McCallum stopped Julian Jackson, Donald Curry and Milton McCrory. Later in his career, he beat guys like Bomber Graham, Steve Collins and Michael Watson. He deserved to face one, if not all, of the Fab 4 and it's a shame he never got the chance.
He didn't deserve any specific fights. He was an excellent fighter but didn t grab the interest of the boxing public. Boxing is an entertainment business not really a sport. McCallum couldn't uphold his end ($$$) as the B side fighter.
He had a chance to fight Gerald McLellan. Nigel Benn. Even Duran was mentioned and Michael Nunn. He declined to defend his title and got stripped then fought James Toney and got beaten up, almost got knocked out in the twelfth round. McCallum had his chances.
Everyone seemed to underestimate the body snatcher. His career was a pure pleasure. Easy to see why some things didn't happen as others were in their own world, a bit, promoters, money, power, politics, etc..... McCallum got shit done anyway.
World champion history? Not many people underrated him. He was well known at the time He just didn't capture the imagination of fans and wasn't a big draw.
He wasn’t underrated by boxing fans. He just never got the big fights he deserved because the big boys didn’t fancy fighting him. It’s just business but when you hear Mike interviewed today, he’s still bitter.
@@anthonyrivera557 let's not go too far overboard. Hagler would have knocked out Jackson too. At jr. middle McCallum was powerful but Hagler was a big middleweight and could take a punch. Matched up with a prime McCallum, it would have been a great fight.
I remember this fight. Mike McCallum was a great fighter. He had incredible stamina, great offensive and defensive skills. People need to see more of his fights. Jim Lampley looks so young!
McCallum was similar to Regis Prograis, with the stutter-step footwork & the upper body movement. The way he used the roll to get his head off the line & create space for his own shots...
@@kufujitsu man please don't ever compare Regis to the Body Snatcher, I get what you are saying but c'mon. Regis is nowhere near as busy, consistent with the jab and bob and weave countered like McCallum.
@@renzopeterson153 Regis has been pretty consistent in most of his fights bro. Regis doesn't focus on the body like McCallum did, & his resume' is nowhere near McCallum's, I'll agree with you there. McCallum's body attack, & the way he could flow with his punches while moving laterally, was unique.
sure was! and a HELL of a nice guy. I played guitar in a band that played a roast for Tommy Hearns in Detroit and I made two friends that night. Mike and Leon Spinks! when Leon smiled, YOU couldn't HELP but smile back. what a sweetheart
McCallum should've fought Duran but Manny Steward arranged for Hearns to fight Duran instead. That is why Mike left Steward and promised to beat all of Steward s camp once given the opportunity. He really did. Mike was a real body snatcher.
I remember watching this live on ABC, I was in 6th grade lol. Two of my favorite fighters from the era. McCallum was such an all around great boxer, vastly underrated. Great upload.
Nothing better than watching a peaking champion and Mccory fought hard but just got hammered Mike Mcallmn was so dangerous he was ducked by the big four
That fight maybe he choked cause he looked like he didn't belong in there Curry walked through his punches and had h pancaked to the mat here he was really trying to redeem himself and fought hard as he could
@@johntobysharpe9769 The footage I've seen of the two sparring it looks pretty even. In an actual Fight Mike could possibly win with his stronger chin and stamina, but Tommy's boxing skills were superb, I see Mike possibly scoring a KO after trailing on points
@@Wuschi2001 That is not the way it works. Hagler was the middleweight champion. You had to come take that belt. He fought at 160 his entire professional career.
That's why Michael Watson was such a respected fighter. He fought McCallum when others wouldn't. Yes, he got a boxing lesson but he ducked nobody. It's such a shame what happened to him. He would have been a future World Champion. Without a doubt. I was surprised to find out that Tommy Hearns was only in his early 30's in 1991. McCallum was called the Bodysnatcher for a very good reason. His body punches would knock the stuffing out of his opponent.
Milton got absolutley destroyed by donald curry. He was nowhere near the fab 4 class. That comment is straight disrespectful..i will give you 2 guys that where avoided by the fab 4. MIKE MCALLUM & AARON PRYOR
He wasn't a draw. They weren't avoiding him. They were using each others names to make money fighting each other. Makes sense. They were all on the slide by the time McCallum became a possible opponent. McCallum beat Jackson, but Jackson wasn't exactly a household name and was a one dimensional banger anyway. This is 1987, the year of the Hagler v Leonard fight in which you can see that both Hagler and Leonard are way past their sell by date. Duran has one more decent fight left against Barkley after 20 years fighting. The Hearns, Leonard, Duran 3rd fights were of no interest to fans as they were a pale shadow of themselves. All 4 of the fighters best years were before McCallum had made a name for himself.
McCallum stayed too long at junior middleweight, where he tried to get fights against Hearns & Duran, & I think they mentioned John Mugabi's name as well at some point. If he truly wanted Hagler he should have applied for a middleweight ranking, but he stayed at junior middle seemingly forever before he finally moved up to middleweight. He waited too long. Hagler wasn't going to wait forever, especially as he was towards the end of his career, & he was busy defending his middleweight title against Duran, Hearns, Mugabi, & Leonard - so why would he waste his time thinking about lesser known junior middleweights like McCallum?
@@kufujitsu Hagler was only fighting Superfights at the end of his career too, at the rate of one per year. He didn't need a dangerous but not-especially-popular opponent like McCallum.
McCrory had the problem of a lot of lanky guys - they have trouble over distance and suspect chins (Arguello was an exception. And Sandy Saddler). Despite how stiff McCrory's body was, he got great leverage on his punches if he could keep you at distance. McCallum got caught between a number of times. Don't want to go backward with someone that long.
The 80s had the best welter and middle weight fighters ever...Duran, Leonard, Curry, Brown, Jackson, Hearns, Hagler, McClellan, etc. And there were no duckings. They fought each other.
Mike McCallum is the most unheralded fighter of the modern era. Otherwise there'd have been a 'Fabulous 5' None of those guys wanted to fight him for little $, yet max risk and the British alleged contenders Benn n Eubank wouldn't have lasted more than 8 rds with this consummate professional. He'd already broken Watson in 11 rds, who was perhaps the most skilled of the Brits at the time.
manos3790 the best of the Brits was Herol Graham at that time. McCallum/Graham was a great fight. Graham for me beats Benn, Eubank and Watson and would’ve been difficult for Hagler, Hearns and Leonard
@@davelou1995 Graham was a special British talent, but got starched big-time by Julian Jackson, at the peak of both of their career's. Barring Ken Buchannan, Joe Calzaghe's probably the best British Isle's fighter ever. I'd maybe add Ted 'kid' Lewis to the mix, too.
manos3790 I agree - Graham was completely starched by Jackson! Graham was such a strange style to deal with. He was coming to the end of his peak period which was why us Brits were desperate for him to win against Julian. I think Benn and Eubank were pleased with the result! Mike was a special fighter wasn’t he. He could do it all.
@@manos3790 Graham was boxing Jackson's face off, and almost had the fight stopped when he got caught. It happens. Look at what Terry Norris went on to do.
I don't see much difference between these two skill-wise; a Kronk and ex-Kronk fighter in a pro fight was always going to be an intriguing match-up (they must have been involved in the infamous Kronk gym wars together when they both boxed out of the Kronk). I think McCallum's punch quality is/was slightly better and more accurate than McCrory's and it looks like he's the heavier puncher too, bloodying Milton's nose and marking him up badly around the eyes. I remember McCallum stating that he was taking out his frustration on McCrory due to Milton's trainer, the late great Emmanuel Steward, putting Tommy Hearns in with Duran for the WBA Junior Middleweight title ahead of Mike, despite McCallum being the number 1 contender for Duran's belt at the time (Mike subsequently left the Kronk in frustration). I guess Mike would have won anyway, even without the extra impetus as he proved himself a Hall of Famer as his career progressed and a multi-weight world champ. One thing I will say is that Milton lasted 5 rounds longer than Don Curry did with McCallum in Mike's final title defence at Junior Middleweight; of course, styles make fights but an interesting stat nonetheless. Even more interesting when you factor in the fact that Milton was stopped in 2 rounds by Curry in their Welterweight unification bout 18 months earlier. Thanks for the upload - great fight between two of the modern eras great fighters.
McCrory didn't do any holding. It was courageous but he was not as strong as McCallum. It was the body work by McCallum that made the difference. McCrory was worn out.
High risk yeah the McCallum that destroyed Julian Jackson was a high risk Hagler though thought of as invincible could lose to this altime great fighter plus no enough money! For my marvelous time
McCallum had only recently become WBA light-middle champion and Hagler was signed to fight Leonard, which would be his final fight, so there was absolutely no clamour to see a Hagler-McCallum fight. McCallum was largely unknown before he beat Don Curry, in July 1987, which was 3 months after Hagler lost to Leonard. Their eras didn't really overlap. If they had fought in 1987 and even considering that Marvin was slightly over-the-hill he would have beaten Mike, who hadn't fought at Middleweight. It would have been a good fight but McCallum was a bit one-paced and would have stood in front of Hagler, which never worked. Leonard had the mobility and speed to frustrate the ageing Hagler, though his win was hardly clear-cut and Hagler arguably paid Ray far too much respect. Regardless, McCallum's peak was at 154. He had a few good wins at 160 but was no all-time great at the higher weight.
McCallum stopped Julian Jackson, Donald Curry and Milton McCrory. Later in his career, he beat guys like Bomber Graham, Steve Collins and Michael Watson. He deserved to face one, if not all, of the Fab 4 and it's a shame he never got the chance.
Agreed 🤝....both Hagler and Hearns dodged fights with McCallum they both deemed him too dangerous
Definitely a shame he never got a chance to fight neither one of them,wouldve been a great fight with either one!!
He didn't deserve any specific fights. He was an excellent fighter but didn t grab the interest of the boxing public. Boxing is an entertainment business not really a sport. McCallum couldn't uphold his end ($$$) as the B side fighter.
He had a chance to fight Gerald McLellan. Nigel Benn. Even Duran was mentioned and Michael Nunn. He declined to defend his title and got stripped then fought James Toney and got beaten up, almost got knocked out in the twelfth round. McCallum had his chances.
Everyone seemed to underestimate the body snatcher. His career was a pure pleasure. Easy to see why some things didn't happen as others were in their own world, a bit, promoters, money, power, politics, etc..... McCallum got shit done anyway.
the most criminally underated 3 weight world champion in history
World champion history? Not many people underrated him. He was well known at the time He just didn't capture the imagination of fans and wasn't a big draw.
He wasn’t underrated by boxing fans. He just never got the big fights he deserved because the big boys didn’t fancy fighting him. It’s just business but when you hear Mike interviewed today, he’s still bitter.
Lou Duva got the credit for training the fighters, but George Benton was the real teacher/trainer!
Absolutely, Lou was nothing but a promoter and pretend trainer.
Defamation!
@@louduva9849 knock it off Lou! You know it's true!
@@ItsBenRoyboy Lou Duva blew Benton's chance of fighting for the Middleweight crown
@@reycesarcarino4653 can you believe that?At least Lou helped George get rich as a trainer tho.
Mike McCallum was my favourite fighter, he could do it all
McCallum was ducked by Hagler, Duran, Leonard & Hearns!
@@anthonycrystal33 ...It was so sad neither of those fights ever materialized.
McCallum would've beaten Hagler. Jackson hit harder than Hagler and McCallum made him look bad
@@anthonyrivera557 ...They all ducked him.
@@anthonyrivera557 let's not go too far overboard. Hagler would have knocked out Jackson too. At jr. middle McCallum was powerful but Hagler was a big middleweight and could take a punch. Matched up with a prime McCallum, it would have been a great fight.
I remember this fight. Mike McCallum was a great fighter. He had incredible stamina, great offensive and defensive skills. People need to see more of his fights. Jim Lampley looks so young!
McCallum was similar to Regis Prograis, with the stutter-step footwork & the upper body movement. The way he used the roll to get his head off the line & create space for his own shots...
@@kufujitsu man please don't ever compare Regis to the Body Snatcher, I get what you are saying but c'mon. Regis is nowhere near as busy, consistent with the jab and bob and weave countered like McCallum.
@@renzopeterson153 Regis has been pretty consistent in most of his fights bro. Regis doesn't focus on the body like McCallum did, & his resume' is nowhere near McCallum's, I'll agree with you there. McCallum's body attack, & the way he could flow with his punches while moving laterally, was unique.
A shame MCcallum never fought a Hagler or a Hearns. It would have been a great fight. He was up there with them.
sure was! and a HELL of a nice guy. I played guitar in a band that played a roast for Tommy Hearns in Detroit and I made two friends that night. Mike and Leon Spinks! when Leon smiled, YOU couldn't HELP but smile back. what a sweetheart
He tried to get fights with Hearns, Hagler and Leonard. None agreed.
stewart never let hearns near mccallum. he knew mike would have ended tommy. mccallum was the real deal.
McCallum should've fought Duran but Manny Steward arranged for Hearns to fight Duran instead. That is why Mike left Steward and promised to beat all of Steward s camp once given the opportunity. He really did. Mike was a real body snatcher.
I remember watching this live on ABC, I was in 6th grade lol. Two of my favorite fighters from the era. McCallum was such an all around great boxer, vastly underrated. Great upload.
Nothing better than watching a peaking champion and Mccory fought hard but just got hammered Mike Mcallmn was so dangerous he was ducked by the big four
@@harryheath4245 Absolutely agree
How to cut the ring off on and opponent,slip punches and them body punches that was watching a master boxer working in there
@@harryheath4245 the “Body Snatcher” Mike had all the tools. This fight destroyed McCallum’s career.
Everytime I think of Milton MCroy, I just keep remembering Donald Curry's vicious overright bomb KO.
That was a strong loss, though if Milton's people had played it straight, he may have beaten Curry.
It had to be ominous for McCrory to be facing McCallum. He actually did a good job.
That fight maybe he choked cause he looked like he didn't belong in there Curry walked through his punches and had h pancaked to the mat here he was really trying to redeem himself and fought hard as he could
Back when Kronk gym ruled and the skinny " Hearns "look meant hard muscle and fierce punches.
mc callum used to skool hearns on the regz at the kronk gym
@@johntobysharpe9769 The footage I've seen of the two sparring it looks pretty even. In an actual Fight Mike could possibly win with his stronger chin and stamina, but Tommy's boxing skills were superb, I see Mike possibly scoring a KO after trailing on points
MeCellum had an underrated counter punch, ring control and deceptive a stamina.
His defense is sorely underrated.
Mike McCallum, greatest Jr Middleweight EVER and the most ducked fighter EVER as well.
That's Bullshit McCallum could have move up to the Middleweight division and challenged Hagler
@@reycesarcarino4653 why didn't hagler move down
@@Wuschi2001 That is not the way it works. Hagler was the middleweight champion. You had to come take that belt. He fought at 160 his entire professional career.
That's why Michael Watson was such a respected fighter. He fought McCallum when others wouldn't. Yes, he got a boxing lesson but he ducked nobody. It's such a shame what happened to him. He would have been a future World Champion. Without a doubt. I was surprised to find out that Tommy Hearns was only in his early 30's in 1991. McCallum was called the Bodysnatcher for a very good reason. His body punches would knock the stuffing out of his opponent.
Yup the way he disposed of Julian Jackson let the world know this
Great trainers, Great fighters and a time when fighters conducted themselves as champions during interveiws.
Massive respect to MM, the fab 4 didn’t want any part of him..... simply put he was a threat.... great fighter McCallum, best Jamaican fighter ever...
Y
because he would of beaten all of them imo
@@johntobysharpe9769 you honestly think Hagler and Hearns stayed away from him but fought each other and every one else.
Milton got absolutley destroyed by donald curry. He was nowhere near the fab 4 class. That comment is straight disrespectful..i will give you 2 guys that where avoided by the fab 4. MIKE MCALLUM & AARON PRYOR
He wasn't a draw. They weren't avoiding him. They were using each others names to make money fighting each other. Makes sense. They were all on the slide by the time McCallum became a possible opponent. McCallum beat Jackson, but Jackson wasn't exactly a household name and was a one dimensional banger anyway. This is 1987, the year of the Hagler v Leonard fight in which you can see that both Hagler and Leonard are way past their sell by date. Duran has one more decent fight left against Barkley after 20 years fighting. The Hearns, Leonard, Duran 3rd fights were of no interest to fans as they were a pale shadow of themselves. All 4 of the fighters best years were before McCallum had made a name for himself.
Mike McCallum vs wildfred benetiz would of been epic 154 lbs battle
Thanks for the video!)
I've never heard so much shit being talked about an undefeated fighter than was spoken about Mike during this broadcast. SMFH
GREAT FIGHT...THANK YOU TO BOTH WARRIORS
the body snatcher the best junior middleweight in history imo
No lie 👌
I don't think I've ever seen a boxer that could alternate the head and body shots like McCallum did.
McCallum v Hagler was one of the most interesting fights of the 1980s we never got.
McCallum stayed too long at junior middleweight, where he tried to get fights against Hearns & Duran, & I think they mentioned John Mugabi's name as well at some point.
If he truly wanted Hagler he should have applied for a middleweight ranking, but he stayed at junior middle seemingly forever before he finally moved up to middleweight. He waited too long.
Hagler wasn't going to wait forever, especially as he was towards the end of his career, & he was busy defending his middleweight title against Duran, Hearns, Mugabi, & Leonard - so why would he waste his time thinking about lesser known junior middleweights like McCallum?
@@kufujitsu Hagler was only fighting Superfights at the end of his career too, at the rate of one per year. He didn't need a dangerous but not-especially-popular opponent like McCallum.
Don Curry stepped forward and gave Mike a fight , he didn't dodge him
Mike is a monster if he was actually 5 years older than he said he was. Means he fought a young Tony and Roy in his mid 40s.
70 80 90s best fights of all time in my opinion
Warriors.
I remember milt McCrory was always the underdog in every fight and he just had everybody rooting for him
Great, great, hidden gem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥
Show dem Kronk bwoy deh Mike.
Great, great fight,a shame MaCallum never got a chance to fight any of the fab 4!
When mike gets going theres nowhere to hide. Punishing
TAKE THAT MANNY LOL!
McCallum was the best body puncher I’ve ever seen.
McCrory had the problem of a lot of lanky guys - they have trouble over distance and suspect chins (Arguello was an exception. And Sandy Saddler). Despite how stiff McCrory's body was, he got great leverage on his punches if he could keep you at distance. McCallum got caught between a number of times. Don't want to go backward with someone that long.
Lol! How did Lou Duva even fit in McCallum’s jacket?!
A little heartbreaking the way cortez holds him at the end,clearly he saw a very wounded man taking a beating and did the right thing.
Jim Lampley with BLACK HAIR
The 80s had the best welter and middle weight fighters ever...Duran, Leonard, Curry, Brown, Jackson, Hearns, Hagler, McClellan, etc. And there were no duckings. They fought each other.
Dang his nickname is “The Ball snatcher”? Quite a few low blows in this one, but excellent bout anyhow!
He never unconscious but he left nothing. McCallum was a badass.
Mike McCallum is the most unheralded fighter of the modern era. Otherwise there'd have been a 'Fabulous 5' None of those guys wanted to fight him for little $, yet max risk and the British alleged contenders Benn n Eubank wouldn't have lasted more than 8 rds with this consummate professional. He'd already broken Watson in 11 rds, who was perhaps the most skilled of the Brits at the time.
manos3790 the best of the Brits was Herol Graham at that time. McCallum/Graham was a great fight. Graham for me beats Benn, Eubank and Watson and would’ve been difficult for Hagler, Hearns and Leonard
@@davelou1995 Graham was a special British talent, but got starched big-time by Julian Jackson, at the peak of both of their career's. Barring Ken Buchannan, Joe Calzaghe's probably the best British Isle's fighter ever. I'd maybe add Ted 'kid' Lewis to the mix, too.
manos3790 I agree - Graham was completely starched by Jackson! Graham was such a strange style to deal with. He was coming to the end of his peak period which was why us Brits were desperate for him to win against Julian. I think Benn and Eubank were pleased with the result!
Mike was a special fighter wasn’t he. He could do it all.
@@manos3790 Graham was boxing Jackson's face off, and almost had the fight stopped when he got caught. It happens. Look at what Terry Norris went on to do.
bias commentators,they both talk crap
I don't see much difference between these two skill-wise; a Kronk and ex-Kronk fighter in a pro fight was always going to be an intriguing match-up (they must have been involved in the infamous Kronk gym wars together when they both boxed out of the Kronk). I think McCallum's punch quality is/was slightly better and more accurate than McCrory's and it looks like he's the heavier puncher too, bloodying Milton's nose and marking him up badly around the eyes. I remember McCallum stating that he was taking out his frustration on McCrory due to Milton's trainer, the late great Emmanuel Steward, putting Tommy Hearns in with Duran for the WBA Junior Middleweight title ahead of Mike, despite McCallum being the number 1 contender for Duran's belt at the time (Mike subsequently left the Kronk in frustration). I guess Mike would have won anyway, even without the extra impetus as he proved himself a Hall of Famer as his career progressed and a multi-weight world champ. One thing I will say is that Milton lasted 5 rounds longer than Don Curry did with McCallum in Mike's final title defence at Junior Middleweight; of course, styles make fights but an interesting stat nonetheless. Even more interesting when you factor in the fact that Milton was stopped in 2 rounds by Curry in their Welterweight unification bout 18 months earlier.
Thanks for the upload - great fight between two of the modern eras great fighters.
Mike the greatest
I used to think these guys was the same person
imo
I wish Mccallum would of fought Hearns.
@ 2:15 You seem like a smart guy Jim, the difference of 147 to 160 is 13 pounds.
En los últimos rounds se perciben muchos golpes bajos de mc callum.sin advertencia del arbitro
McCrory didn't do any holding. It was courageous but he was not as strong as McCallum. It was the body work by McCallum that made the difference. McCrory was worn out.
Curry KOd Mccrory in 2.
McCallum KOd Mccrory in 10.
Mccallum KOd Curry in 4
mccrory was frustrated by the draw againt Jones? in reality he was lucky to be upright
Nowadays this fight would have been stopped at least a minute earlier. McCrory took a lot of unnecessary punches.
Classic. Real.boxing. Gotti and ward aint got nothing on this
Does anyone else intesely despise Alex Wallau? He's the most obnoxious, know-nothing commentator I've ever heard. He's even more grating than Pacheco!
Mike was the best non of the top guy didn't want to fought him in his prime he would beat any 1 of them
Hagler didnt have the guts to fight McCallum who called Hagler out often.
Grow up mate. McCallum was a high risk, low reward opponent. Hagler took more lucrative fights. It had nothing to do with guts.
High risk yeah the McCallum that destroyed Julian Jackson was a high risk Hagler though thought of as invincible could lose to this altime great fighter plus no enough money! For my marvelous time
Just another day in the office for a great king
Hagler was at the end of his career and was fighting for a pay day SLR and that’s it.
McCallum had only recently become WBA light-middle champion and Hagler was signed to fight Leonard, which would be his final fight, so there was absolutely no clamour to see a Hagler-McCallum fight. McCallum was largely unknown before he beat Don Curry, in July 1987, which was 3 months after Hagler lost to Leonard. Their eras didn't really overlap.
If they had fought in 1987 and even considering that Marvin was slightly over-the-hill he would have beaten Mike, who hadn't fought at Middleweight. It would have been a good fight but McCallum was a bit one-paced and would have stood in front of Hagler, which never worked. Leonard had the mobility and speed to frustrate the ageing Hagler, though his win was hardly clear-cut and Hagler arguably paid Ray far too much respect. Regardless, McCallum's peak was at 154. He had a few good wins at 160 but was no all-time great at the higher weight.
Find a fight where McCallum didn't hit below the belt. Dirty fighter
Bullshit!
Unfortunately that's what happens occasionally when a fighter is known for his body punching skills.
Mind you, what is it with Lou Duva training fighters, that punch below the belt sometimes?? 😂😂