What's keeping Sumbu Kalambay from the IBHOF?

Well, McCallum, of course. He thoroughly outboxed a true all time master!

Kalambay was like a better Floyd Mayweather. Just unknown

 

McCallum seems like it the biggest, but Herol Graham may have been a bigger fight since they staged it in Wembley. I don't see any attendence or viewer numbers.

(He was like a worse Mayweather.)

 

Oh I see, you've backtracked again. So not his best win??

The Nunn fight like I said, it was a big deal on HBO to find the next Hagler.

It was only Wembley Arena for Graham-Sumbu, so around 1,200 might've attended, probably a lot less.

 

McCallum-Sumbu wasn't televised live in the US or UK, or the second fight for that matter. They were small-time fighters, as was Graham. Its why Chris Eubank chose Gary Stretch instead of any of those three - they brought nothing to the table, and Stretch was dating celebs in all the glossy mags.

 

Ok, so McCallum was the biggest for fame other than Nunn which is what I was looking for. Obviously it was his best win.

 

I don't know really, it was pretty unseen outstde of Italy. Maybe Graham as it was on BBC and Bomber's first loss (some felt he'd never lose)

 

I agree. Which is why I think the style of Barkley was great to beat Hearns. Some fights have the key to beating other fighters.

 

Kalambay had little backing or exposure until too late, even prior to beating Bomber. He was brought along very slowly in his early career when he probably could've been moved quicker against better opposition to become a serious contender sooner. He hadn't fought anyone of note prior to fighting Thomas on the Arroyo-Paul undercard and wasn't quite the assertive pure boxer at that point that he'd become, and even in Italy he was more or less unknown. Compare him to Larocca, the other import of the day, who was hugely hyped and mapped to a title shot despite not being half the fighter Sumbu was, just because he fought like Ali. Ridiculous in hindsight. He only really got the fight against Graham because of the Kalule loss; he'd lost a dubious decision to a rejuvenated Kalule, whereas Kalule looked utterly shot in his next fight against Graham and took a beating. Not hard to see why Bomber and his folks foolishly saw Kalambay as a soft touch and keep busy fight prior to a title shot.

 

One thing that never seems to get mentioned when discussing Kalambay is the massive gift he got in the second Graham fight that was an awfull decision that prevented Graham from reaching his dream of becoming a world champion.

As for the HOF if we only talk about skills then he should be there but if we talk resume i would say hes borderline.

 

I think that feeling the obligation to induct every year , watered down the process. Even still, I understand why Kulumbay isn't in surely should be questioned when someone like Gatti got inducted, posthumous.
Not even sure I'd have a category for writers etc, but they make it. And their biggest joke was inducting Stallone for Balboa.

But I was silenced in my criticism as many fans tried to get next to Chavez, Hagler, Tyson who in turn were swooning over Stallone. It was weird and hilarious to witness.

 

It's just a popularity vote. He wasn't seen much in America.

 

His resume is a bit thin, and he got demolished by Nunn.

When people talk about Kalambay they talk about a good 2 years, not a good career.