Does any middleweight pre Robinson beat Mike McCallum?

Who knows if he would or not, but pressure fighters wasn't a stylistic problem for him. No way he could have handled Watson and Harding like that if they were.

 

Where are the similarities between Lomatta Harding and Watson? Other
than they wore boxing gloves trunks and shoes? They fought nothing
alike. Personally I don't consider Watson and Harding pressure fighters.
The class level is also wide in my opinion. Theirs nothing special about
Harding an Watson. The fighters I mentioned are considered ATG.

 

I'd imagine there would be, yes. I'm not that knowledgeable of those eras, but essentially the question is: does Mike go unbeaten against the best of those eras?

I can't see it. He didn't separate himself from the rest in his own era.

 

Watson could box as well, but he was also a very good pressure fighter when wanted to. Just ask Eubank. Harding didn't know much about anything but applying pressure.

They weren't ATGs but the relative ease and ageing (Watson) and flat out old (Harding) McCallum had with them suggests he didn't have stylistic trouble with pressure fighters. Throw Collins in there as well, btw. If pressure was a problem for McCallum I think he would have had bigger problems with him as well, since he was in his mid 30's when they faced off.

 

Bob Fitzsimmons would tear him apart.

 

I think Mike is as good as anyone at middleweight. But that doesn’t mean he can beat everyone.

 

Nobody ever tore McCallum apart. Fitzsimmons era and McCallum's are so completely different. Might as well have been different sports.

Go watch the little bit of film of that exist of Fitzsimmons on youtube and then watch McCallum. No way Fitzsimmons "tears him apart". One guy throws one punch at a time with his hands down and barely moves. The other guy is a ****ing wrecking machine of speed, power and skill. Body Snatcher wins all day long in this time machine joke of a fight.

 

Lol! OVERATED! Not even in the class of Fitz or any other great.

 

Lol. If you can honestly say that after watching film of both fighters then there is nothing else for us to talk about. I think your praise of Fitz over McCallum is about something other than boxing. No way any rational person can see more skill and talent in the Fitz film.

 

I don't think I could be persuaded that McCallum could go 15 rounds each with Tony Zale and Jock McAvoy without one of them launching him.
I am slightly bending the rules.

 

Do you consider Mickey Walker a pressure fighter ...I saw footage of him for the first time last month

 

If Roy Jones and James Toney couldn't "launch him" what makes you think Zale and McAvory could? Is there something that I am missing in the video that exists? I like Tony Zale. I actually really like him and respect him as a truly great body puncher for his era but as tough as he was he was nowhere near as good as McCallum was from a skills standpoint and that is undeniable from watching both.

 

I think as great as McCallum was he was certainly beatable. I like the chances of a speedy outside boxer type over any pressure fighter or slugger. McCallum was so technically sound and aside from his defense he had one hell of a chin and was never even close to being stopped even though he fought into his 40's. He was at his best against guys that came at him.

If I had to guess at someone pre Robinson, I would take a guy that was much more known for his lightheavyweight career than middleweight but Billy Conn was a guy with good movement that had a style that could trouble McCallum. I really hate these kind of mythical matchups. Too many variables that don't align between the era's.

 

Wow, I didn't know that's possible - thank you! I never thought that I could watch one of my favorite fighters, you opened my eyes now!

 

Harry Greb i would be quite certain could outscore McCallum to a clear decision. Mike couldn't hurt him or catch him.
Jake Lamotta, technically he was preRobinson.