THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 1, 1994 TAG: 9410010411
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE FLANAGAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 135 lines
Twelve rounds. Two eyes swollen shut. One knockdown. A cut man passes a major test.
And a title retained.
Tonight, Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker will defend his World Boxing Council welterweight title against James ``Buddy'' McGirt in a 12-round fight at Scope. On Thursday, the two met on a computer screen in Virginia Beach for an instant pre-play.
The winner: Whitaker, on a close but unanimous decision.
McGirt started strong, winning the first two rounds.
Whitaker turned the tide in the third, then decked McGirt for a four-count early in Round 4. The champion won six consecutive rounds before McGirt stormed back in Round 9, nearly closing the show in Round 11, when Whitaker was all but saved by the bell.
But an arm-weary and exhausted McGirt could not sustain the pace in the final round, which Whitaker stole with a late flurry.
Had the final round gone to the challenger, the bout would have been declared a majority draw. (Sound familiar?) The judges awarded the fight to Whitaker by scores of 114-111, 115-113 and 114-113.
Whitaker survived to fight again. Julio Cesar Chavez, would you byte on a rematch?
The software used for Thursday's fantasy fight was TKO Pro Boxing, distributed by Lance Haffner Games of Nashville, Tenn. TKO Pro Boxing rates nearly 1,500 fighters in more than three dozen categories, ranging from ring generalship to hand speed to ability to survive a second knockdown in a round.
The computer ground rules for this fight: Whitaker received an edge as champion; the computer ``judges'' are traditionalists and tend to favor the incumbent in a close round. Not invoked was the hometown edge although Whitaker was raised mere blocks from Scope. WBC judges and a Florida referee have been chosen to quiet questions of impropriety on that count.
For greater statistical accuracy, the fight was ``fought'' an additional 10 times. Whitaker won eight of the 11 bouts, with McGirt winning once and two ending up draws. In two fights, McGirt suffered an injury that rendered him a one-handed fighter. In two others, however, he put Whitaker on the canvas.
All but one of the fights were close. All went to the judges. The average score was 116-113 in Whitaker's favor. And in each case it came down to Whitaker's speed and recuperative abilities against McGirt's skill and will.
Round by round:
Round 1: McGirt opens the fight with a right to the forehead, followed by a stiff right-left combination. Whitaker answers by doubling up with the left. Whitaker is urged by his corner to jab. But McGirt strikes first, with a hook to the neck, and Whitaker clinches. McGirt scores with a right. He scores again with a combination. With 1:02 left, McGirt hurts Whitaker with a solid left hook and Whitaker covers up. McGirt stings Whitaker with a jab at the bell. McGirt's round.
Round 2: Swelling appears under Whitaker's left eye. McGirt misses with a right, and Whitaker is taunting his foe. Whitaker scores from outside. At center ring, McGirt lands a jab to Whitaker's right eye, then opens a gash under his left eye with an uppercut. McGirt swarms Whitaker, who ties him up. With a minute left, Whitaker flurries, landing a hook to McGirt's forehead. The challenger answers with a staggering left to the chin. McGirt maneuvers Whitaker into a corner and scores with jabs and combinations. McGirt's round.
Round 3: Whitaker's left eye continues to swell, but the cut is closed. McGirt stalks Whitaker. He lands a hook, scores with an uppercut, and turns to smile at his cornermen. Whitaker, keeping his distance, peppers his foe with jabs. With 1:05 left, McGirt wades in but misses badly. Whitaker scores with a combination to the face. On his toes, Whitaker scores with repeated jabs, ducking Whitaker. Whitaker's round.
Round 4: McGirt comes out firing, but Whitaker blocks the punches and lands a sharp right to the head. McGirt lands but leaves himself open for a sudden right to the jaw. McGirt is down . . . but gets up at the count of four. Nearly two minutes remain in the round. McGirt covers up. Whitaker scores with quick, accurate punches. Whitaker dances away, then moves in again. He opens up with a flurry, but a McGirt left knocks Whitaker's mouthpiece across the ring, giving the challenger a breather. Whitaker scores with a series of jabs at the bell. Whitaker's round.
Round 5: McGirt's right eye is swelling, but he shows no effects from the knockdown. McGirt decides to mix it up. He takes several shots to the head, answering with a left-right to the face. Midway through the round, Whitaker corners McGirt. When McGirt forces the action, Whitaker stings him with counterpunches. McGirt misses wildly and pays for it. Whitaker's round.
Round 6: Whitaker is jabbing, McGirt is clinching. McGirt lands, and Whitaker counters. Whitaker is on his bicycle, staying out of reach. Whitaker corners McGirt and drops his hands, but McGirt is unable to score. Whitaker's round.
Round 7: Whitaker scores with a left; McGirt ties him up. McGirt moves inside and connects with a uppercut; Whitaker staggers him with a left to the jaw. McGirt misses, Whitaker scores to the body and McGirt holds on. Whitaker's corner tells him to stay away from the ropes, but he backs into a corner and drops his gloves, egging McGirt on. McGirt lands a two-punch combination, reopening the cut under Whitaker's left eye. In the final moments, McGirt lands a combination and taunts Whitaker, who responds with a flurry, including a solid right to the head. Whitaker's round.
Round 8: Whitaker's eye continues to swell, but the cut is closed. McGirt stalks Whitaker and catches him with a left-right combination. Whitaker backpedals, then rocks McGirt with a left-right, opening a cut under McGirt's left eye. McGirt misses; Whitaker clinches. McGirt presses the action and drives Whitaker into a neutral corner. His back to the ropes, Whitaker bobs and ducks, parrying with jabs, and closes the round with a quick combination. Whitaker's round.
Round 9: McGirt presses the action and begins to find the range. Both fighters land jabs, but McGirt's shots are doing more damage. McGirt lands a left to the forehead and an uppercut to the jaw, and fires jabs through Whitaker's gloves. With 32 seconds left, McGirt hurts Whitaker with a hook. He walks through Whitaker's ineffective jabs, bulls his opponent into the ropes and scores with solid shots to the head and body. McGirt's round.
Round 10: McGirt's right eye has swollen shut; Whitaker appears arm-weary. Whitaker tries to slip punches with upper-body movement. McGirt lands a right, then ties up his foe. McGirt gets the better of an exchange at center ring, then smothers Whitaker. Whitaker lands a left but takes a solid right to the ribs. Whitaker is misfiring, and McGirt is landing body blows. With 20 seconds left, McGirt moves upstairs and staggers Whitaker with a right. Whitaker covers up. McGirt's round.
Round 11: Whitaker's left eye is now shut. Whitaker is backpedaling. He catches McGirt coming in and lands a one-two to the ribs and chin. McGirt lands a cross and a damaging double hook. Whitaker, hurt, covers up. McGirt scores with a combination. Whitaker, on the ropes, isn't punching but remains a moving target. McGirt's backers demand that the fight be stopped. McGirt moves in for the knockout, setting up Whitaker with a painful combination but missing with a pile-driver left. McGirt's round.
Round 12: Whitaker's left eye is shut, as is McGirt's right eye. McGirt opens with a left-right and taunts Whitaker. But Whitaker surprises McGirt with a combination. McGirt drives Whitaker into the ropes; Whitaker clinches. Both fighters land shots to the head. McGirt hurts Whitaker with a body shot, but leaves himself open for a straight right. Whitaker opens fire with both hands, and McGirt is holding on. An arm-weary McGirt lands ineffectively at the bell. Whitaker's round. ILLUSTRATION: Chart
A Computer's Fantasy Match
For copy of chart, see microfilm
by CNB