Oliver McCall Returns at 59

[Ruthless-RKO]

Grim heavyweight trend continues as Oliver McCall returns at 59

Former heavyweight champion Oliver McCall will return to the ring for the first time in over five years on November 19.

‘The Atomic Bull,’ famous for knocking out Lennox Lewis with a haymaker in 1994 and having a breakdown during the rematch, is pencilled in to face journeyman Stacy Frazier next week.

McCall defended his title twice against Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno and continues the worrying trend of aged heavyweights making comebacks. The Texas-based slugger makes his comeback just days after Mike Tyson faces YouTuber Jake Paul at 58 in McCall’s home state.

The Triller TV clash on Country Box represents a first outing since May 2019 when McCall retired Hugo Lomeli in two rounds on a jaunt to Mexico. Before that, McCall had also defeated Larry Knight over six rounds.

The last time McCall suffered a loss was ten years ago. However, McCall hasn’t mixed it in decent company for over that decade benchmark. McCall’s two latest victories came months after McCall caused controversy after weighing in for a scheduled bout against Jamal Woods in the summer of 2018.

Then 53, McCall hit the scales before disappearing from the event completely. Woods spoke to World Boxing News on the day of the fight and stated his belief that McCall got scared and ran.

“Oliver McCall didn’t show up to the fight; he was scared at the weigh-in,” said Woods. “McCall is a has-been. He didn’t pay me for making a twelve-hour trip to the fight. I have a reputation that is known, and I don’t back out from fights.

“I sure don’t back down from fights against an old man. He’s a has-been, which shows he’s not the man he used to be. He got scared at the weigh-in and didn’t want to fight.

“Someone told me he had a mental breakdown, but I was also told he had a family emergency. Either way, he didn’t want to fight me.”

Despite the Woods incident, McCall can’t seem to let go and continues to be sanctioned, ironically, by the same governing body that gave Tyson the green light to fight Jake Paul.

It’s a sad situation rife in the sport. It’s another tragic story of a faded boxer attempting to prolong a career that only puts himself in further danger.

[1792530]

This reflects a wider problem in boxing, where veteran fighters risk their health by prolonging their careers. The real danger

[Controversial]

They need to put an age limit on boxing, this is getting stupid, what next George Foreman making a comeback

[chinarich]

McCall sees the former boxers getting involved in lucrative exhibitions and wants a piece of that action himself. He may well beat this journeyman but I wonder what the end goal is here...

[Ruthless-RKO]

McCall sees the former boxers getting involved in lucrative exhibitions and wants a piece of that action himself. He may well beat this journeyman but I wonder what the end goal is here...

He did fight around 4 years ago too..

[funso banjo baby]

A sad spectacle indeed

[chinarich]

McCall sees the former boxers getting involved in lucrative exhibitions and wants a piece of that action himself. He may well beat this journeyman but I wonder what the end goal is here...

He did fight around 4 years ago too..

Yes he did a couple of times. Funnily enough, McCall is one of those old boxers whose record I check periodically to see whether he has fought again or has something lined up because I just don't think he'll ever stop. A bit like Danny Williams, I always expect to see a new fight when I check.

[gilgamesh]

If Mike Tyson makes this a hip new thing for Boxers in their late 50's to unretire. It'll quickly backfire on Boxing as a whole when this hip new thing leads to a Death or serious brain injury in the ring, which it seems like it almost certainly could in any one of these bouts.

[JCS]

Boxing is in sad sad fornicating shape.

Anyone disagree with that?

[HomicideHenry]

Boxing is in sad sad fornicating shape.

Anyone disagree with that?

Not really no.

I would say there is more interest in boxing now than there has been in many years. Largely because of the whole YouTube channel phenomenon but also because the heavyweight division actually got interesting with the likes of Fury, Wilder, Joshua and Usyk. When you have a boring or weak heavyweight division the entire sport wanes.

There's always been freak show bouts. The 70s and prior was full of them. Archie Moore fought several professional wrestlers in boxing matches, etc. So maybe the hard-core purists think this is all bad, but this is really nothing new. If there's money to be made, old men will unretire.

It would not surprise me if you saw George Foreman say, "Hey Larry let's give them one more night!", and Holmes be saying, "As long as Don King ain't involved let's do it George!" and somebody out there would pay to put it on. Probably Jake Paul himself.

Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all

[robbydecker]

Boxing is in sad sad fornicating shape.

Anyone disagree with that?

Not really no.

I would say there is more interest in boxing now than there has been in many years. Largely because of the whole YouTube channel phenomenon but also because the heavyweight division actually got interesting with the likes of Fury, Wilder, Joshua and Usyk. When you have a boring or weak heavyweight division the entire sport wanes.

There's always been freak show bouts. The 70s and prior was full of them. Archie Moore fought several professional wrestlers in boxing matches, etc. So maybe the hard-core purists think this is all bad, but this is really nothing new. If there's money to be made, old men will unretire.

It would not surprise me if you saw George Foreman say, "Hey Larry let's give them one more night!", and Holmes be saying, "As long as Don King ain't involved let's do it George!" and somebody out there would pay to put it on. Probably Jake Paul himself.

Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all

Some good points there for sure.

At 54 years old, I'm not oblivious to these sorts of realizations.

I remember way back, seeing a documentary video about the legendary Jack Johnson, and supposedly he walked into his local boxing gym one day, apparently feeling extra good and Fiesty, at over 60 years old(I don't recall the exact age given, but it was definately 60 something), and yeah, anyway, supposedly he sparred a Much Much younger boxer, who was also pretty solid material, and Johnson more than held his own, according to what they described in this particular documentary video.

Also, obviously, there Was that fairly well known Street Fight incident, which took place in 1970, which involved several robber street hoodlums, who decided to target a seemingly vulnerable target, only to realize sometime later, after they had regained consciecness, that they had chosen a 75 year old Jack Dempsey, as they're target mugging victim.
I saw a YouTube video depicting that incident, around a year ago, and one if them street mugger guys from 1970 was still alive and well , and he opened up about that incident, describing the profound impact that it had on his life, and apparently he changed Alot from that, So it's basically like, He(The street mugger) was essentially Baptized that very day, by the Legendary Jack Dempsey.

My points are that there's in fact, still Alot of tough old men nowadays, and there has in fact always been that type of human being, lurking around, looking for a young punk to teach a lesson to, or Baptize through they're fisticuffs based prowess.
On side notes, of old man strength and abilities to handle themselves surprisingly well, Gene LaBell was probably able bodied enough to still grapple an arrogant youngster to the ground, while well into his 70's. And Chuck Norris could likely do similar stuff in a street-fight, with his old school karate kickboxer stuff.

Maybe not now at 84, but I think definitely at 74 that Chuck could've still flattened out many different street punks with a well placed sidekick. Bill Superfoot Wallace as well.
Also, I've been lately hearing about 70 year old Don the dragon Wilson planning to make a comeback Kickboxing Bout.
Also, i still remember them Tiger Schulman Karate commercials, from a bit more than a few years back, where they showed various 50 something year old students in the class, really going off on the pads.

[DrDuke]

Vs Jake Paul?

[Controversial]

I wouldn’t be surprised if Tyson injured himself just training for JP, you can’t train like you used to when you’re in your 50s. I can injure myself just getting out of bed these days lol.

[keithmoonhangover]

If Mike Tyson makes this a hip new thing for Boxers in their late 50's to unretire. It'll quickly backfire on Boxing as a whole when this hip new thing leads to a Death or serious brain injury in the ring, which it seems like it almost certainly could in any one of these bouts.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Bowe back in the ring.

[Controversial]

If Mike Tyson makes this a hip new thing for Boxers in their late 50's to unretire. It'll quickly backfire on Boxing as a whole when this hip new thing leads to a Death or serious brain injury in the ring, which it seems like it almost certainly could in any one of these bouts.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Bowe back in the ring.

The last video I saw of him he was slurring so much you could hardly make out what he was saying

[Taansend]

They need to put an age limit on boxing, this is getting stupid, what next George Foreman making a comeback

Remember when Foreman made his comeback in 1987 & people said he was too old then

He had just turned 38. A mere babe by todays heavyweight standards.

[Taansend]

I saw McCall on the undercard of Benn Wharton back in 1994. His last bout before he fought Lewis.

He was up against Dangerous Dan Murphy - who he knocked out the 1st round - and he wore a Bowler Hat into the ring. Because as everyone knows, British boxing fans all wear Bowler Hats to the Big fights.

That was the bill where Steve Little upset a listless Michael Nunn - who I thought (earlier in his career) was going to be the next 'Sugar Ray'.

[Ruthless-RKO]

TrillerTV+, 8:00 pm ET, CountryBox: Where Music Meets Boxing. THIS IS NOT A JOKE: 59 year old Oliver McCall, the same one that turned pro in 1985, who won the WBC heavyweight title over 30 years ago against Lennox Lewis and famously had a mid-fight emotional breakdown in the ring during their 1997 rematch, will return to action in a four-rounder. His opponent: 54 year old Stacy “Bigfoot” Frazier, a 16-22 (15 KO) pro fighting for the first time in five years. Bigfoot hasn’t found the win column in over a decade, but don’t let his record fool you… It only looks that bad because of a rough 2-19 streak he’s been on since July of 2005. This may or may not match the viewership for Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, but at least it will give Texas something to deflect the shame of sanctioning last weekend’s nonsense. “Silky” Sean Hemphill, last seen losing to William Scull on the undercard of Canelo vs Jaime Mungia, is also on the card. Justin Andrews is the music. Maybe he can play the theme song to Miami Vice, which was the #1 song in America the week after McCall made his pro debut.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Did McCall make his debut before Tyson?

[chinarich]

McCall KO2

https://x.com/tv_scrap36172/status/1859 ... OKpBvyNTww

[Ruthless-RKO]

He wins and surprise surprise.

He calls out Jake fkn Paul

[HomicideHenry]

Damn Stacey Frazier was old as crap too.

At least it was two old men battling it out.

McCall kept hitting the dude in the back of the head. From what I saw on youtube he is beyond slower than molasses. Paul would knock him out easily. There needs to be some kind of major reform from the ABC preventing these potential age gap bouts from happening.

Boxing needs a "Mike Tyson Act" just like the "Muhammad Ali Act" saying nobody can be in a bout where the age differential is more than ten years.

Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all

[margaret thatcher]

10 years is too narrow, there are top fighters who are early 20s and top fighters who are late 30s

[Ruthless-RKO]

Boxing needs a "Mike Tyson Act" just like the "Muhammad Ali Act" saying nobody can be in a bout where the age differential is more than ten years.

Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all

Not gonna work. We see boxers in their prime still at 35-38 years old.. where they might sight a 25 year old.

Unless it applied for boxers over the age of 45..

cus then there's less off them.

[HomicideHenry]

Boxing needs a "Mike Tyson Act" just like the "Muhammad Ali Act" saying nobody can be in a bout where the age differential is more than ten years.

Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all

Not gonna work. We see boxers in their prime still at 35-38 years old.. where they might sight a 25 year old.

Unless it applied for boxers over the age of 45..

cus then there's less off them.

I think the greater the age the more the age differential should decrease. If someone is 50-59 like McCall they should be fighting opponents within 3-5 years of their age. If someone is say 40-49 then it'd be 6-8 years. For anyone 18-39 the differential is 10 years.

I think the only time there should ever be any flexibility with this rule is if a champion was older than the 10 year gap of his required mandatory or voluntary defense. A champion OUGHT to have the necessary skills and abilities to overcome such differentials.

Basically only 50s can fight other 50s, 40s can only fight other 40s unless they happen to be a champion from the 4 major organizations. 60s and up should probably never be allowed to compete period unless it was an exhibition bout with large gloves, shortened rounds, and only against others in their age bracket.

Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all