revisionist myths series 1: mike mccallum fab 4

Ray was not ducking Nunn. Ray was not a young fighter or champion anymore after 1987 since all of the titles were split apart after he fought Hagler. He vacated the WBC title didn't he? I don't think he fought for the IBF and WBA title against Hagler, but I could be wrong.

It has been many years. He made a speech I seem to recall where he said. So I retire again. But you know me. Something like that. After he vacated/ other titles were not on the line against Hagler-Kalambay, Tate and Hearns winning the 3 titles WBA. IBF and WBC. Ray had no obligation to fight Nunn at all. He was on that retirement tour with Lalonde where he won the 2 titles in one night in Nov. 1988 to match Tommy 3 days later when Tommy fought Kinchen, and then fighting Hearns and Duran again in fights which he knew their style and he was familiar with them, so it was not as much of a challenge compared to some younger fighter he had never fought. Ray was trying to put a period on the decade and his rivalries, but I don't think he wanted a second career.

He put a lot of thought into winning two titles and fighting only Hearns and Duran again. Then for some reason he picked Norris to fight over a year later in Feb. of 1991. Anyway, I don't think Ray ever was going to fight Nunn. Especially after Kalambay. I think Ray knew he was smaller than Nunn and he couldn't deal with a young fast southpaw bigger fighter. My thinking is he saw the Norris fight against Jackson and somehow thought he could stop him and exploit the chin, and it didn't work. But Norris to him was more his size compared to Nunn and orthodox- more beatable in his mind probably. He underestimated the speed of Norris and how far he himself had diminished as far as speed,and he took for granted the fact he would be able to fight a younger guy like Norris just on his experience without the proper tuneups and at 154.

Fighting Lalonde where Lalonde was weakened a bit at 168 for 2 titles. and then Hearns and Duran whom he knew from fighting before who were from his era was much easier than fighting a young fighter in Norris who was natural at the weight Ray had not fought at for 7 years, and a champion in Norris. At the time I wondered why Ray took that fight after handpicking the 3 guys before Norris. This was Ray trying to find out if he really was good still. It was his big risk. More than any he had taken in years. At least he was not knocked out against Norris.

 

No he wasn't ranked and no one knew who he was at that
time besides his family and trainers. Leonard fought
Kalule for the Jr.middleweight championship, than dropped
back down to welter for bigger game T.Hearns. After that
the eye injury situation.

 

Leonard after Hagler was a bit in the same situation as Pac is now, I'd say. Yes, Pac is older, but he still has amazingly much left for a 40-year old. As far I'm concerned Pac doesn't have to be prove anything and partly I want to him to keep away from the young, prime beasts like Crawford and Spence. In 1988 I'd probably felt the same for Leonard and the Nunn who just had dismantled Tate. No real need to take on that guy. It could end quite badly for you.

Ray probably felt something along those lines himself, but Pac might just be crazy to take on Crawford or Spence. But I wouldn't blame him one bit for choosing Mikey instead. I kind of hope he does.

 

McCallum brought nothing to the table but an awkward night. It's called the Who Needs Him Club.

 

McCallum wasn't even in the middleweight division when Hagler fought Leonard in 87. Mike is full of ****

 

Graham was No.1 Contender at Middleweight for about 18 months during that superfight era. Couldn't get a look in.
Mugabi was No.1 Contender at Light Middle but Emanuel Steward wouldn't let Hearns go near him. Bob Arum and Mickey Duff did a lot of business together right through the 80's. That's how Mugabi got the shot at Hagler. If Duff's gamble had paid off there may well have been a Famous Five.
If anyone's got beef, I reckon it deserves to be Mugabi.

 

I like revisionist myths. Keep them coming!

 

Thanks for that, but I happen to think Hearns was unbeatable at 154 and Mugabi was far too easy to hit for long ranged power punching Hearns.

 

Leonard was far better v Hagler than when he returned against Lalonde, by then he was nowhere near the level Pac is at now.

 

I think Ray had enough left when he fought Hagler to compete with Nunn but he was badly faded te following year when he came back to fight Lalonde.

 

Good post and memory. I vaguely remember Steward steering Hearns away
from Mugabi. Hearns probably would stop Mugabi faster than Hagler did.
But if Mugabi landed some of the fire he landed on Hagler .
It would've been very interesting to say the least.

 

Steward wasn't going to risk Tommy's chin against Mugabi.

 

I am not sure. I have thought about this over the years. Did Ray go down or was Hagler diminished by inactivity and tough fights and lack of motivation- and did Ray see that? Probably so- so even a diminished Ray could outbox Hagler? It was a great win, but Ray handpicked Marvin when Marvin didn't look good against Mugabi. Why didn't he handpick Hagler after Hearns? He could have. And Ray even in a diminished state could still box. He boxed against Hagler and Duran in the 3rd fight. I don't know if Ray could beat Nunn. My thinking was always no at that time. He could compete with his old buddies Hearns and Duran but a young fast fighter of the time is totally different. Those other guys he fought before declined as he did so he knew what he would get with them, he knew them. As great as he was, at that time Nunn had the speed advantage, the size advantage and southpaw and he was unknown. Nunn was not as great as the other guys, but head to head in 1989? Nunn would have had the advantage over all of them. Hearns had the best shot because of his reach and right hand, but still Nunn was young and prime. Ray in those years was doing a lot of hitting on the break also, and I don't think Nunn falls for that like Lalonde did. Hearns did not fall for it.

 

I'm not so sure of that. Don't think he'd fare worse against Nunn, Kalambay and McCallum than Pac would against Crawford or Spence. The opposite if anything.