The Best of the Rest: 160lbs Tier II Tournie - SF - Fight 2: Mike McCallum UD15 Sumbu Kalambay

Me neither tbf.

 

I think you've misread it. We will soon find out no doubt.

 

Seriously though, it's surely best for best in these scenarios like John said. It has been in every other match where even wildly inconsistent fighters like Toney and Giardello who lost fights they shouldn't have, have been accorded the benefit of the doubt in one-off h2hs. I don't think it specifies a post 1989/90 timeline either, it just says a decider.

Mike and Sumbu were both in their prime at the time of the first fight and whatever the judges thought, I didn't see that fight as close at all and know plenty who think the same. McCallum was outclassed imo. The only slightly mitigating circumstances are it being McCallum's first fight at the weight and him having been very slightly inactive. Maybe fighting the wrong fight a bit and not being smart enough. But they're small concessions and not enough to explain the distance by which he lost imo. I gave him 3 rounds I think. In light of that, it's just outright daft to me to pick him in a h2h fight that he lost in real life, it's denial of facts.

The rematch was extremely close at worst. Kalambay was visibly slower of foot and reflex imo and not the same fighter post Nunn. The rematch was Graham was a bad decision and he only really rallied himself one last time against Collins when thought to be past it, which he duly looked in his very next fight against the might Pyatt. McCallum fought a better fight than first time out and the fight itself is a technical masterclass both ways. But he scraped the decision at best and Kalambay has a good argument for winning. Add that to the disparity of the first fight and I struggle to see how it's not a case of bias, denial or contrarianism to have Mike being better in a h2h clash when the real life evidence says otherwise.

 

McCallum takes it for me, haven't watched the first fight in a long time but the second fight was close only because McCallum lost a bit of steam and wanted to stand and counter Kalambay but Kalambay had other ideas and he won at least 4 of the last 6 rounds in my opinion.

The second fight could've easily been a draw had McCallum not rallied back in the championship rounds.

 

Don't get me wrong pal, it's not as if I'm bothered as such, it's just all a bit surreal, even for this place. I'm going for a poo like Duran never did against ratty Ray and then doing some work before work sack me.

 

Everybody who voted for Mike can go away, sit down in the naughty corner and think about what they've done.

 

Kalambay Tight UD

 

It's best vs best.

 

Why the angst? I was hoping McGrain would clarify.

It was just the luck of the draw how it turned out, or bad luck.