Is Kalambay-McCallum I one of the very best performances in history?

I don't know about one of the best performances in history, i'm not too big on accolades like that in general....though no doubt if it had come from Floyd against a mccallum level guy you would never hear the end of it on the general forum.It's certainly among the great pure\technical boxing displays, that seemed to get brushed under the carpet for a long time, especially when McCallum was getting his big internet push as massively underrated a few years back.

I think kalambay would have done more in his career had he not turned pro so late, and had more focused early career matchmaking.By the time he came back from the Nunn disaster he had got too old, losing a notch of athleticism and his workrate had notably declined.

Of course Hagler would have been there had he got going earlier and i don't think he would have overcome that, but i tend to think he would have performed more than well enough to be seen in the kind of light Buchanan and Dejesus were to Duran\Winstone with Saldivar\laguna with ortiz etc... and the wins afterward when in his thirties would have sealed the deal as being an excellent fighter and not a forgotten titleist that completely blew it in his big unification fight against Nunn.

 

McCallum was a great fighter

 

Certainly one of the best pure boxing displays I've seen. Not a missed step from Kalambay that night. I believe he'd have given any MW of the last 25 years or so a very difficult night, particularly guys like Toney.

 

Sumbu Kalambay was a great fighter. He could have been Mike McCallums bogeyman. Sumbu was mighty close to beat Mike second time around too.

Woller