Road Back Starts With McGirt in His Corner

Buddy McGirt had never been to Big Bear before, so riding a bicycle down a steep grade as part of a training regimen with Fernando Vargas was a new experience for the Long Island native.

It was of little surprise, then, when McGirt, who had just joined the Vargas camp as co-trainer of the two-time 154-pound world champion, went head over handlebars, halting the ride and workout.

“I hit the front brakes instead of the back brakes,” McGirt recounted with a laugh, “so I was break-dancing down the hill.”

The only dancing McGirt hopes to see tonight at the Grand Olympic Auditorium is a victory jig by Vargas after his scheduled 10-round fight against the World Boxing Council’s No. 1-ranked junior-middleweight, Fitz Vanderpool.

Vargas (22-2, 20 knockouts) said he brought McGirt, a former welterweight champion who is now considered one of the hottest young trainers, aboard to join Eduardo Garcia and help shake the rust of a nine-month suspension for testing positive for steroids.

The team of the unheralded 35-year-old Vanderpool (24-4-4, 13 KOs) said that Vargas, 25, is a shot fighter, having lost two of his last four fights by knockout while hitting the canvas seven times.

Vanderpool, a native of Trinidad who trained in Los Angeles at the Hoover Gym under Jimmy Montoya, even feigned annoyance that the HBO show is focused on Vargas, an Oxnard product who is fighting in Los Angeles for the first time in his professional career.

A former Canadian welterweight champ and WBC Caribbean super-welterweight titlist, Vanderpool has lost one of his last 17 bouts, the lone loss a disputed 12-round decision to Hercules Kyvelos on Feb. 15, 2000.

Should Vargas win -- and no one expects him to lose -- he will fight again on Telefutura Oct. 3 with a January HBO date on the schedule. He is hoping for a May rematch with Oscar De Le Hoya.

Vargas has fought only 24 rounds since being stopped by Felix Trinidad on Dec. 2, 2000, but said his dream is to unify the super-middleweight titles.

“If I am able to complete that, the day I do, in that ring, I’ll retire,” he said.

International Boxing Federation junior-featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao (36-2-1, 27 KOs) of the Philippines will defend his title against Emmanuel Lucero (21-0-1, 12 KOs) of Mexico in a scheduled 12-round bout in the other HBO fight.