Just watched Lewis Vs McCall II: What was the story behind it?

He was in a rehab shortly before the fight. He was mentally unstable. A crack smoker.

But really I think he was always like that. He lacked the cool mentality to thrive in the big fights. I saw him get similarly frustrated and walking away like a frustrated sulking child against a 45 year old Larry Holmes, but he snapped out of it. Faced with stiffer opposition in a 31 year old Lewis he crumbled.
McCall was a glorified sparring partner, he was a tough guy and okay at going rounds but when he became a top-flight fighter he caved under the pressure.
Of course, the crack cocaine was a factor in all this.

 

:thumbsupYou summed it up well bud.

 

:good

Also, a notable incident was McCall getting arrested just 7 weeks before the fight for getting drunk/high and throwing a Christmas tree across a hotel lobby, apparently having to be restrained by a mob of security guards and cops.



I doubt having Manny Steward (the man who had helped him beat Lewis the first time) in Lewis's corner for the rematch helped his state of mind when he started getting hit with heavy shots from LL either.

 

Listen here, little boys....

Ollie the Man wasn't himself that night, when he fought Lewis. No sir. No way. Ollie the Man had an off night...he had a few problems that night.

If Ollie the Man was himself that night, then that fight woulda gone 12 rounds...unless Ollie cracked Lewis with the right hand again to score a knockout. Remember that, folks...

Remember also,

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I don't like this guy.

 

You pay your respects to Oliver McCall, son. Oliver the Man turned British boxing onto its ass...with one big right hand.

Show some manners when talking about THE CHAMP.

 

Oliver McCall... is that you??

 

Lol! It's kinda crazy. A guy who was tough as nails and had one of the best chins in HW history breaks down and weeps in the ring.

 

:goodAbsolutely one of the best contris there is.:good

 

All this rehab talk seems a bit like a convenient excuse to me for simply not being able to handle the pressure and cope against a fighter who came in much better prepared the second time around. If anything McCall being in rehab should have had his head on more straight than his first time around where he took on Larry Holmes in his first defense and celebrated his victory in a Las Vegas crack house.

Signs and Symptoms

By conducting interviews with outpatients who had been cocaine users, researchers have identified three phases that occur after a person stops taking the drug:

1. The crash occurs when a person who has used cocaine for an extended period suddenly stops taking the drug. In this state, the person becomes extremely exhausted. The crash can last between nine hours and four days. At the beginning of the crash, the person feels a craving for cocaine, irritability, dysphoria, and agitation. In the middle of the crash, the individual yearns for sleep. In the late crash, the person sleeps excessively. Some individuals may suffer from extreme depression in the early stages of the crash (especially those who have suffered from depression in the past). They may think about or try to commit suicide. Even first-time users of cocaine can experience the crash, depending on how high the dose and how long the period of use.

2. As depression worsens and the desire for sleep increases, the person feels less craving. After waking from a long sleep, the individual enters a brief normal period with mild craving. This is followed by a long period of milder withdrawal, lasting from one to ten weeks. During this time the craving for cocaine returns, and the person enters a state known as anhedonia. With anhedonia, the person can no longer feel pleasure from activities or experiences he or she used to enjoy.

3. The final phase of cocaine withdrawal is called extinction. The extinction phase usually begins two weeks after a person stops using cocaine. The person returns to a normal mood but still feels an occasional craving for cocaine. Because of continued cravings, the chance for relapse is high.

 

Suffice to it to say, McCall wasn't mentally prepared to fight that night. I think he was dealing with a lot of distractions outside the ring. Addiction is a painful thing - there is a lot of self-hatred involved. I think Oliver knew that all his shortcomings were catching up to him that night and would spoil his chance to prove that the first fight wasn't a fluke.

I disagree with those who say he was a sparring partner. They say that only because he once DID work as Tyson's partner. But this guy beat Lewis, Seldon, Holmes, Oquendo, and Maskaev, has never been down, and is still winning most fights he's in, at age 45.

 

That guy had arguably the beard of the 20th century. Crack is not good for you in the long run, don't glorify that **** for some kid reading this forum.

Hey kids, if you want to **** your life up / die, smoke crack.

 

There's nothing wrong with being a sparring partner.
Holmes was Ali's sparring partner for about 3 years.

McCall was a very basic fighter. Strong and very durable, well-conditioned, decent power.