Mike "The Bodysnatcher" McCallum vs Ezzard "The Cincinnati Cobra" Charles Two very technically sound boxers with great fundamentals and ring IQ. Fight in Middleweight, and at LHW. Whom you got winning and why ?
Charles would gut him like a fish without a doubt. We are putting arguably the P4P against someone who wasn’t even the best of his own era...
Even if we put the less experienced less robust pre-war (big) middleweight version against McCallum i doubt he could win. From 46 on Charles went on one of the most amazing streaks in boxing history of course. This was when he was at his best and he was a genuine light heavyweight by this point s there no way McCallum, at his best at 154 and extremely good at 160 is ever going to beat him. Simply a better fighter and bigger to boot.
McCallum is arguably the most complete technician in history, but Ezzard Charles was a full blown light heavy and one of the very best ever himself at any weight or any time.
McCallum is my favorite fighter of all time but I have to go with Charles if we are talking at 175 since he was the naturally bigger man. McCallum was in his mid 30's when he started fighting at light heavy and was starting slow down. Charles was at his best at 175 and I think he would win a UD but not stop the incredibly tough and technically sound McCallum.
'48 Charles beats McCallum shitless then knocks him spark out. The gulf in class is huge, and the gulf in size isn't much smaller. If he can knock out Jimmy Bivins and Archie Moore, then he can knock out Mike McCallum.
Charles is the clear favorite but matched at the same weight, I don’t think it would be the mismatch that people think it is. While Ezzard is p4p one of the top 5 best of all time, McCallum is criminally underrated. And I can see his defense and body work forcing Charles to have to work for the win. Ultimately I think the Cincinnati Cobra wins a hard fought decision