McCallum was one of those who didn't have a 'buff' body or anything to suggest he was a power puncher or particularly dangerous fighter but he had deceptive speed and amazing energy levels, and of course piercing power. He looked like a skinny weakling compared to Michael Watson and yet overpowered Watson late in the fight. Boxing is strange like that.
kicked watsons arse really. wouldn't give him a re-match though i read on here the other day, think it was the eubank interview.
Excellent all around performer. Varied, economical attack, never neglected the body, in fact it was his trademark. Not the typical body-puncher either. He wasn't limited to stalking and working his way inside to get his work done, he was just as effective on the outside. Straight rights, uppercuts, left hooks, jabs, etc, all to the body, always varied with head shots. His performance against Jackson is about as good as it gets in terms of all around brilliance in just two rounds. Watch and study his work in that fight. He was a very intelligent fighter as well, as shown by his rematch with Kalambay(though Kalambay was never the same after the fluke Nunn loss) when he was able to switch his gameplan up to earn the decision, after looking pretty much clueless against him the first go-around.
Mike McCallum was truly one of the best body punchers of all time, as well as a defensive genius. I grew up during the 1980's and 1990's, and had the pleasure of seeing the body snatcher in action on numerous occasions. He was a thinking man's type of fighter or chess player if you will. Probably one of the smartest fighters of his era, and certainly one of the most underrated. I remember him losing handely to Donald Curry before launching a left hook that left the cobra lying on his back. He defeated a young but already promising Julian Jackson who would not lose again for several years. He ended the winning streaks of several fighters, and in this fight fan's opinion, was robbed in at least one of his matches with James Toney. During the period where Hagler, Hearns, Duran and Leonard were basking in the sun of stardom, McCallum was steadily cleaning house on some of the better Jr. Middleweights of the period. He retired without ever having been stopped, and had claim to winning 4 world titles in 3 weight classes. Politics prevented McCallum from ever reaching celebrity status, but for those who followed his career, he could have easily been the 5th man of the fabulous 4.
Mike McCallum's fights against bigger puncher James Toney are just wonderful masterpieces to be rewatched carefully. I reckon he was very much more "The Professor" than "The Body Snatcher", just pure class... Fluid left lead pumpin from a perfect stance on his toes and then two beautiful shots to the bread basket, everything in combinations, everything aesthetically pleasing, what a fighter, that's all...
I think mike just nicked it. However I've not seen that fight since the original broadcast. Mike gets very animated when asked about Herol!
If I remember correctly he would have got it on the cards if he hadnt have had a point deducted for throwing him.