Oliver's McCall's chin

That was the strangest fight I ever saw and I watched it live. McCall just absolutely refused to fight. Some have made the argument that his mental breakdown was due to his inability to be effective against Lewis, but I've never bought it for one second. Something was going on inside that man's head and I don't think it had anything to do with Lennox Lewis.

 

Lewis??

Guy got knocked out cold from a single punch. That is not the definition of a granite chin. His defense kept him safe, not his chin.

 

The next generation of the Classic forum. Those who haven't seen any fights before 1982.

atsch

 

I feel the same Magoo. I felt sorry for George Benton as well, because how do you control him in that state? What do you say or do? Benton looked disgusted.

 

Make that 2002.

 

The chin of oliver is overrated, chuvalo´s was better , and pfp lamotta´s was better than both

 

Both Chuvalo and Lamotta were stopped and Jake was badly dropped and hurt against Nardico, they both took way more punishment than McCall ever did though.

At the end of the day if all you've got going for you is a chin you're not going very far anyway.

 

you did answer to yourself

 

I just had to take a look at the Granite chin of McCall.

I think thing of him taking bombs from Lennox with his hands down has a feel of urban myth. Very sad. I watched this fight and around the end of the 3rd round McCall stop fighting. Lennox seemed to realize it immediately but, seemed to back off and threw only light jabs and the occassional haymaker that almost always missed or grazed McCall. The entire forth round McCall did nothing and Lennox did not land anything hard. Finally, that last round Lennox stopped playing and landed about three hard punches. One was a flush uppercut but the others were right hands that landed hard but were not as flush.

Bottom line. McCall was a sitting duck and not only could not Lennox finish him but he almost was not able to land much cleanly. I think it is because Lennox is at the end of the day a decent guy who did not want to hurt and guy obviously showing signs of not wanting to fight anymore.

I would like to have seen McCall do that against Joe Louis or Mike Tyson or some other heartless puncher. I guarantee that Mills Lane would not have had to ask McCall what was the matter. They would have put him in the hospital before he had any chance to cry and walk around the ring at a leisurely pace crying.

 

I have no source to back this. But a few years ago, I recall someone mentioning that McCall had been exhibiting erratic behavior prior to that match, and there was even talk about him picking up a christmas tree in a hotel lobby and throwing it or something. In addition he had apparently spent most of the previous year in drug rehab. Don't know all the facts but there was something wrong in that guy's head and life.