Ray Robinson vs Mike McCallum

I will only say that Mike is 50-50 against anyone in History …. I would love to see this at 154

 

St Valentine's Day Massacre Robi kicks his ass. McCallum is pretty overrated when it comes to fights with ATGs of the highest order. SRR is too damn fast for him.

 

Mike is a very good fighter,,, Ray is probably the best there ever was . I'd say Mike has enough to frustrate Ray, enough to go the distance and lose a decision.

 

Tough to pick against Ray but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if McCallum could knock him off. He is my favorite fighter of all time but with that said, I would still put my money on Ray.

 

Against a peak Robinson ? No chance. Mike would be second to the punch for as long as he lasts. Probably 9 or 10 rounds.

 

Mike was never stopped , he's lasting longer than 9 or 10 . And I think you could draw some comparisons with him and LaMotta. Both rolled with punches extremely well, both went to the body effectively, both extremely durable

 

Mike was a good Fighter for sure but even if he is a tough as LaMotta, and it's a big if, he's not beating Robinson at his best.

 

What weight are we talking here, @Xplosive? Could influence the fight somewhat. Are we going for 160, or are we imagining it at 154? Obviously no Light-Middleweight class in Robinson's heyday, but if there had been he might have been unbeatable there...But that was McCallum's best weight, too. At 160 Robinson wasn't perfect and was prone to the odd struggle or sub-par performance here or there, even before his first retirement. But then again, McCallum was also less dominant at that weight than he'd been at the lower one. Hard to know which weight McCallum has a better chance at, but I'd say his chances might marginally improve at Light-Middle.

Either way, I think McCallum is too good to be disgraced here, and I don't see him being stopped. His chin might not be quite as cast-iron as La Motta's (although it wouldn't be far off), but McCallum is too technically sound and smart to let Robinson use his head as a speed bag as La Motta did in the closing stages of the Valentine's Day Massacre. Robinson enjoyed playing the matador a little more at 160 than he'd done as a Wetler, and McCallum was always at his best as an aggressive counter-puncher, so who will lead?

I suspect Robinson will be a bit too slick for McCallum and I'd take Ray to win this on points going away, but I think it would be pretty competitive.

 

Agreed Chris, which I was saying in my posts, you just articulated it better

 

I would have to go with Sugar Ray Robinson winning a unanimous decision over Mike The Body Snatcher McCallum, both at their peaks at 160 lbs. Mike was very dangerous, especially when he went to the body. But Ray Robinson knowing this keeps Mike at a distance, scoring with his quick combos, staying outside for the win.

 

Both at their respective best, it's Ray either at 154 or 160. Sure Ray had some off nights but that is because he fought so damn often and still on shorter notice than modern main event guys. Speed, a full spectrum of punch selection, a stout beard combined with great and fast footwork... it's just too hard to beat.

 

Robinson would win well. His blinding speed, aggression and willingness to throw rapier like combinations is too much. He could well have McCallum in plenty of trouble at the odd point too.