Best Light Middleweight fighter: Mike McCallum, Winky Wright, or Terry Norris

But all time great? He was good but that is too high for him he was not at that level no matter what. Hall of famer sure.. But all time great needs more than Shane, and a downside Tito. The other guys are not exactly great. .

 

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McCallum
Wright
Norris

 

So who do you consider all time greats at 154? Hearns and McCallum for sure but who else? The 154 division has not been around for that long so we can't really include anyone pre 80's. Sure we could speculate that a lot of guys that fought at 160 back in the same day weigh in era could make 154 but bottom line they didn't compete at that weight because it didn't exist.

 

Man that Whitaker was good huh?

 

Mike but Winky is a tough fight for anyone ... that type of size and style .. I think a prime Mike also beats Leonard, Durand and Hearns at 154. He would have been a classic opponent for a 1985 Hagler, likely defeating him ..

 

Go back and look at that fight and tell me Whitaker won it.

 

He won it!!

 

Well all time great at the weight? Hearns and McCallum and the obvious...Benitez as the start of it getting better in the 1980s after Kalule-who was underrated. I would rank Hearns, McCallum,Tito, Delahoya, I think Duran was great at the weight-more than people will say. Benitez.Canelo,Norris is borderline. Some of his fights there were not exactly great.. The way he lost to Brown, he beat him in the rematch. Santana, he can be excused for Jackson probably. Yet where does Jackson rank. He beat Norris. Going back to the list, some might say Nino Benvenuti is one of the greats of 154.

 

Mike McCallum gets a little overrated at times now.. When he was fighting he was underrated, but today overrated. He still lost to Kalambay in his first middleweight fight, and had a good string of wins yet those guys were not as good as the guy who then drew with him Toney. I don't think Mike had the opposition Hearns had at 154.. He had some good tough fighters, but not Benitez and Duran. Mannion was good, Minchillo stopped him in 13, Hearns went 12, Jackson was green. Good fight. Milton and Donald his best wins there, but guys moving up and off big losses in reality. Knockout losses.

 

They would not fight him , none of them . He crushed Curry, McCrory, Norris, Jackson. He had his first loss at 32 to a very good boxing Middkeweight in Kalamby which he avenged. He gave a price Toney hell at age 35. Toney says he was far and away the best he ever fought. H2H he had the chin, defense, stamina and body pushing to destroy Hearns .. he was too big and too good for Ray at 154. Duran at 154 wood not have even been competitive.

 

This.

 

Saying he would destroy Hearns, but he could not beat Kalambay is just talk. Hearns at 154 went 15 rounds and 12 against Benitez and Minchillo, someone Mike could not stop until 13, yet he would destroy Hearns, who outpointed Minchillo in the same way Mike did. Everyone wants to rate Hearns at middleweight when he started to struggle a little and have more stamina issues. Too big and too good for Ray but not for Kalambay who to me had a style like Ray Leonard? Duran would have been competitive with Mike if Mannion was, or Minchillo. whom Duran beat over 10 rounds also. I tell you one thing, Mike would not stop Duran in two rounds. Toney in 1991 was not prime? After he beat Nunn in May? Toney was not exactly experienced at that point and the fight after Mike, he in some people's minds should have lost to Tiberi. But he won the second fight.

 

Also, they would not fight him? Mike was not well known when Duran picked Hearns to fight over Mike. Hearns was a bigger name and Hearns vs. Duran was a marquee fight. Hagler? Marvin had his last fight in April of 1987 and talked about retiring as early as 1985 in some stories. But mainly in 1986 he didn't know if he wanted to fight Ray, yet Mike went to middleweight in 1988. So when would Marvin fight him? Hearns? When Mike won the title against Mannion was October of 1984, on the Hagler vs. Hamsho 2 undercard which was a setup for Hearns vs. Hagler, Hearns having defended against Hutchings I think mid Sept. of 1984. So again, Hearns is occupied with Hagler and fighst Shuler in 1986 to set up the Hagler fight, since Shuler was number one contender. When would Hearns fight Mike? By the time Hagler decided to fight Ray, then Hearns thought he wanted to move up and win the 175 title a month before Hagler vs Leonard, and win his 4th title in 1987... again before Mike was at middleweight. . And Ray? Ray wanted to fight Hearns and Duran again..When did they duck Mike really? Then they ducked everyone in boxing. I remember the time, no one was clamoring for McCallum vs. any of them. No way. They were in other divisions and he was at 154... Time has changed the story a little.

 

I don't know man. Seems like you are going way out of your way to discredit McCallum which is just odd to me. Three post in a row were you downplay what he did. I don't get it. The Body Snatcher was one of the most technically sound fighters EVER that never ducked anyone. I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you otherwise.

Everyone knows the big four wanted no part of Mike because he was high risk low reward.