Press Release: James McGirt, Jr. (14-0, 8 KOs) from now on will campaign exclusively as a super middleweight. In his last two fights, both contracted at 160-pounds, the 6-1 McGirt struggled to make weight and, despite registering a fourth-round TKO in his last bout against Anthony Little, wasn't at his physical and mental best. McGirt, in fact, came in 1.5 pounds over weight against Little, which cost James a few dollars out of his pocket when he had to pay Little to agree to an over-the-weight contest. "It's gone beyond him struggling to lose weight," McGirt's manager Dennis Witherow explained.

"It's become an impossibility when there's nothing to lose. His next fight (last eight round fight, May 2 in New York City) will be at 164 plus 1. It's absolutely the right thing to do. Buddy (James' trainer and father) and I talked about it before James' last fight. James can't see what we see and we noticed the difference in the gym. He looks like a different guy but losing the last three pounds is brutal. We're employing a nutritionist so, as he's losing weight, he'll be better prepared to retain his strength."
 
"The 168-pound division promises to be action packed and lucrative over the next few years.  The division should now make room for James McGirt, Jr., a young man on the rise," said Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment.
 
McGirt, 24, was born into boxing, the son of famed James "Buddy" McGirt (73-6-1, 48 KOs), former IBF light welterweight (1987-88) and WBC welterweight champion (1991-93), as well as 2002 Trainer of the Year (Boxing Writers Association of America).
 
"James' intensity was there a little more in his last fight and he was a little quicker than his previous fight," Buddy said. "Once he got cut it brought his tenacity back. But his weight loss was a big factor. I've analyzed his fights at 163-164-165. He has different snap to his punches and feels much better at that weight. In the gym, I see the difference when he hits the bag, and I feel it on the mitts. He couldn't lose any more weight his last fight. He dehydrated his whole body and then started sweating. That worried me. He's only 24 with a big frame. That's it; the next McGirt to fight at 160 pounds will be my grandson."

McGirt, whose most notable victory to date was an eight-round decision against Stephan Pryor (10-1), son of another great champion, Aaron Pryor, also felt the difference between fighting as a middleweight and super middleweight.
 
"I felt it on the bag and punching," he added. "I even felt it on my runs. At 165-166, I can run all day. I weighed in over, put on my plastic suit and went into the steam. I couldn't sweat and did not lose another pound. After the weigh in I drank and started sweating. That bugged me out."