Roberto Duran vs Mike McCallum @ 154 in 1983

Too early in McCallums career IMO, but as always with Duran, depends if he shows up in fight shape.

 

Well McCallum fought Sean Mannione and [url]Luigi Minchillo IN 84 and he gave both a Boxing lesson. Minchillio fought Duran and Hearns and neither of them could stop him and Duran actually had a little trouble with him early on before getting to grips with his style. McCallum said he wanted to make a statment against Minchillo to get people talking so he could get a fight with Duran or Hearns and he beat Minchillio so bad that his own cornerman retired him, he got the **** countered out of him round after round.[/url]


Mannione got a Boxing and by the end of the fight McCallum was giving him a shellacking. McCallum was 27 or 28 at the time.

Im a big McCallum fan but i dont think any version of Duran would beat McCallum and i think he would of knocked out Hearns to. Duran is just too small for McCallum and McCallum is better or as good as Duran in all areas.

 

I'd go with McCallum on points. The bodywork would pay dividends and he had the whiskers to absorb the occasional clean right counters Duran would land. And I don't think
Roberto would handle the workrate and pressure very well the 2nd half of the fight & would resort to a safety first hang in there to the bell fight & lose a decision.

 

Duran cannot beat McCallum imo.

Hmm. Henry Armstrong vs McCallum?

 

McCallum on points. Too big and skilled for Duran. He can handle being outmatched in either of those, but not both.

 

Id take Mike to beat him quite clearly.

 

Snatcher by clear UD. Too big and strong for Duran.

 

Too big?. While Duran was a natural lightweight, he was pretty solid and natural looking at 154 against Moore and Cuevas, etc.

 

McCallum by a decision. I doubt Duran would also come in too motivated against an unknown like Mike McCallum was at the time.

 

I thinks its more the combination he is referring to.

Fact is we just never saw Duran physically dominate guys consistently at these weights like he was at light.

Given the fact Mike is much taller, bloody strong himself and showed his class all the way to 175, I think Duran is going to have a hard time pushing him around in there.

Thats means he has to rely on his skills to outbox Mike...and considering the kind of technician McCallum was, thats going to be hard to do aswell.

I think Mike just basically every advantage needed here.

 

Agree, aside from his win over an inexperienced Davey Moore he was not a very good Lightmiddleweight imo. He had a very close fight with Nino Gonzalez which could of gone either way and he had trouble with Minchillo early on their fight, he got outboxed by Laing & Bentiez and knocked out by Hearns.

 

Yeah but his footspeed was awful and his resume at or above 154 isn't all that. McCallum was a natural (junior) middleweight and has all sorts of accomplishments there. His right hand to the body would keel Duran.

 

Duran was a very good fighter at 154 but as proven by the Benitez and Hearns fights, limited. He could not do anything against a still great Wilfredo and Hearns was a terrible match up.

McCallum was a great fighter, every bit as great at 154 as Hearns or Benitez. He was extremely fast, extremely crafty, hard hitting and took an exceptional punch. I strongly feel he would have stopped Duran inside of ten rounds.

 

Yeh, i'am with you on that one, but saying that if it was McCallum had held the Lt/Middle Title & not Davey Moore then i'd expect 2 see Duran come in HOT, as we all know at this end of his career it's all about motivation & the chance of Big future paydays & i'd expect Duran too be there or abouts at the end of 15 highly charged rounds 2 maybe get the emotional S/D much like the Barclay fight:smoke