Buddy McGirt on his unforgettable 12th-round corner talk with Callum Smith

As pep talks go, the one Buddy McGirt delivered to Callum Smith before the 12th round Saturday in Saudi Arabia should be saved for the annals of boxing – for the benefit of the sport and for everyday motivation.

Assessing that challenger Smith, 31-2 (22 KOs), needed the final round to turn back interim WBO light heavyweight champion Joshua Buatsi, Hall of Fame fighter and veteran trainer McGirt poured his soul into the minute he had between rounds as Smith had a cut near his right eye repaired and the left side of his swollen face salved.

“You gotta keep your hands up, head movement, score points,” McGirt first reminded before asking a question for all time: “It’s three minutes. Can you give yourself three minutes?”

A weary Smith, now 34, after surrendering his super middleweight belt to Canelo Alvarez in 2020 and getting stopped in the seventh round by recent undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev last year, looked McGirt squarely in the eyes and uttered, “Yes.”

“This is the championship round,” McGirt implored. “Don’t look for the knockout. Keep pushing back. Keep digging. We’ll carry you back if we have to.”

England’s Smith grinded through the 12th, remained upright and clinched victory that came by scores of 119-109, 115-113, and 116-112.

“That’s how I felt. I felt we needed to close the show well, and I knew he had it in him because we’d worked on it,” McGirt told BoxingScene upon returning home to Florida. “I didn’t want to say, ‘Remember what we did in the gym.’ So I figured a little speech would give him that reminder: ‘Give yourself three minutes. You did all the work. Don’t give it to me. Do this for yourself, for Callum.’”

Smith and McGirt dealt with the fight against Buatsi, 31, soberly. The interim champion was unbeaten, was seeking to strengthen his position as the next-in-line mandatory to fight for the light heavyweight title and was seeking the first of seven scheduled 12-round bouts on “The Last Crescendo” card in Saudi Arabia as a showcase to boost his profile.

But McGirt knew the perception that Buatsi was a rising talent and Smith a diminishing version was flawed. A rib injury with three weeks remaining in the Beterbiev camp robbed him of valuable sparring, perhaps influencing his losing performance in the fight.

This camp was superb, leaving Smith and McGirt feeling victory was at hand by executing upon the lessons.

“When he called me for this fight, to come to Liverpool, he had a completely new attitude. It was, ‘I’m going out there and winning this fight,’” McGirt said. “He was always upbeat every day in training. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I kept telling myself, ‘He’s gonna beat this mamma-jamma.’ I’d tell those that asked me, ‘Callum’s going to beat this motherfucker, watch.’ Everybody was laughing. I said, ‘I’m telling you … .’”

While the 119-109 scorecard was widely panned, most who watched the bout agreed Smith’s grit and impressive work on the inside paved his way to victory. Buatsi was so roughed up he required a precautionary trip to the hospital afterward.

And afterward, the father/trainer of WBC interim and WBA regular champion David Benavidez, 30-0 (24 KOs), said if Beterbiev and new undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (who beat Beterbiev by majority decision in their Saturday rematch) move toward a trilogy bout, Benavidez-Smith makes perfect sense.

“At this stage in his career, you’ve got to fight the best,” McGirt said. “If you’re going to go out, go out fighting the best. He needs to fight guys who will get him highly motivated, and Benavidez will definitely get him motivated.”

Saturday’s effort revealed something deep in Smith, a defiance to not be cast aside, to instead be considered one of the top players in the division.

“He had a whole different attitude and I loved it,” McGirt said. “It was his second shot at a world title in a year. It was, ‘I can’t blow this … I can’t. The division is hot. Buatsi’s on his way up. No one gave me a shot.’ That extra motivation worked.”

McGirt said he and Smith resolved to pound Buatsi’s body.

“These guys who try to fight Callum on the inside … that’s his fucking bread and butter, man,” McGirt said. “You fight him on the inside, you’re inside his comfort zone. I knew they’d try to do that because Callum is tall, but I knew, ‘They’re making a big fucking mistake.’ He’s one of those tall guys who can fight on the inside.

“My hat’s off to Buatsi. He took some shots that some guys would say, ‘Fuck this … .’”

McGirt is pleased with the outcome. He’s home only for a few days, then will travel to Portugal to train heavyweight Dillian Whyte, 31-3 (21 KOs), who’s headed to an April 5 bout against Joe Joyce in Manchester, England.

He also works with unbeaten Saudi Arabia prospect Ziyad “Zizo” Almaayouf, who won a unanimous decision Saturday.

“He’s green, taking his bumps and bruises in the gym, and he’s getting better,” McGirt said.

McGirt said he expects a Bivol-Beterbiev trilogy match to occur.

“You know they’ll make a trilogy, without a doubt,” McGirt said. “Hopefully, we [Smith] get a big name next, and we can make it a doubleheader.”