Nino Benvenuti v. Sumbu Kalambay

I would pick the unpredictable, erratic Benvenuti to catch Kalambay on the chin like he did LMR....and like Michael Nunn did to SK.

 

This would probably set a record for most rear hand outside uppercuts ever thrown.

unlikely that anyone is getting Knocked out though.

 

I don't think either of them is likely to KO the other so who might outwork the other or impress the judges, and that is a really tough question. Both are artists and beautiful to watch...

Overall Nino had more fights and a slightly better career but even given his impressive 2 out of 3 with Emile Griffith I don't think it quite matches the streak Kalambay had in 87-88 where he wins against Graham, Barkley and McCallum.
And the Iran Barkley win was over 15 where Nino is perhaps a little more proven.

Still, the streaking Kalamby of 87' IMO just edges Nino in a classic chess match.

 

Kalambay edges him. Slicker overall, and Nino doesn't have enough power to press him.

 

Sumbu all the way. It'd be a chess match but he was better offensively so would catch the judges eyes more.

:deal

A post of real quality.

 

I never quite understood the fuss about Kalambay. Yes Benvenuti could be flaky, but at his very best, he was a whole level above anything I saw in Kalambay.

Nino by pretty Unanimous Decision.

 

So, Kalambay barely dropping a round against Barkley and McCallum and nearly decapitating Herol Graham...nothing special Booze?

 

Remembering Graham/KalambayI, the buzz was Graham lost it, not Sambu won. Herol had not been focused after his row with Ingle.

Barkley was not considered anything special, hence the real disappointment about Graham 'blowing' the Kalambay fight. The feeling at the time was Graham was a cert to beat the limited Blade.

The first McCallum fight was with hindsight a significant victory. But again at the time the disappointment was with The Bodysnatcher's performance, not the Italian's victory.

I accept 25 years of hindsight change perceptions, but I am still in the camp of Graham and McCallum letting themselves down, rather than Kalambay being anything other than a top class Continental fighter, who can be a threat to anyone who does not bring their 'A' game.

Thus this 'level' of fighter, will fail against the cream of the division in their pomp.

 

Thanks for your insight as to the perceptions of the time Booze :good

I respect your opinions but disagree.

 

Kalambay bosses it, a class above

 

That was just the usual Brit-centric bull**** and doesnt hold up to actually watching the fight.Not focused because of an argument with Ingle over money? Give me a break, he was probably glad to be shot of him at the time, even if he went back with him later.

imo Graham was simply never the greatest or most poised of ring-generals and could be knocked off his game.He almost certainly took kalambay lightly before the fight, but he had 12 rounds to make adjustments once he realised he was in with a capable opponent.

Graham had already shown this kind of flaw against sanderline Williams who he also was overconfident against-just trying to knock him out and trade punches.Made little effort to adjust once it became clear Williams could fight, take his punch and land counters if respect and caution were not paid.Just that he was talented enough to win that one anyway.

He then went on to show similar ring-generalship flaws against McCallum and Jackson as well(with Ingle in his corner)

Kalambay may not be anymore, but he was genuinely underestimated back in the day and this kind of attitude re Graham and McCallum is a prime example of it.

 

Graham brought his game on to the pitch against Kalambay and got beaten fair and square imo. Up until the last round, I thought he was very focused and disciplined in a way that he never was half the time. When he went after Kalambay he more often than not got outjabbed/beaten to the punch and when he tried to counter off the back foot, Kalambay came after him with just as much success. You can say - perhaps with some validation - that Graham and his team didn't do their homework properly, but he looked all business to me and was just beaten by a better fighter. The rematch was pretty much meaningless to me, considering where Kalambay was at that point his career.

Kalambay was brought along too slowly, lacked any major backing, doesn't have the very deepest CV and was unfortunate enough to get caught stone cold in a major unification fight where a rematch was never going to be an option. But it should be obvious to any eye that he was a great fighter.

 

Hadn't seen this before I posted, and I agree.

 

Good post.

And even if McCallum looked a bit off in the first fight (which could just be due to Kalambay being that good) Kalambay gave him a great fight in the second as well. I think he looked better in his two fights with McCallum than Toney did in his two first.