18th of July, 1987......... Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA WBA World light middleweight title 2 of the best p4p fighters at that time face each other.
McCallum was one of my favorite fighters in the 80's. Underated to the extreme. He had a very good left jab, great body puncher and had power in both hands. He was ducked by a lot of fighters and never got the attention he earned in the ring. Great fighter.
hammer44head You're 100% right. One of the reason Jamaicans believed that caused Mike M...didn't get more props & bigger fights is because McCallum always fought under the Jamaican flag not the USA. If fought for the USA he would get props & fought with bigger names.
HBO/Showtime ruled the world and they were in love with Hagler, Durran, Leonard and anybody who was Heavyweight champ. A good technical boxer who wasn't American didn't float their boat.To be fair they knew their market because they had the speadsheets. Hagler ducked two fighters Bomber Graham and our subject. Would have beaten both, but wouldn't have looked good doing it. So instead he fought brain dead brawlers and come-forward journeymen. Sometimes more than once!
+Brian Morley I think the punches that he landed here would have troubled the fab four`s defenses, couldn`t tell if Leonard`s reflexes were as quick at light middle, Ray was quite open to counter rights over his low held lead hand after he jabbed, Mike out jabbed Hearns in a sparring match, Duran`s defense was the most proven at light middle because Moore threw so many punches and couldn`t land. Benitez was better than Moore but beat an out of sorts Duran and didn`t throw a high percentage of shots against Hearns. Left Hagler out unless he could make a catchweight fight, McCallum had losses at middle but still Hagler ducked him. I didn`t bother mentoining the Duran v Laing match.
Hagler never ducked McCallum, he was already retired when McCallum moved up to middleweight. and McCallum LOST his first fight as a middleweight to Sumbu Kalambay, and I thought he lost again to Kalambay in their rematch years later as well.
He was but his problem was occasional complacency and he was horrible in several "styles" fights.....he had a tendency to lay an egg every few years in boring points losses to guys whose styles frustrated him. He could be lackadaisical at times. I always thought he should've been more aggressive considering you couldnt ko him with a sledge hammer.
Not so much a raw deal, curry was winning the distance game. Had the fight gone to the cards I suspect it would've been a blowout for curry if McCallum didn't make the right adjustments
Mike was an outstanding champion and an even better human being. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him in the mid 80s when Lou Duva had his entire stable of fighters training in a suburb of Houston at a gym owned by a friend of mine. He was very warm and gracious and a credit to boxing. I met Evander Holyfield and Meldrick Taylor the same day. Mike and Meldrick had finished their workouts. Both came across as just too nice to be professional fighters. Evander was in the ring shadow boxing at the time.
@Chuck Goossen Yes, I realize that. My point was that they were class acts. I realize that when they crawl through those ropes it's a matter of survival, and I better get him before he gets me.
Mike McCallum for some reason did not receive a million dollar payday until he fought Roy Jones Jr in the 90's, by then he was almost 40 years old. Jones had a great deal of respect for his skills.
Mike did not get 1 Million for the Jones fight , he got a little over 800K , the Purse was between 3 and a half Million which works out at a little over 20% . Jones has claimed he'd given the fight to Mike out of respect as he needed it to support his family and deserved a good payday . If he was a man of his word , respectful and giving , his words , he'd have split the Pot 50/50 , giving Mike about 1.7 Million . 🥊🥊
McCallum's mistake was not wanting to work with Don King because he thought King was taking too much money (% percentage cut) from his fighters. At the time, whether he's the lead promoter or not, King always have a hand in most big fights during the 80's that's why Mike never got a big money fight with Leonard, Hagler, Hearns or Duran. Those guys were making more money than the heavyweight fighters before the Tyson craze and others like Roy Jones and Oscar Dela Hoya started their promotion groups
The biggest problem was in his very next fight after this one, he lost by upset to Sumbu Kalambay. A fight he was heavily favored to win, but lost by UD.
Curry delivered a GREAT left hook right before and was waiting--with hands down for McCallum to go down...BAD idea LOL! Awesome chin for Mike to take it and come right back with his own left ko left hook!
Exactly. It looked as if Curry was just a little too impressed with his own left hook, never thinking that he was setting himself for a better one from the durable McCallum.
McCallum is so good at ducking and rolling with shots, staying in the pocket and returning fire(mostly to the body). A tough opponent for anybody. Great boxer.
Personally, I think McCallum is the greatest Jr. Middleweight of all time. He still walked away with a helluva resume: Jackson, Watson, Kalambay and Collins to name a few. Also, imo I believe McCallum edged the 2nd Toney fight, but Toney should've won the first fight which was close.
@@masonlerner9342 Hagler retired in 1987, Leonard was playing hide'n'seek with retirement since 1984 (if not earlier). Mike wasn't a top fighter at that time, I think he really peaked after the Hagler-Leonard fight. Tommy Hearns could have fought him, but we can't say Tommy ever ducked anybody.
Both were great fighters back in the day, McCallum was underrated and never really given the recognition he deserved. Curry was never the same after his beating by Lloyd Honeyghan.
Very true. I used to buy the boxing publications KO The Ring Boxing illustrated and others and one thing I noticed was McCallum was underrated by them especially KO Mag. I never understood that.
Curry had over 400 amateur bouts,and peaked early. Had all the skills, but was "shopworn"by 28. He also said n many occasions that he didn't love boxing either. Definitely one of my FAVORITE fighters. As for McCallum, he was soo underrated and good. I wish he would have got a chance to fight one of the fab four
McCallum vs Kalambay II was an underrated high level grand master chess match between two decorated technicians. Kalambay was another underrated Middleweight great.
@@briancamilli8873 just goes to show how great Nunn and competitive the Middleweight's from 1988 to 1994 were: Kalambay, Nunn, Roy, BHop, McClellan, Jackson, Collins, Graham, Benn, Watson, Toney, and McCallum.
@@renzopeterson153 Yes, it was a good time for middle/super middleweights. There's was a few fights I would have liked to have seen that didn't happen but in general a good solid division. Eubanks too.
I agree. After their fight, Curry lost his invincibility and effectiveness, whereas, Honeyghan became an overnight sensation and a big party animal! They were both on the decline.
What a terrific left hook! Right on the money! Mike McCallum was a great fighter. He never got the recognition that the other fighters like the Fab 4 of boxing got. I think he would have beaten Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns at 154lbs if given the chance. With Marvelous at 160lbs, it would have been a toss up. McCallum was an extraordinary fighter!
Shows how good Curry was and how great he could have been. Hanging with a prime and avoided McCallum here. McCallum slowly closing the “Curry retreats in a straight line with his hands down” distance as the fight progressed. A major flaw in Curry’s style / make up The great Gil Clancy commenting on Curry’s technical flaws in the very first round. If inly Curry was dedicated and focussed on his career. Who knows how good he could have been………. We all know how good McCallum was / became
Mccallum and toney the 2 🐐. I would have loved to see this version of mccallum vs toney mike was alot quicker here. Its very hard to put into words how good mike was.
I remember picking up a Ring Magazine at the time and seeing and reading about this fight. And right there and then as a Curry Fan from England i knew he was now finished. Dam shame because was a great fighter. Honeyghan ruined him and McCallum finished him. Yes Give Curry Credit he came back and won the WBC Title from Rosi over inItaly a Year later in 88 but he wasent the same.
He gave Nunn a helluva time at Middleweight, which was a great feat within itself. Nunn was ducked too, especially at Middleweight in the late 80's and early 90's.
Commentary is on point, here. Curry's chin was up in the air, but it was bringing his feet together that really did him in. McCallum caught him at the perfect moment, when he had no base whatsoever. Like a bike hitting a bump with no shocks. All the force in that great left hook is absorbed by the jaw, with nowhere else to go
McCallum's problem was that he was too smart. Everyone who knows the sport can see that he's a genius, but to the casual fan it all looks too calculated and efficient. That's what hurt Mike. The big guys knew he was too good and didn't want anything to do with him. And his understated style meant he never had the public demanding he get the biggest fights.
Well that and the fact he was not a big knockout puncher despite what happened in this fight. He also came to the title a bit late in 1984 at age 28. I think what happened to James Schuler vs Hearns affected how many viewed him. Schuler another highly regarded unbeaten fighter was knocked cold by Hearns promoting this idea there was a gap between McCallum and the top fighters.
Henry Valerio rumour has it, when he faced Honeyghan he was really supposed to be fighting Ray Leonard in a Superfight at 154 but Ray told him to have another defence first. Apparently he was struggling to make 147 and that was his undoing.
The 1st name that comes to my mind when I think of an underrated fighter is McCallum . I would bet my money that he would have beaten Hagler also - I'd say he wins a pretty comfortable decision. Genuinely great - he should be in everybodys top 5 at 153 lbs.
@@staffh3815 this means the four kings were coming to the end of their careers and looking for only big money fights. There is no point fighting a younger good prospect unless your getting good money for it.
Mike was the 5th king that the 4 kings didn’t want to fight. Would have been a hard fight for all 4 of them. Definantly see Mike beating Hearns and Duran. Leanord and Hagler would both be tough fights.
This fight explains why he was avoided by the Big 4. No way any of them were going to risk a loss for the poultry money a fight with McCallum would've pulled in. He just wasn't that big a draw. But a win over Hagler, Duran, Hearns and possibly Leonard would've put him right up there with the big money fights. It's a shame he didn't get any of those matches although he was just a few years late of catching these guys in their prime.
Such a modest man that you cannot help but like him . One of the highest boxing IQ's ever . The so called greats can't really be called great unless they beat Mike McCallum .
Man I understand why Mike was upset about Curry being the favorite for this fight. How tf does an undefeated, 31 year old champion with five title defenses get picked as the underdog against a guy that lost so recently?
Even though he nearly knocked Mike down he lost the round. Go look at all three minutes and l am sure you will change your mind. Mike won the second and the third round. Thank God for the ko. It saved a controversial decision.
What a KO by the Bodysnatcher , 1 of the Best WW, MWs of the last 50 yrs, and the most Avoided fighter aswell. This Guy made buttons compared to loads of other Guys, who weren't half as good as him, because of the blatant cowardice to actually fight him, and they know who they are.
@@joeblow2069 I'd just like to know what part , or parts , of those comments are BS , as you say ? I made 4 comments there , all of which are true . 1 , his brilliant KO of Curry . 2 He is Universally recognised as 1 of the best 154lbs to 160lbs Boxers of the last 50 years , is in the HOF . 3 , he was ducked by many fighters even the 4 Kings , Hagler , Leonard , Duran and Hearns and many others like Benn and Eubank . 4 , he earned a pittance compared to what many others who were nowhere near as good as him . This poor guy had to travel over seas to earn a wage just to defend his Title , not fight for it . He pursued a clash with the 4 Kings and was denied at every turn , offered to fight the new WBO MW Champion , Chris Eubank in late 90 , in a Unification Bout as he was the WBA King , in the UK but Eubank refused , he'd just taken that Title from Benn who'd won and defended it ruthlessly from De Witt and Barkley , in the US . He also offered to fight Benn in 92 , just after he'd claimed the WBC SMW Title , Mike , who was still operating as a MW but would soon move up , said he would go up a weight and fight Benn in the UK but once again , he was ducked . When the WBC , introduced the 168lbs , SMW Title to its list , the first winner was Leonard in late 88 , he beat their LHW Champion , Donny LaLonde , who was paid about 1 Million Dollars , a considerably less amount of what Leonard got but this was also a considerable amount more of what Mike ever earned , he never got near that for any of his fights . 🥊🥊
@@francishegarty8087 The lie that he was ducked by the big 4. I already explained this in a post. He came to the championship too late. Did not disagree about McCallum as a great fighter. I'm tired of the lie pertaining to the big 4 because McCallum was not thought of as a top fighter until July of 1987. He did not win a title until 1984.
@@joeblow2069 Sorry , never seen that post Joeblow , get your meaning now . I'm a massive Mc Callum fan and totally get why he was avoided , being also a massive Hagler fan , I didn't mean to include him here because he didn't duck anyone imo . Unfortunately for Mike , he had some major things go against him , his Nationality , born in Jamaica , he didn't have anywhere near the pulling power of them other lads and I also concede that he just wasn't a great attraction and despite his huge talent in every aspect of Boxing and great fundamentals , he could be quite boring to watch . He was too good for his own good if you get my meaning , either ways , thanks for that 🥊🥊
@@francishegarty8087 If you look at the timing and circumstances there were not a lot of opportunities. Leonard only fought once in 5 years and then came back to fight Hagler. McCallum never really had anything that Leonard wanted. Duran lost several fights after the no mas. Benitez-Lang-Hagler-Hearns-Sims. Again what did McCallum have that Duran wanted? Duran wanted the 160 title and he wanted another fight with Leonard. Hagler's last fight was 3 months before McCallum fought Curry. There were a couple of opportunities before that but Mugabi was a bigger money fight in 86. Then there are other factors. McCallum lost his next fight after Curry to Kalambay which set him back a little. Then Kalambay gets KOed by Nunn in the first rd. Nunn vs McCallum was another fight we did not get to see.
Donald Curry was such a talented guy....but parrying body shot with your hands and pulling straight back up after in-fighting against a smart fighter like the body snatcher....a guy who sets up everything upstairs off of his body punching........big mistake. McCallum most underrated champ of past 40 yrs....
Mccallum doesn’t necessarily have explosive power but he definitely has heavy hands. Physically was a beast, technically as well. The timing on that counter was perfect. Curry came into pocket hard but relaxed for a split second too long. Curry at his best was also very good. Was quick, explosive, excellent balance, very good technique. The announcers were hating on him a bit early but they proved to be correct later as they mentioned him being a bit more open and chin high. Difference was Mccallum has incredible defence and timing. Can roll his body from defence to offence in a split second. Not flashy but crazy efficient and durable.
Yeah Curry caught McCallum good but it glanced off his shoulder before connecting with his head, then Curry sat back a fraction to check what effect it had & got countered perfectly. It's so hard to call it a mistake, cos we're talking hundredths of a second in reaction time, but that's the difference at the top. Curry was a great fighter & hugely respected by every pro or trained I knew at the time.
I remember this fight at the time and most people did seem to think that Curry would win. I'm not sure why as he hadn't had a good win in two years. McCullum was the 'goat.'
I remember watching this fight live. Curry was overrated in my opinion and McCallum never received the credit he was due. He was every bit as skilled as the other P4P best titlist of the era. Though I doubt he could have beaten Hagler, Leonard, Hearns or even Benitez, Mike McCallum would have given any of them a pretty good fight
Curry wasn't overrated at all. He was a great welter but lost control of his weight. He lost his chin after that . I remember Lupe Pintor and Wilfredo Gomez during the same era. They were greats too but they lost their chins when they lost control of their weight .
ddland45 Mike M.... stated many times in Jamaica that he beat Hearns in the gym all the time. Remember they both were trained by Emanuel Steward. But Steward would never let Mike face Hearns cause he knew Mike beat in the gym all the time.
Curry lost something after the Honeyghan fight. Prior to that, he was one of the very best boxers in the world. But he had a very hard time making weight for Honeyghan, and he really did not want to fight him. He wanted a bigger name. The proof of what happened is this: Curry at 147 beat Marlon Starling twice. Starling made Honeyghan look silly.
That's a triangle theory, and if 147 was a problem to make, then by that logic wouldn't 154 be a more comfortable fit? Curry had the power to stun iron chin McCallum, went up to 160 and buzzed Nunn a time or two in a competitive 10 round bout.
Marvin Hagler never ducked anyone. The guy fought Philly's finest in the 70s and took it to Hearns and Mugabi. Mccallum wasn't a name yet when Hagler was getting big paydays as champ.
@@mattsharkey8437 not true ,they fought same era ,to this day Mike says he was always chasing the fight with hagler ,check out McCallums resume he fought everyone but wasnt a big star unfortunately, should get much more recognition even fought Jones and toney
It was the first time I ever bet on a fight and the last time as well. I knew both guys were great, but I predicted that Curry was going to win by decision and had him up slightly and out of nowhere, it was that left hand from McCallum that sent Curry to the canvas. I stood up looking at my TV set completely stunned, but this is boxing and anything can happen. I hate that Curry had lost, but much respect to McCallum.
curry was a great offensive fighter, excellent punching technique. curry's D was mostly very high hands, which was good, but sometimes he'd back up straight back w/ head up, a bad habit that unfortunately cost him here.. but DC did stagger MM earlier and almost had him down, and DC was ahead on points. I think if DC and MM fought 5 times DC would win most of them in their primes, curry was that dangerous offensively - but here this was a great fight, and MM was a great defensive fighter who had a great night here. a shame MM never got a super fight with any of the others, he earned it....
was this Tim Ryan and Gil Clancy live or did they do this fight after it happened? They seem to lack the live excitement of the fight. They did that with Hearns vs. Leonard 2 in 1989. You can tell it is not a live broadcast.
McCallum so openly underrated, the judges were very inclined to favor Curry who had been overwhelmed by McCallum for at least 4 rounds, however Curry gets a KO.
Curry miss managed reach of Mccaullum thinking he was far enough from Mike through out the game but often got caught. Also over confident about his reflexes. Mike was stronger fighter and tougher fighter in this one.
I've never seen such committed body punching from both fighters in the same fight! Usually it's one guy doing body work in the fight. This was a special occasion where both fighters were trying to break each other's ribs. Mia old school boxing matches!
Mccallum has it all ! - my favourite fighter . 13:10 on... cmon ref , Curry sleeping until the count of 6 ! I bet Meldrick Taylor wished he been given this version of the ref against Chavez “when I’ve seen a man who has had enough, I’m stopping the fight “ from , “if I see a man almost fast asleep after being koed😂 I’m continuing the fight !”
@@Tonyconner74 Boxing is a money sport. He didn't provide enough money for them to fight him. That is not ducking someone. If these guys were into ducking they would have never fought each other and there would not be a fab 4.
@@jasperfuentes453 Not true, Sugar Ray had 40 professional fights Tommy Hearns had 67..... Marvin Hagler had 67..... Roberto Duran had 119.... They didn't build their resume's all fighting each other they fought all comers except for " The Body Body Snatcher " !! 😉
Mike McCallum was such a great champion and highly skilled fighter. It's too bad we never got see him against some of the other legends from the 80's era. Can't speak as to the rest but I am curious about his calling out of Hagler. If the description is correct and this fight took place in July of 87 then I'm pretty sure Hagler had already retired.
Honeyghan corrected interviewers when they said that he had defeated the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet when he stopped Don Curry . He told them the truth when he said that Marvin Hagler was actually the best .
+George Havenhand Yeah, I was impressed with Lloyd on that occasion .Many other lesser fighter's would have been keen to have claimed to have been the new P4P king !
Honeyghan knew his boxing. In retrospect Curry was good but nothing more. Amazing to see some of the basic flaws in his technique: maybe they developed later on in his career...
That's right. At the time, right before the Honyghan fight, they were talking about Curry as being the best pound for pound fighter in boxing and were talking about Curry moving up in weight class to fight Hagler in a multi million dollar match. Honyghan spoiled everyone's plans! Honyghan was supposed to be a tune -up fight for Curry before he moved up in weight.
Mike 'The Bodysnatcher' Mccallum was very strong and excelled at snatchin bodies lol Those old school fighters weren't perfect, but they were dedicated to their craft and had their own unique styles, it's what boxing is all about -- I call it artistic violence; their style of combat defined their legacy -- not undefeated records. Mike Mccallum was very careful against Donald Curry, and took a step back every time the opponent tried to close the distance, which created space, so he can establish that left jab and left hook counter. On the inside, Mccallum worked with deadly right and left uppercuts to the body, that he would counter Donald Curry with. Mike Mccallum wasn't hard to hit, and his head was an open target for shots from Curry. But his left jab-straight right hand and various other combinations were useful; he dug to the body with right hooks, bobbing and weaving, and eventually saw an opening, and floored Donald Curry with a beautiful left hook -- beautifully executed.
Great insight there my man, about the Bodysnatcher , your entirely correct, old school type fighter who was brilliant , exceptional really. I really feel for this Guy, who only earned a fraction of what his talents were worth and was avoided big time, by a lot of the Biggest names. I honesty think he had a few things go wrong for him like his Nationality , if he were British or American , had a more exciting style and charisma , would have helped also. You probably think I'm crazy here, but I also think he was ' Too Good' for his own good, if you get my meaning. Keep safe and well.
Weird knockout. The way Curry goes down looks like an obvious dive ( the loose legs are always the giveaway that it wasn't a clean KO ), but the punch he actually took would knock anyone out. I suppose he was just one of those guys who goes down in odd ways, like Michael Moorer.
It's funny how the commentator stating that Curry made a mistake. They didn't see what happen before. Curry throw a right cross, Mcallum duck under it, Curry throw a follow up left hook, Mcallum move his chin to the left and his head back just enough for Curry to miss; Mcallum then throw his lift hook over the top. Mike Mcallum create the opening to land that left hook, he was studying Curry offence throughout the fight. It only take a split second to land that punch, and the movement I mention prior was the reason he was able to land that left hook! Just look at the tape...
What the hell were the judges watching in this fight? Rounds 3 and 4 to curry?? Seemed like the ref was working against him a little too, not letting him spin his opponent is ridiculous
Curry’s style was different from the earlier part of his career. His head was up. Before he had good defense. He already seemed shot after one fight. Early in his career he wouldn’t have been open for that kind of punch. Kind of strange how his style change. Seemed he would have kept the same defensive style and he would have had more success long-term:
M.M was a great fighter who just came along at the wrong time. Leonard, Duran, Hearns and Hagler dominated eighties. But McCallum beat some of the best young fighters from the next generation. Julian Jackson the best power punchier of his time. McCallum also beat Donald Curry and Milton McCory and another power punching younger fighter Michael Watson. Winning the jr middle and Middleweight world championship. Mike McCallum also beat a young tough Jeff Harding to win the Lt heavyweight championship. He probably would have beaten at least one of the four kings of the eighties boxing era. Really a great fighter. 🥊
I cannot believe that the judges were giving the early rounds to Curry. I thought McCallum won all the first 4 rounds by being busier. It didn't matter in the end, though.
Спорт
McCallum was one of my favorite fighters in the 80's. Underated to the extreme. He had a very good left jab, great body puncher and had power in both hands. He was ducked by a lot of fighters and never got the attention he earned in the ring. Great fighter.
hammer44head my coach great man
GreatBritt87 What has he taught you?
hammer44head You're 100% right. One of the reason Jamaicans believed that caused Mike M...didn't get more props & bigger fights is because McCallum always fought under the Jamaican flag not the USA. If fought for the USA he would get props & fought with bigger names.
Greg Stewart You are so correct.
HBO/Showtime ruled the world and they were in love with Hagler, Durran, Leonard and anybody who was Heavyweight champ. A good technical boxer who wasn't American didn't float their boat.To be fair they knew their market because they had the speadsheets. Hagler ducked two fighters Bomber Graham and our subject. Would have beaten both, but wouldn't have looked good doing it. So instead he fought brain dead brawlers and come-forward journeymen. Sometimes more than once!
McCallum was a great fighter never got the recognition he deserved
+Brian Morley I think the punches that he landed here would have troubled the fab four`s defenses, couldn`t tell if Leonard`s reflexes were as quick at light middle, Ray was quite open to counter rights over his low held lead hand after he jabbed, Mike out jabbed Hearns in a sparring match, Duran`s defense was the most proven at light middle because Moore threw so many punches and couldn`t land. Benitez was better than Moore but beat an out of sorts Duran and didn`t throw a high percentage of shots against Hearns. Left Hagler out unless he could make a catchweight fight, McCallum had losses at middle but still Hagler ducked him. I didn`t bother mentoining the Duran v Laing match.
Hagler never ducked McCallum, he was already retired when McCallum moved up to middleweight. and McCallum LOST his first fight as a middleweight to Sumbu Kalambay, and I thought he lost again to Kalambay in their rematch years later as well.
He was but his problem was occasional complacency and he was horrible in several "styles" fights.....he had a tendency to lay an egg every few years in boring points losses to guys whose styles frustrated him. He could be lackadaisical at times. I always thought he should've been more aggressive considering you couldnt ko him with a sledge hammer.
Absolutely criminally underrated
That Body Snatcher was a beast
McCallum needed that knockout. Looks like the judges were gonna give him a raw deal
I imagine as a foreigner in the United States, judges tried to give him the raw deal many times
Not so much a raw deal, curry was winning the distance game. Had the fight gone to the cards I suspect it would've been a blowout for curry if McCallum didn't make the right adjustments
Mike........like I don't need Judges I've got a nice left hook coming 🥊
Yes it was gud he knocked him out.jamaica vs usa
@@yentamoon1808 Fights take place at various distances and McCallum was in control all the way it was just a matter of time.
Mike McCallum was the definition of Solid Fighter.........did everything great.
He's a wizard
Mike was an outstanding champion and an even better human being. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him in the mid 80s when Lou Duva had his entire stable of fighters training in a suburb of Houston at a gym owned by a friend of mine. He was very warm and gracious and a credit to boxing. I met Evander Holyfield and Meldrick Taylor the same day. Mike and Meldrick had finished their workouts. Both came across as just too nice to be professional fighters. Evander was in the ring shadow boxing at the time.
@Chuck Goossen Yes, I realize that. My point was that they were class acts. I realize that when they crawl through those ropes it's a matter of survival, and I better get him before he gets me.
Thanks for the info brother (and sister), and fuck that wanker calling you a liar 👊
Mike McCallum for some reason did not receive a million dollar payday until he fought Roy Jones Jr in the 90's, by then he was almost 40 years old. Jones had a great deal of respect for his skills.
Mike did not get 1 Million for the Jones fight , he got a little over 800K , the Purse was between 3 and a half Million which works out at a little over 20% . Jones has claimed he'd given the fight to Mike out of respect as he needed it to support his family and deserved a good payday . If he was a man of his word , respectful and giving , his words , he'd have split the Pot 50/50 , giving Mike about 1.7 Million . 🥊🥊
McCallum's mistake was not wanting to work with Don King because he thought King was taking too much money (% percentage cut) from his fighters. At the time, whether he's the lead promoter or not, King always have a hand in most big fights during the 80's that's why Mike never got a big money fight with Leonard, Hagler, Hearns or Duran. Those guys were making more money than the heavyweight fighters before the Tyson craze and others like Roy Jones and Oscar Dela Hoya started their promotion groups
The biggest problem was in his very next fight after this one, he lost by upset to Sumbu Kalambay. A fight he was heavily favored to win, but lost by UD.
Curry delivered a GREAT left hook right before and was waiting--with hands down for McCallum to go down...BAD idea LOL! Awesome chin for Mike to take it and come right back with his own left ko left hook!
Mike rolled with that punch that’s why he wasn’t hurt
Exactly. It looked as if Curry was just a little too impressed with his own left hook, never thinking that he was setting himself for a better one from the durable McCallum.
i love how they used to call the scores of the judges every round
McCallum is so good at ducking and rolling with shots, staying in the pocket and returning fire(mostly to the body). A tough opponent for anybody. Great boxer.
Exactly !
Mike McCallum, the Larry Holmes of the middleweight division back then.
McCallum was not a middleweight champ in this fight. He was WBA super welterweight title from 1984 to 1988.
@@johndeagle4389 Junior welterweight, light middleweight, junior middleweight, take your pick buddy. They're all one-and-the-same weight class.
;-p
@@PeekaPeep Different classes buddy.
@@johndeagle4389 Check your years. Hagler wasn't champion that long. And he ducked McCallum.
@@davidcopson5800 Hagler retired in 1987. McCallum started fighting as a middleweight in 1988.
McCallum - one of the GOAT light middle and middleweights and didnt get his shots against the really big boys.
not of the 80s no.....but he did fight most of the best from the early 90s
@@lifeisblessed4802 That drives the point home. Nobody would fight him until he lost a step.
@@masonlerner9342 Very true, one of the greatest technical fighters of his time.... The Body Snatcher
Personally, I think McCallum is the greatest Jr. Middleweight of all time. He still walked away with a helluva resume: Jackson, Watson, Kalambay and Collins to name a few. Also, imo I believe McCallum edged the 2nd Toney fight, but Toney should've won the first fight which was close.
@@masonlerner9342 Hagler retired in 1987, Leonard was playing hide'n'seek with retirement since 1984 (if not earlier). Mike wasn't a top fighter at that time, I think he really peaked after the Hagler-Leonard fight.
Tommy Hearns could have fought him, but we can't say Tommy ever ducked anybody.
Both were great fighters back in the day, McCallum was underrated and never really given the recognition he deserved. Curry was never the same after his beating by Lloyd Honeyghan.
Very true. I used to buy the boxing publications KO The Ring Boxing illustrated and others and one thing I noticed was McCallum was underrated by them especially KO Mag. I never understood that.
As a welter i thought Curry was destined for greatness,never happened.
Yeah I was really surprised when Lyod Honeghan beat him.
everyone did. he was Ring Magazine's Pound for Pound # 1 for quite a while.
Curry had over 400 amateur bouts,and peaked early. Had all the skills, but was "shopworn"by 28. He also said n many occasions that he didn't love boxing either. Definitely one of my FAVORITE fighters. As for McCallum, he was soo underrated and good. I wish he would have got a chance to fight one of the fab four
I was there, good job Mike!
McCallum vs Kalambay II was an underrated high level grand master chess match between two decorated technicians. Kalambay was another underrated Middleweight great.
Yeah Kalambay had a good resume of wins. I was shocked to see him get starched in one round by Nunn
And how great was Michael Nunn? He vaporized Kalaombay.
@@briancamilli8873 just goes to show how great Nunn and competitive the Middleweight's from 1988 to 1994 were: Kalambay, Nunn, Roy, BHop, McClellan, Jackson, Collins, Graham, Benn, Watson, Toney, and McCallum.
@@renzopeterson153 Yes, it was a good time for middle/super middleweights. There's was a few fights I would have liked to have seen that didn't happen but in general a good solid division. Eubanks too.
@@marksucksmybird4456One of the greatest fighters in the division’s history.
Curry was never the same after losing to Honeyghan. And strangely enough, Honeyghan was never as good after that fight either...
I agree. After their fight, Curry lost his invincibility and effectiveness, whereas, Honeyghan became an overnight sensation and a big party animal! They were both on the decline.
very true
MbdslEst1964 Starling completely destroyed Honeyghan with that 9 round beating..
And Curry beat Starling twice. It's funny how things turn out.
MbdslEst1964 Curry had problems outside of the ring that affect him against Honeyghan and 🥊 10percent physically and 90 percent mentally
Great memories. Fan of both these great fighters.
What a terrific left hook! Right on the money! Mike McCallum was a great fighter. He never got the recognition that the other fighters like the Fab 4 of boxing got. I think he would have beaten Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns at 154lbs if given the chance. With Marvelous at 160lbs, it would have been a toss up. McCallum was an extraordinary fighter!
He would not have beaten a prime Ray Leonard.
This was an intense fight at the highest skill level. Most guys who fight 12 rounds don't fight with this intensity in a whole 12 round fight.
Curry was in his prime 26-27 years old here and obviously motivated and in top shape.
Shows how good Curry was and how great he could have been. Hanging with a prime and avoided McCallum here.
McCallum slowly closing the “Curry retreats in a straight line with his hands down” distance as the fight progressed. A major flaw in Curry’s style / make up
The great Gil Clancy commenting on Curry’s technical flaws in the very first round.
If inly Curry was dedicated and focussed on his career. Who knows how good he could have been……….
We all know how good McCallum was / became
👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 SUPERB VICTORY!
Thanks for the video, KATIS999
Mike had it all, great chin and always looked like he could adapt to who he was fighting really quickly, suss them out then boom 💥
I remember winning some money betting on this fight back in high school.
Mccallum and toney the 2 🐐. I would have loved to see this version of mccallum vs toney mike was alot quicker here. Its very hard to put into words how good mike was.
The only thing was, this was 154 McCallum, Toney and Mike fought at 160. The McCallum from 1989-90 vs Toney would've been great too.
That’s my uncle hehe ! ❤️
Curry was out boxing a master boxer in this fight. He had so much potential
I remember picking up a Ring Magazine at the time and seeing and reading about this fight. And right there and then as a Curry Fan from England i knew he was now finished. Dam shame because was a great fighter. Honeyghan ruined him and McCallum finished him. Yes Give Curry Credit he came back and won the WBC Title from Rosi over inItaly a Year later in 88 but he wasent the same.
He gave Nunn a helluva time at Middleweight, which was a great feat within itself. Nunn was ducked too, especially at Middleweight in the late 80's and early 90's.
Commentary is on point, here. Curry's chin was up in the air, but it was bringing his feet together that really did him in. McCallum caught him at the perfect moment, when he had no base whatsoever. Like a bike hitting a bump with no shocks. All the force in that great left hook is absorbed by the jaw, with nowhere else to go
The commentary isn’t live.
Bringing his feet together was a mistake but the bigger mistake was dropping his hands simultaneously and leaving his chin COMPLETELY exposed.
Thanks for the upload
Ryan and Clancy were the only ones scoring the fight accurately.
@@Codzilla71 You're blind. Read the comments and show me someone who agrees with you.
@@Codzilla71 You must be crazy - or blind - or both!
I totally the second and third round Mike clearly won. Thank God the ko stopped the attempted robbery.
I left out the word agree.
Mike McCallum my great grandad
U lying
McCallum's problem was that he was too smart. Everyone who knows the sport can see that he's a genius, but to the casual fan it all looks too calculated and efficient. That's what hurt Mike. The big guys knew he was too good and didn't want anything to do with him. And his understated style meant he never had the public demanding he get the biggest fights.
Well that and the fact he was not a big knockout puncher despite what happened in this fight. He also came to the title a bit late in 1984 at age 28.
I think what happened to James Schuler vs Hearns affected how many viewed him. Schuler another highly regarded unbeaten fighter was knocked cold by Hearns promoting this idea there was a gap between McCallum and the top fighters.
6:49 beautiful by mccallum
Currys chin was up the whole fight he was going to get kod sooner or later
Brutal body punches. Some questionably low. Curry was the one on the canvas btw.
Chris Pyfer lol I got the names mixed up
Henry Valerio after the honeyghan loss it all went down hill
Henry Valerio rumour has it, when he faced Honeyghan he was really supposed to be fighting Ray Leonard in a Superfight at 154 but Ray told him to have another defence first. Apparently he was struggling to make 147 and that was his undoing.
+Edward Ricketts I think he also underestimated Honeyghan. They gave the Brit no chance at all, even in his home country.
McCallum`s active guard is brilliant here.
This is so needed during a global quarantine
Curry, Norris, McCallum, McCrory, McLellan, Jackson. Incredible talent in those days.
The 1st name that comes to my mind when I think of an underrated fighter is McCallum . I would bet my money that he would have beaten Hagler also - I'd say he wins a pretty comfortable decision. Genuinely great - he should be in everybodys top 5 at 153 lbs.
Dude he would have never beaten Hagler
I was a sophomore in high school watching this and my dad said Curry was going to get caught pulling straight back, then it happened.
Dodged by the four kings would have given all a hard night
True.
They were in the back end of their careers
@@petej5232 ray is 64 Mike is 65 Tommy even younger I think
@@staffh3815 this means the four kings were coming to the end of their careers and looking for only big money fights. There is no point fighting a younger good prospect unless your getting good money for it.
@@petej5232 McCallum was a year older than leonerd and 3 years older than tommy
Mike was the 5th king that the 4 kings didn’t want to fight. Would have been a hard fight for all 4 of them. Definantly see Mike beating Hearns and Duran. Leanord and Hagler would both be tough fights.
That Donald right was something else and the fact that he was landing against a defense wizard is more impressive.
Man, Mike McCallum was so good. It’s too bad what happened to Donald Curry but he was never the same after his first loss
This fight explains why he was avoided by the Big 4. No way any of them were going to risk a loss for the poultry money a fight with McCallum would've pulled in. He just wasn't that big a draw. But a win over Hagler, Duran, Hearns and possibly Leonard would've put him right up there with the big money fights. It's a shame he didn't get any of those matches although he was just a few years late of catching these guys in their prime.
Such a modest man that you cannot help but like him . One of the highest boxing IQ's ever . The so called greats can't really be called great unless they beat Mike McCallum .
Man I understand why Mike was upset about Curry being the favorite for this fight. How tf does an undefeated, 31 year old champion with five title defenses get picked as the underdog against a guy that lost so recently?
McCallum and Errol Spence, two Jamaican expert body punchers
Mike ducked no one. Error ducks Bud.
هذا الملاكم الجامايكي كارثه لايتعب ابدأ ابدا
I don't understand how the judges were scoring in curry's favour.. mike was dominant this whole fight
Not, Curry almost knocked McCallum down with a right hand, McCallum was clearly hurt by that punch.
Even though he nearly knocked Mike down he lost the round. Go look at all three minutes and l am sure you will change your mind. Mike won the second and the third round. Thank God for the ko. It saved a controversial decision.
What a KO by the Bodysnatcher , 1 of the Best WW, MWs of the last 50 yrs, and the most Avoided fighter aswell. This Guy made buttons compared to loads of other Guys, who weren't half as good as him, because of the blatant cowardice to actually fight him, and they know who they are.
That is bullshit.
@@joeblow2069 I'd just like to know what part , or parts , of those comments are BS , as you say ? I made 4 comments there , all of which are true . 1 , his brilliant KO of Curry . 2 He is Universally recognised as 1 of the best 154lbs to 160lbs Boxers of the last 50 years , is in the HOF . 3 , he was ducked by many fighters even the 4 Kings , Hagler , Leonard , Duran and Hearns and many others like Benn and Eubank . 4 , he earned a pittance compared to what many others who were nowhere near as good as him . This poor guy had to travel over seas to earn a wage just to defend his Title , not fight for it . He pursued a clash with the 4 Kings and was denied at every turn , offered to fight the new WBO MW Champion , Chris Eubank in late 90 , in a Unification Bout as he was the WBA King , in the UK but Eubank refused , he'd just taken that Title from Benn who'd won and defended it ruthlessly from De Witt and Barkley , in the US . He also offered to fight Benn in 92 , just after he'd claimed the WBC SMW Title , Mike , who was still operating as a MW but would soon move up , said he would go up a weight and fight Benn in the UK but once again , he was ducked . When the WBC , introduced the 168lbs , SMW Title to its list , the first winner was Leonard in late 88 , he beat their LHW Champion , Donny LaLonde , who was paid about 1 Million Dollars , a considerably less amount of what Leonard got but this was also a considerable amount more of what Mike ever earned , he never got near that for any of his fights . 🥊🥊
@@francishegarty8087 The lie that he was ducked by the big 4. I already explained this in a post. He came to the championship too late.
Did not disagree about McCallum as a great fighter. I'm tired of the lie pertaining to the big 4 because McCallum was not thought of as a top fighter until July of 1987. He did not win a title until 1984.
@@joeblow2069 Sorry , never seen that post Joeblow , get your meaning now . I'm a massive Mc Callum fan and totally get why he was avoided , being also a massive Hagler fan , I didn't mean to include him here because he didn't duck anyone imo . Unfortunately for Mike , he had some major things go against him , his Nationality , born in Jamaica , he didn't have anywhere near the pulling power of them other lads and I also concede that he just wasn't a great attraction and despite his huge talent in every aspect of Boxing and great fundamentals , he could be quite boring to watch . He was too good for his own good if you get my meaning , either ways , thanks for that 🥊🥊
@@francishegarty8087 If you look at the timing and circumstances there were not a lot of opportunities.
Leonard only fought once in 5 years and then came back to fight Hagler. McCallum never really had anything that Leonard wanted.
Duran lost several fights after the no mas. Benitez-Lang-Hagler-Hearns-Sims. Again what did McCallum have that Duran wanted? Duran wanted the 160 title and he wanted another fight with Leonard.
Hagler's last fight was 3 months before McCallum fought Curry. There were a couple of opportunities before that but Mugabi was a bigger money fight in 86.
Then there are other factors. McCallum lost his next fight after Curry to Kalambay which set him back a little. Then Kalambay gets KOed by Nunn in the first rd.
Nunn vs McCallum was another fight we did not get to see.
Underated Great 3x World Champ
Donald Curry was such a talented guy....but parrying body shot with your hands and pulling straight back up after in-fighting against a smart fighter like the body snatcher....a guy who sets up everything upstairs off of his body punching........big mistake. McCallum most underrated champ of past 40 yrs....
Mccallum doesn’t necessarily have explosive power but he definitely has heavy hands. Physically was a beast, technically as well. The timing on that counter was perfect. Curry came into pocket hard but relaxed for a split second too long. Curry at his best was also very good. Was quick, explosive, excellent balance, very good technique. The announcers were hating on him a bit early but they proved to be correct later as they mentioned him being a bit more open and chin high. Difference was Mccallum has incredible defence and timing. Can roll his body from defence to offence in a split second. Not flashy but crazy efficient and durable.
Yeah Curry caught McCallum good but it glanced off his shoulder before connecting with his head, then Curry sat back a fraction to check what effect it had & got countered perfectly. It's so hard to call it a mistake, cos we're talking hundredths of a second in reaction time, but that's the difference at the top. Curry was a great fighter & hugely respected by every pro or trained I knew at the time.
Mike McCallum best fighter of the 80s
Chavez
Hagler
That is one of the most, "out of left field" knockout punches you'll ever see.
He pulled that punch from toenails and turned curry's lights out!
blindside hook
I remember this fight at the time and most people did seem to think that Curry would win. I'm not sure why as he hadn't had a good win in two years. McCullum was the 'goat.'
I remember watching this fight live. Curry was overrated in my opinion and McCallum never received the credit he was due. He was every bit as skilled as the other P4P best titlist of the era. Though I doubt he could have beaten Hagler, Leonard, Hearns or even Benitez, Mike McCallum would have given any of them a pretty good fight
He'd have beaten Hearns.
Curry wasn't overrated at all. He was a great welter but lost control of his weight.
He lost his chin after that .
I remember Lupe Pintor and Wilfredo Gomez during the same era. They were greats too but they lost their chins when they lost control of their weight .
tlig Mike wouldnt beat Hearns. Not the pre Hagler Hearns, who would outbox him. Hearns was too fast and had a great jab. Hearns was better than Curry.
ddland45 Mike M.... stated many times in Jamaica that he beat Hearns in the gym all the time. Remember they both were trained by Emanuel Steward. But Steward would never let Mike face Hearns cause he knew Mike beat in the gym all the time.
mike mccallum beats all the fighters you listed very easy.
Curry lost something after the Honeyghan fight. Prior to that, he was one of the very best boxers in the world.
But he had a very hard time making weight for Honeyghan, and he really did not want to fight him. He wanted a bigger name.
The proof of what happened is this: Curry at 147 beat Marlon Starling twice.
Starling made Honeyghan look silly.
That's a triangle theory, and if 147 was a problem to make, then by that logic wouldn't 154 be a more comfortable fit? Curry had the power to stun iron chin McCallum, went up to 160 and buzzed Nunn a time or two in a competitive 10 round bout.
The fab 4 all avoided him! 🥊
Jonty Arnold dead right, man.
Marvin Hagler never ducked anyone. The guy fought Philly's finest in the 70s and took it to Hearns and Mugabi. Mccallum wasn't a name yet when Hagler was getting big paydays as champ.
Jonty Arnold very true saying!
@@mattsharkey8437 not true ,they fought same era ,to this day Mike says he was always chasing the fight with hagler ,check out McCallums resume he fought everyone but wasnt a big star unfortunately, should get much more recognition even fought Jones and toney
@@staffh3815 why would he duck Mccallum? It makes no sense
Off top MC named, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Ray Leonard. What a list.
McCallum was a perfect fighter. Shame he didn't get the big fights in his time. I can watch McCallum and James Tony all day. Walcott too!
It was the first time I ever bet on a fight and the last time as well. I knew both guys were great, but I predicted that Curry was going to win by decision and had him up slightly and out of nowhere, it was that left hand from McCallum that sent Curry to the canvas. I stood up looking at my TV set completely stunned, but this is boxing and anything can happen. I hate that Curry had lost, but much respect to McCallum.
Obsessed with the "left foot." Simplistic at best.
Most anticlimactic commentary for a knockout ever. I assumed commentary wasnt live up until that point
Mentally, Curry was never the same after the defeat to Honeyghan. To lose is one thing,
but he took an absolute beating from Lloyd.
Roberto Duran gave up his title not to fight him, Hagler, Sugar Ray and Hearn all scared and ducked him
Michael Bonhomme
Got any more conspiracy theories...???
Idiot!
What a punch ! That's what would happened if the Fab Four fought him
You don't know that!
curry was a great offensive fighter, excellent punching technique. curry's D was mostly very high hands, which was good, but sometimes he'd back up straight back w/ head up, a bad habit that unfortunately cost him here.. but DC did stagger MM earlier and almost had him down, and DC was ahead on points. I think if DC and MM fought 5 times DC would win most of them in their primes, curry was that dangerous offensively - but here this was a great fight, and MM was a great defensive fighter who had a great night here. a shame MM never got a super fight with any of the others, he earned it....
LMFAO!.......no
We hitchhike to watch this fight. Summer 87. Wow
was this Tim Ryan and Gil Clancy live or did they do this fight after it happened? They seem to lack the live excitement of the fight. They did that with Hearns vs. Leonard 2 in 1989. You can tell it is not a live broadcast.
McCallum so openly underrated, the judges were very inclined to favor Curry who had been overwhelmed by McCallum for at least 4 rounds, however Curry gets a KO.
Curry miss managed reach of Mccaullum thinking he was far enough from Mike through out the game but often got caught. Also over confident about his reflexes. Mike was stronger fighter and tougher fighter in this one.
I've never seen such committed body punching from both fighters in the same fight! Usually it's one guy doing body work in the fight. This was a special occasion where both fighters were trying to break each other's ribs. Mia old school boxing matches!
MISS old school boxing
Beautiful boxing..notice how the fighters don't have to fall into a clinch every 3 seconds?
Mccallum has it all ! - my favourite fighter .
13:10 on... cmon ref , Curry sleeping until the count of 6 !
I bet Meldrick Taylor wished he been given this version of the ref against Chavez “when I’ve seen a man who has had enough, I’m stopping the fight “ from , “if I see a man almost fast asleep after being koed😂 I’m continuing the fight !”
Sugar Ray, Tommy Hearns, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran all avoided the
Mike The Body Snatcher McCallum!.....
True.
They didn't need him they had each other.
@@jasperfuentes453
That's not the point I was making they were all afraid to fight him for fear of losing is the point!....😉
@@Tonyconner74 Boxing is a money sport. He didn't provide enough money for them to fight him. That is not ducking someone. If these guys were into ducking they would have never fought each other and there would not be a fab 4.
@@jasperfuentes453
Not true,
Sugar Ray had 40 professional fights
Tommy Hearns had 67.....
Marvin Hagler had 67.....
Roberto Duran had 119....
They didn't build their resume's all fighting each other they fought all comers except for
" The Body Body Snatcher " !! 😉
i dont understand how that commentator knew it was coming hhaha
It was commentated on after the fight cos there was no commentary i think because of a strike
Refs were about to rob the body snatcher, who took it out of their arms. Both of these guys were great fighters.
I think it was really unfortunate that Currie wound up with this fella next, game over.
Mike McCallum was such a great champion and highly skilled fighter. It's too bad we never got see him against some of the other legends from the 80's era. Can't speak as to the rest but I am curious about his calling out of Hagler. If the description is correct and this fight took place in July of 87 then I'm pretty sure Hagler had already retired.
Honeyghan corrected interviewers when they said that he had defeated the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet when he stopped Don Curry . He told them the truth when he said that Marvin Hagler was actually the best .
+TheHumbuckerboy Because Honeyghan is a gentleman and true champion.
+George Havenhand Yeah, I was impressed with Lloyd on that occasion .Many other lesser fighter's would have been keen to have claimed to have been the new P4P king !
Honeyghan knew his boxing. In retrospect Curry was good but nothing more. Amazing to see some of the basic flaws in his technique: maybe they developed later on in his career...
But the point is that many Boxing 'experts' at the time regarded Curry as being the next SRL before Honeyghan showed Curry up.
That's right. At the time, right before the Honyghan fight, they were talking about Curry as being the best pound for pound fighter in boxing and were talking about Curry moving up in weight class to fight Hagler in a multi million dollar match. Honyghan spoiled everyone's plans! Honyghan was supposed to be a tune -up fight for Curry before he moved up in weight.
5 -6 years after this fight, in his mid 30’s. Mike would go on to give a Prime James Toney a War in 2 epic fights........Amazing!
I thought it was three fights ?
And between times he stopped the very dangerous Julian Jackson.
The only guy to beat Julian (The Hawk)Jackson,When both were in their prime.The body Snatcher!
McCallum produced a beautiful left hook that Don Curry didn't recovered at all. Don Curry didn't recovered from his beating from Lloyd Honeyghan.
I could be wrong, I believe a lot of fighters ducked the"Body Snatcher",hello!! Warrior's!!
Mike 'The Bodysnatcher' Mccallum was very strong and excelled at snatchin bodies lol Those old school fighters weren't perfect, but they were dedicated to their craft and had their own unique styles, it's what boxing is all about -- I call it artistic violence; their style of combat defined their legacy -- not undefeated records. Mike Mccallum was very careful against Donald Curry, and took a step back every time the opponent tried to close the distance, which created space, so he can establish that left jab and left hook counter. On the inside, Mccallum worked with deadly right and left uppercuts to the body, that he would counter Donald Curry with. Mike Mccallum wasn't hard to hit, and his head was an open target for shots from Curry. But his left jab-straight right hand and various other combinations were useful; he dug to the body with right hooks, bobbing and weaving, and eventually saw an opening, and floored Donald Curry with a beautiful left hook -- beautifully executed.
Great insight there my man, about the Bodysnatcher , your entirely correct, old school type fighter who was brilliant , exceptional really. I really feel for this Guy, who only earned a fraction of what his talents were worth and was avoided big time, by a lot of the Biggest names. I honesty think he had a few things go wrong for him like his Nationality , if he were British or American , had a more exciting style and charisma , would have helped also. You probably think I'm crazy here, but I also think he was ' Too Good' for his own good, if you get my meaning. Keep safe and well.
I am cry everiday cause mc callum...
Weird knockout. The way Curry goes down looks like an obvious dive ( the loose legs are always the giveaway that it wasn't a clean KO ), but the punch he actually took would knock anyone out. I suppose he was just one of those guys who goes down in odd ways, like Michael Moorer.
And some fans have the nerve to say McCallum came along too late for Hagler, Leonard, Duran and Hearns.
Curry had just hit McCallum with a great left hook...He ate that $hit and then say how you like mine...
Hard to believe Curry was actually once considered the successor to Sugar Ray Leonard.
It's funny how the commentator stating that Curry made a mistake. They didn't see what happen before. Curry throw a right cross, Mcallum duck under it, Curry throw a follow up left hook, Mcallum move his chin to the left and his head back just enough for Curry to miss; Mcallum then throw his lift hook over the top. Mike Mcallum create the opening to land that left hook, he was studying Curry offence throughout the fight. It only take a split second to land that punch, and the movement I mention prior was the reason he was able to land that left hook! Just look at the tape...
What the hell were the judges watching in this fight? Rounds 3 and 4 to curry?? Seemed like the ref was working against him a little too, not letting him spin his opponent is ridiculous
Curry’s style was different from the earlier part of his career. His head was up. Before he had good defense. He already seemed shot after one fight. Early in his career he wouldn’t have been open for that kind of punch. Kind of strange how his style change. Seemed he would have kept the same defensive style and he would have had more success long-term:
Gran descuido, dejó la derecha abajo... y eso contra Mcallum era suicidio... lástima, pagó el precio.
M.M was a great fighter who just came along at the wrong time. Leonard, Duran, Hearns and Hagler dominated eighties. But McCallum beat some of the best young fighters from the next generation. Julian Jackson the best power punchier of his time. McCallum also beat Donald Curry and Milton McCory and another power punching younger fighter Michael Watson. Winning the jr middle and Middleweight world championship. Mike McCallum also beat a young tough Jeff Harding to win the Lt heavyweight championship. He probably would have beaten at least one of the four kings of the eighties boxing era. Really a great fighter. 🥊
WTF is McCallum on? Whomever rated Don Curry the greatest of all time p4p?
+GOATAli Bad English. He meant best in the world today. He knows Ray Robinson is the greatest ever.
George Havenhand
I don't think it was bad English. It was quite deliberate. Maybe just a slip up.
I cannot believe that the judges were giving the early rounds to Curry. I thought McCallum won all the first 4 rounds by being busier. It didn't matter in the end, though.
Mike was fighting curry and the judges at ring side .so glad he knocked down the boy
The young buck had his head perched up higher than a deer in the headlights about to get trucked...
Mike is the greatest Jamaican fighter of all time"