whitaker-McGirt II has not been determined, but Atlantic City, N.J., seems to be the front-runner. McGirt is from Long Island.
Whitaker (33-1-1) hasn't fought since April 9, when he beat Santos Cardona at Scope in his only bout since the controversial draw with Julio Cesar Chavez 11 months ago. The World Boxing Council champ had become testy recently about the paucity of fights and last week threatened to retire if his management could not come up with an exciting fight for him soon.
``I'm off the retirement list now,'' Whitaker said Tuesday.
Whitaker said last week that he was mad at his management team for taking so long to secure a fight for him and for failure to communicate with him. He said that although he's regarded as the world's best fighter, pound-for-pound, he didn't feel like the focal point of his management.
It marked the first time Whitaker had publicly criticized the team that has guided his career since he turned pro 10 years ago. Tuesday, Whitaker said now that the fight has been made, that's all behind him.
``It's a big relief to the whole camp,'' Whitaker said. ``There's no hard feelings. We love one another, the champ just got anxious to get in there again.''
Whitaker will go into the ring against a two-time former world champion and the man he won the welterweight crown from at Madison Square Garden. But McGirt fought that night with a bum shoulder and barely threw his left hand. Shortly afterward, he underwent rotator-cuff surgery on his left shoulder.
``I can't wait until we get our title back,'' Certo said. ``Whitaker struggled with Buddy in that fight. Now you've got a two-handed fighter.''
Since that fight 17 months ago, Whitaker and McGirt have sparred regularly in the press. Greenburg said that's part of what makes the rematch attractive, not to mention matching two of boxing's best tacticians.
``This is personal,'' Whitaker said. ``I've got to get him for that mouth. Since he complained the first time about his arm, he can redeem himself.
``This time there won't be any excuses. I get to do it to him twice.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
``I'm happy now. I've got something to shoot for,'' Pernell Whitaker
said of his Oct. 1 fight against James ``Buddy'' McGirt, below.
by CNB