Mike McCallum would have knocked out Thomas Hearns at 154lbs. Discuss.

[Kittikasem]

Originally Posted by Bill Butcher

No way Mike McCallum knocks out Hearns at 154 lbs, I don`t see that at all... I like McCallum, he`s a brilliant tehnician but I think Hearns keeps the fight a range for the majority of the fight tho & nobody outpoints Thomas Hearns from range.

McCallum will definitely have his moments but Hearns beats him IMO, by clear UD.

Hearns was absolute peak at this weight, look at how he outboxed Benitez, those close scores were a complete joke, Hearns dominated him, he`d do likewise to McCallum.

For the record, I rank McCallum as the 2nd best LMW ever behind Hearns (I know this is a H2H thread but I`m just letting you know )

How can you be so dismissive of this possibility?

Hearns got stopped in pretty brutal fashion by ww Leonard, Hagler and Barkley, and badly hurt by Kinchen and Roldan amongst others. While McCallum knocked out Julian Jackson, Milton McCrory, Donald Curry and Michael Watson. I mean, we can quibble about what happened at what weight etc, but the evidence shows that Hearns was vulnerable and that McCallum could be a killer. I don't understand how you can be so dismissive in light of such evidence. McCallum fights absolutely nothing like Benitez. McCallum would be coming for Hearns all night, walking him down, chopping away at the body, looking for the decisive head shot. I think it's perfectly reasonable to feel that, at some point, a great technician and powerful puncher like MM would find the punch that some of Hearns's other opponents also found against him.

I'm not saying it's a foregone conclusion that MM KO's him, nor that anyone with a big punch would eventually stop Tommy, not at all. But I find your dismissive response a bit much, all things considered.

[Bokaj]

Originally Posted by lufcrazy

Is there any evidence that mccallum was chasing the fight with hearns?

It was slightly before my time so i'm unsure.

This must have come when Hearns were moving up. Don't know if he'd done it earlier as well:

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Continuing his reign of terror on the junior middleweight division, the “Body Snatcher” faced challenger and former Kronk teammate David Braxton. Abandoning his usual strategy of attacking the body the champ went headhunting. The match was stopped at 2:26 of the eighth round with Braxton suffering cuts around both eyes. The cut on the left eye went through the eyelid, leaving referee Roberto Ramirez little choice but to stop the proceedings. “This was our strategy,” said McCallum. “They all thought I’d work his body but instead I just kept putting the left jab in his face. From previous fights I knew he’d cut.” McCallum felt he was bypassed for any title shot while training at the Kronk Gym in favor of stable mate Thomas Hearns. ”Beating one Kronk fighter was great, but now I want another,” said McCallum. “I want Tommy Hearns next. Beating him would be retribution.”

Another:

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Interestingly I heard an interview of Mike McCallum where he seemed very bitter at Marvin Hagler for not giving him a shot. He claimed Hagler ducked him and he has carried that through the years. Hagler could have fought him but I wouldn’t call it a duck. McCallum didn’t move up to 160 until Hagler retired in 1987. So as my rule goes you can’t duck a man who is not in your division. Now I do think Hearns should have fought McCallum. McCallum and Hearns were titlist at super welterweight at the same time for a few years and they never fought. Some say Emanuel Steward kept Hearns away from McCallum. With McCallum’s body punching and late round pedigree that would have been a helluva fight.

[Bokaj]

Originally Posted by Kittikasem

How can you be so dismissive of this possibility?

Hearns got stopped in pretty brutal fashion by ww Leonard, Hagler and Barkley, and badly hurt by Kinchen and Roldan amongst others. While McCallum knocked out Julian Jackson, Milton McCrory, Donald Curry and Michael Watson. I mean, we can quibble about what happened at what weight etc, but the evidence shows that Hearns was vulnerable and that McCallum could be a killer. I don't understand how you can be so dismissive in light of such evidence. McCallum fights absolutely nothing like Benitez. McCallum would be coming for Hearns all night, walking him down, chopping away at the body, looking for the decisive head shot. I think it's perfectly reasonable to feel that, at some point, a great technician and powerful puncher like MM would find the punch that some of Hearns's other opponents also found against him.

I'm not saying it's a foregone conclusion that MM KO's him, nor that anyone with a big punch would eventually stop Tommy, not at all. But I find your dismissive response a bit much, all things considered.

Good post.

[Bokaj]

Originally Posted by Legend X

I think McCallum was a Kronk fighter at the time.

He broke with Kronk when Hearns got his shot at Duran.

[Lord Tywin]

I pick McCallum