McGirt Retains IBF Title by Knocking Out Davis

Buddy McGirt retained his International Boxing Federation junior welterweight title Sunday by knocking out Howard Davis in the first round of their scheduled 15-round fight.

McGirt set Davis up with a left hand that knocked him into the ropes, then finished him off with a right. Referee Joe Santarpia counted Davis out at 2 minutes 24 seconds of the round.

“He was looking for my left and I have worked hard on my right,” McGirt said. “People thought I was only a one-handed fighter, but I wanted to prove I wasn’t.”

The loss, Davis’ first ever by knockout, prevented him from turning Olympic gold into a world title as the other four 1976 U.S. Olympic champions had done. Davis had lost two previous bids for a professional title.

“This is probably my last fight,” Davis said. “I hate to go out on a sour note.

“But it’s not my age (32). I’m just not enthused. When that happens, it’s time to retire.”

McGirt, 24, will fight another Olympic gold medalist, 1984 featherweight champion Meldrick Taylor, on Sept. 3 at a site to be determined. The bout probably will be at New York, Las Vegas, or Atlantic City, N.J.

“McGirt looked very strong,” said Taylor, who was in the audience. “McGirt is a counterpuncher. I’ll be ready.”

Davis came out in characteristic style, dancing to his left and throwing jabs. But Davis’ punches were short of the mark as McGirt circled and stalked his opponent.

McGirt landed several punishing left hands to Davis’ body before the finish. McGirt hit Davis with a right to the head that knocked him into the ropes near McGirt’s corner, and the champion sent him to the canvas with a left.

In two other scheduled 10-round fights, two-time world lightweight champion Edwin Rosario knocked out Javier Cerna of Ft. Worth, Tex., at 2:40 of the first round and Aaron Davis of New York stopped Sammy Floyd of Louisville at 1:18 of the seventh round.

Rosario, who lost his World Boxing Assn. title to Julio Cesar Chavez last November, stopped Cerna with a left uppercut to improve to 28-3 with 24 knockouts.

Cerna is 17-6 with 5 KOs.

Davis, 19, knocked down Floyd, 37, with a left and referee Arthur Mercante stopped the fight.

Davis is 18-0 with 11 knockouts and Floyd is 26-29-1 with 9 KOs.