The Top 100 Greatest Boxers Pound per Pound of All-Time

[Onetimeonly]

McCallum was dead even with Kalambay and barely beat Nigel Benn. He is not the underrated fighter that he is now made out to be.

I don't think he fought benn.

[Ambling Alp II]

Sorry, that should have been the legendary Herol Graham.

[elmersalsa]

The guy dominated Minchillo much better than Hearns and Duran. He was able to stop him. The other two didn't do it.

McCallum vs Minchillo was a 15 rounds fight.Bodysnatcher stop him in 13.

Hearns vs Minchillo was a 12 rounds fight.If this bout was a 15 rounds who knows maybe Hearns also stopped Italian.

After 7 rounds, The Hitman seldom stopped an opponent. It goes harder for him after 7 rounds to stop someone.

[elmersalsa]

McCallum was dead even with Kalambay and barely beat Nigel Benn. He is not the underrated fighter that he is now made out to be.

Mike McCallum was in any of the Fab 4 of boxing level. Duran nor Leonard beats Kalambay at 160lbs.

[Ambling Alp II]

Please.
Would this be the same Kalambay that lost to a past it Ayub Kalue?

[elmersalsa]

Please.
Would this be the same Kalambay that lost to a past it Ayub Kalue?

The Sumbu Kalambay by the time of the Mike McCallum fight was much more experienced. Put Ayub Kalule in there and Kalule doesn't wins the rematch.

[elmersalsa]

McCallum vs Minchillo was a 15 rounds fight.Bodysnatcher stop him in 13.

Hearns vs Minchillo was a 12 rounds fight.If this bout was a 15 rounds who knows maybe Hearns also stopped Italian.

After 7 rounds, The Hitman seldom stopped an opponent. It goes harder for him after 7 rounds to stop someone.

Hearns KO ratio after 7 rounds: 16%
Hearns KO ratio under 7 rounds: 82%

[Ambling Alp II]

Please.
Would this be the same Kalambay that lost to a past it Ayub Kalue?

The Sumbu Kalambay by the time of the Mike McCallum fight was much more experienced. Put Ayub Kalule in there and Kalule doesn't wins the rematch.

Kalambay had been a pro for 5 years and had 40 fights when he lost to Kalue. So no, you don't get to use the too inexperienced excuse here.

[elmersalsa]

The Sumbu Kalambay by the time of the Mike McCallum fight was much more experienced. Put Ayub Kalule in there and Kalule doesn't wins the rematch.

Kalambay had been a pro for 5 years and had 40 fights when he lost to Kalue. So no, you don't get to use the too inexperienced excuse here.

Some guys even at 40 fights, are not fully developed not even for top ten contention. I bet you in his record there's no one of note. As a matter of fact, I bet you that that fight was way before he beat The Body Snatcher. Put Ayub Kalule by the time Kalambay fought McCallum and Kalambay wins the rematch.

[Onetimeonly]

The kalambay of the McCallum fights would not have posed much trouble for hagler, Leonard or hearns.

[elmersalsa]

The kalambay of the McCallum fights would not have posed much trouble for hagler, Leonard or hearns.

By 1987, Kalambay beats at least Leonard and Marvelous by decision.

[Onetimeonly]

The kalambay of the McCallum fights would not have posed much trouble for hagler, Leonard or hearns.

By 1987, Kalambay beats at least Leonard and Marvelous by decision.

You're a clown. Only McCallum gets to fight prime? You suck like your rams my ravens are going to smack around! Case closed!

[elmersalsa]

By 1987, Kalambay beats at least Leonard and Marvelous by decision.

You're a clown. Only McCallum gets to fight prime? You suck like your rams my ravens are going to smack around! Case closed!

By 1987, Marvelous and Sugar Ray weren't all that impressive. As a matter of fact, by that time, The Hitman would have beaten them both in my opinion.

Marvelous was looking an exit from boxing unless there was a BIG PAYDAY. A well deserved multi million dollar payday and he got it when Sugar Ray came back. He got $20 million for that fight. He wasn't going to get that payday with no other fighter. In 1985 and 1986, Marvelous only had 2 fights. That was uncharacteristically odd for him.

Marvelous was missing shots at Ray at close range. Missing immensely. He made Sugar Ray looked like Nicolino Locche or something.

It's not far fetched for me if one of the top middleweight contenders of that time beat both of them. That's including Kalambay and McCallum. It would have been a surprise and stunning win from any other Middleweight. Sugar Ray nor either Marvelous were prime by then.

[elmersalsa]

I saw Mike McCallum fight versus Milton McCrory. It was a pretty good scrap for ten rounds. Ironically, McCallum stopped Donald Curry in 5 rounds, but stopped McCrory in 10. And Curry stopped McCrory in 2 rounds.

Once McCallum went to the body of McCrory, it was all over. He even cut Milton's eyelid around the 7th round.

McCallum also defeated another former Kronk stablemate David Braxton. He whupped Braxton with some vicious combinations and shots. Some people wonder why the Fab 4 didn't want any part of him. McCallum wanted the great Thomas Hearns next, but I don't know why the fight didn't materialized.

He had a grudge match with anybody who got something to do with Kronk Boxing Team. Why? According to McCallum, in 1984, he was the #1 contender for the WBA and WBC crowns at 154lbs. Emmanuel Steward was Hearns and McCallum's trainer and manager at the time. McCallum wanted a shot at the great Roberto Duran, who was champion of the 154lbs WBA crown. Hearns was the champion of the WBC. Steward somehow made the move behind McCallum's back for Hearns to have the mega million fight with Duran. The WBA warned Duran the minute he steps the ring to fight Hearns, the WBA will automatically strip Duran from his crown for not defending it against the #1 contender McCallum. It went deaf ears by Duran's part and he ended decapitated by Hearns in 2 and left Las Vegas without a title. McCallum later fought for the vacant WBA crown against unheralded Sean Mannion. McCallum won the fight easily on points and became the new WBA World Jr Middleweight Champion. After that, McCallum, who in his mind felt betrayed by Steward, left the Kronk Boxing Team for good and joined legendary trainers Lou Duva and George Benton.

[elmersalsa]

Mike McCallum jumps up to Middleweight and in his first fight there, he fights for the WBA World Middleweight Title?

Well, the jumped proved a failure because it became the first time that he loses in his boxing career after 32 pro fights.

His conqueror in Pesaro, Italy? Was Zaire born and Italy's adopted son Sumbu Kalambay, the WBA World Middleweight Champion.

It was strange how this fight turned out, especially for the Jamaican Body Snatcher McCallum, who hadn't had a fight in 9 months after sensationally stopping Donald Curry in 5 rounds. McCallum looked terribly slow, lethargic, sloppy and with no type of momentum in his punches. He looked flat. Was it the inactivity or the step up in weight? Did he needed some tune up middleweight fights before taking on the champion Kalambay?

Well, I can't take the credit off from Kalambay. He boxed and outpointed McCallum with that fast jab and quick combinations. His speed confused McCallum and also his movement from side to side, not giving the Body Snatcher a clean target to hit. He definitely fought a clever fight. He definitely won the first 6 rounds. I had the fight scored 118-112 for Kalambay, but the judges had the fight much closer than I thought: 115-114, 118-114 and 116-115. That meant to me if McCallum had pressed more, he would have won and take the decision. I think that the decision was much wider than that.

[Ambling Alp II]

By 1987, Kalambay beats at least Leonard and Marvelous by decision.

You're a clown. Only McCallum gets to fight prime? You suck like your rams my ravens are going to smack around! Case closed!

Agreed. That's absurd. The guy was 29, had been a pro for 5 years, had 40 fights and he is too inexperienced when he lost to Mugabi? Please.
Then 2 years later he would have beaten Leonard and Hagler? That's laughable.

This is elmer pulling an excuse out of thin air again. Anything to support the guy that he likes. There is no way that Kalambay was too inexpierienced is no way he would have beaten Hagler or Leonard.

McCallum losing to Kalambay, then barely beating him, then barely beating Herol Graham is a strong evidence against McCallum.

[Onetimeonly]

You're a clown. Only McCallum gets to fight prime? You suck like your rams my ravens are going to smack around! Case closed!

Agreed. That's absurd. The guy was 29, had been a pro for 5 years, had 40 fights and he is too inexperienced when he lost to Mugabi? Please.
Then 2 years later he would have beaten Leonard and Hagler? That's laughable.

This is elmer pulling an excuse out of thin air again. Anything to support the guy that he likes. There is no way that Kalambay was too inexpierienced is no way he would have beaten Hagler or Leonard.

McCallum losing to Kalambay, then barely beating him, then barely beating Herol Graham is a strong evidence against McCallum.

Very good fighter, Elmer is typically biting on the narrative created on the web many years later. I got all the magazines back in the day, nobody was writing about Mike getting ducked. Hagler fought all his mandatories, Mike could have easily gotten into that position but he didn't move up until Marvin was gone. Vintage Elmo. I hate to tell him Mike's resume is right there with Oscars.

[elmersalsa]

You're a clown. Only McCallum gets to fight prime? You suck like your rams my ravens are going to smack around! Case closed!

Agreed. That's absurd. The guy was 29, had been a pro for 5 years, had 40 fights and he is too inexperienced when he lost to Mugabi? Please.
Then 2 years later he would have beaten Leonard and Hagler? That's laughable.

This is elmer pulling an excuse out of thin air again. Anything to support the guy that he likes. There is no way that Kalambay was too inexpierienced is no way he would have beaten Hagler or Leonard.

McCallum losing to Kalambay, then barely beating him, then barely beating Herol Graham is a strong evidence against McCallum.

You could have 40 fights and plus, and still you could be an undeveloped boxer. Sumbu Kalambay record didn't had a notable win against a world class opponent by the time he fought the experienced Ayub Kalule. Not one! By that time, Mike McCallum whupped Kalule by knockout in 7. A better performance than what Sugar Ray and Davey Moore did against Kalule.

Kalambay of the McCallum and Iran Barkley fights is miles ahead of that Kalule fight. He had that jab up to point. He moved from side to side and executed a great strategy. We could have excuses for McCallum for not fighting the same level we're used to see him fight before that. But, I can't take away Kalambay's performance. In my opinion, that day, he also beats Marvelous and Sugar Ray of that mega fight of April '87.

And again, having 40 plus fights doesn't mean that you are experienced. Asked Lamar Clark. He had 44 straight wins by knockout. Against NOBODIES. In his 45th fight, he met someone by the name of Cassius Clay and we all know what happened.

[Ambling Alp II]

This is yet another example where you pick and choose things which favor your guy, and ignore any evidence to the contrary.

I could claim that Leonard and the great Davey Moore (had to be great because he fought Duran of course) were inexperienced when they fight Mugabi. And they each won easily.

Kalambay had a long amateur career; over 90 fights. He was 29 years old. He had 40 fights, and they weren't all against tomato cans like LaMar Clark did. If you are going to say that he was inexperienced then you can literally make any excuse like that for anybody.

Leonard-Hagler was a great fight. Kalambay was never in a great fight like that. No reason at all to think he would beat these guys. That's absurd.

McCallum was a great figher; Kalambay was very good. Neither are near Leonard or Hagler.

[Onetimeonly]

This is yet another example where you pick and choose things which favor your guy, and ignore any evidence to the contrary.

I could claim that Leonard and the great Davey Moore (had to be great because he fought Duran of course) were inexperienced when they fight Mugabi. And they each won easily.

Kalambay had a long amateur career; over 90 fights. He was 29 years old. He had 40 fights, and they weren't all against tomato cans like LaMar Clark did. If you are going to say that he was inexperienced then you can literally make any excuse like that for anybody.

Leonard-Hagler was a great fight. Kalambay was never in a great fight like that. No reason at all to think he would beat these guys. That's absurd.

McCallum was a great fight; Kalambay was very good. Neither are near Leonard or Hagler.

Ironically, kalule was the only name McCallum had faced when he was being "ducked".

[elmersalsa]

This is yet another example where you pick and choose things which favor your guy, and ignore any evidence to the contrary.

I could claim that Leonard and the great Davey Moore (had to be great because he fought Duran of course) were inexperienced when they fight Mugabi. And they each won easily.

Kalambay had a long amateur career; over 90 fights. He was 29 years old. He had 40 fights, and they weren't all against tomato cans like LaMar Clark did. If you are going to say that he was inexperienced then you can literally make any excuse like that for anybody.

Leonard-Hagler was a great fight. Kalambay was never in a great fight like that. No reason at all to think he would beat these guys. That's absurd.

McCallum was a great fight; Kalambay was very good. Neither are near Leonard or Hagler.

Ironically, kalule was the only name McCallum had faced when he was being "ducked".

It seemed that he was ducked, you have just said it. What happened to Sugar Ray and Marvelous then? McCallum called them. He claimed that he did.

[Onetimeonly]

Ironically, kalule was the only name McCallum had faced when he was being "ducked".

It seemed that he was ducked, you have just said it. What happened to Sugar Ray and Marvelous then? McCallum called them. He claimed that he did.

[Cojimar 1946]

McCallum was dead even with Kalambay and barely beat Nigel Benn. He is not the underrated fighter that he is now made out to be.

and Iran Barkley beat Thomas Hearns twice, you think any loss of McCallum tops that?

[Ambling Alp II]

Of course you have to consider Hearn's losses to Barkley. Everyone seems to do that. You never seldom hear about McCallum's fights with Kalambay and Graham. You have to look at their overall career.

You have to look at the positives and negatives. Hearns also has wins over Roberto Duran and Wilfred Benitez, (among others) which dwarfs what McCallum did.

[Ambling Alp II]

It seemed that he was ducked, you have just said it. What happened to Sugar Ray and Marvelous then? McCallum called them. He claimed that he did.

He claimed that he called them. An obvious duck.