Mike McCallum’s best fights

Watson, Toney I and II, Kalambay II, Curry

 

Got to be Julian Jackson, hasn't it? Hawk was 26 and unbeaten. Mike looked cool as a cucumber dismantling the most dangerous guy around and doing it quickly. Dodgy stoppage but it was only going one way and the intervention may have helped Julian in the long run. It saved him from a prolonged beating and gave his psyche something to hang on to, in that he was perhaps unfairly not given chance to go down fighting.

In another thread about Mike not facing the Fab 4, I said that, before Curry, he was chalking up defences against so-so opposition. I correct myself. This was a tough, tough defence on paper. It still came too late to catapult him into the Fab Four stratosphere though.

Other than that, he looked very capable against Toney in fight one, Michael Watson and Kalambay in the rematch.

 

Agree on Watson, Toney I, and Kalambay II.

Toney II was not a good fight. It was slightly more intense than a sparring session, and as a display of pure skill it wasn't on the level of the Kalambay rematch. It was the first fight in which McCallum looked past his prime. He fought so cautiously. If he deserved to win (I've never had a problem with the decision), it was because Toney didn't turn in a particularly good performance either. I wouldn't have it in my top ten for McCallum, but I do understand why someone would.

Curry was a great win, but he was getting outboxed in that one. Maybe if he doesn't get that KO then he takes over late, though.

Watson I'd rate as his best performance. Kalambay II I'd rate as his best win. Kalambay was past his best, but McCallum had to go up against the guy who (to that point) had given him his only career loss, schooling him in the process. There was not much money or prestige to be gained from taking that fight, as Kalambay just didn't entrench himself in the public imagination. For the rematch, McCallum fought a much better fight and was able to box with a master boxer to edge a close decision. For his part, Kalambay looked better than he did in any of his other post-Nunn fights and gave his last great performance as well.

 

He had this one fight with a guy who would go on to never change his hairstyle for the next thirty years, who admittedly had an ATG hairstyle. And, anyway, that guy came in with this gameplan where he wore a cup on his chin. But he still got stopped in a few really cool rounds. That's the one I liked, I say.

 

Mike McCallum was a very devastating body puncher, the nickname the Body Snatcher fit him well, the way he kayoed Donald Curry was a fantastic win.

 

Pretty much. I'd possibly add McCrory, and also Harding as an impressive post prime performance.

EDIT: Oh, and Julian Jackson definitely.

 

Forgot Kalule.

 

Some of his best showings IMO:

vs Michael Watson
vs Julian Jackson
vs Milton McCrory
vs Randall Yonker
vs Luigi Minchillo
vs Ayub Kalule
vs David Braxton

 

His performance against Kalambay 2 can’t be overlooked as well. He was able to be on even terms with the same guy who completely schooled him the first time around. Mike fought a clever fight in the first half until Kalambay adjusted and started to give him hell again later on. Kalambay just had a style that was poison to Mike but he still managed to narrowly avenge his first loss before losing again to Toney later on.

 

I think Curry was a case where Curry was in deep waters already with the eye swelling and he didn't know what to do. HBO acted like he was in control.

 

Larry Merchant and Barry Tompkins did make it appear that Donald Curry was winning.

 

He was.

 

I have to add about Curry. That fight is one of my favorites. It is top quality fighters at the high level and they were picking their shots and looking for openings. Curry was faster and would land punches at times, but nothing really clean except that round 2 punch. Mike was stronger and taking over and by round 4 he was landing body punches HBO was not mentioning. At the end of round 4 it was almost like Mike was walking down Donald a little. Then in round 5 Donald started to move inside and out to pick his shots and get out since Mike was too strong on the inside and that punch landed when he pulled it. It was not a fluke.

 

Yeah they did, and I could see Mike taking over. I see it more watching it now than on that night, but I could see the eye swelling and Donald getting hit more to the body.