30 years ago yesterday: "The Body Snatcher" Michael McKenzie McCallum vs. Fabrice "The Bear" Tiozzo

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This was the final proper world title bout of the late Jamaican-American three division champion's career. His subsequent two losses, RJJ and Toney III, were for a WBC interim light heavy and WBU cruiserweight title respectively.

McCallum had 2½″ of reach over the Frenchman (unlike him, a natural light heavyweight) but gave up an inch of height. They brought in startlingly similar amateur records - 40-9 vs. 40-6.

Tiozzo notably dropped McCallum in the second round - buzzing him first with a straight right while fighting off the ropes and then wisely clapping him with a short left hook for good measure as he was still bowed aside rolling with that previous shot (always wondered why more boxers don't double-tap like this, although in the heat of battle having the presence of mind to clock your opponent's movement precisely time something to meet them where they are is easier said than done). This caused Mike to stagger off-kilter and tripod, a glove pressed onto the canvas to keep himself up - which is a legit KD.

Now, you can enumerate the # of times the Body Snatcher was put down in his career on a single hand with a couple of digits left over. Honestly, the one against Herol "Bomber" Graham shouldn't even count despite being offically ruled (in error) by the referee - it was a clear slip on a blatant puddle of water on the ring floor. That leaves Roy Jones' flash knockdown scored with a doubled up pull-counter right hand just at the bell to end round ten, and Tiozzo's own feat coming eight rounds earlier. Both of these were of course versus a weathered and past-prime McCallum and neither was a case of him being terribly hurt so much as caught off-balance.

This might actually be the feather in the cap of the Frenchman, despite him being a European and three-time world champion over two divisions. It was a respectable career for a guy who barely ever left home. The biggest names he defeated were McCallum and Dariusz Michalczewski, both in their waning days - but he also dropped & defeated Eric Lucas and Eddy Smulders in their primes. The only man to beat him in 50 bouts was Virgil Hill - but he did so authoritatively, twice, seven years apart, dropping Tiozzo a total of five times in all.

RIP Mike. (passed a few weeks ago, May 31st, aged 69)