BoxRec

Prime super middle versions of Benn and Eubank would have given McCallum a better fight than Duran, arguably. Not saying they are better - they're not - but younger, bigger guys like the 2 British stars would have been a handful for a lean former light middle like McCallum. It would have been interesting to see how McCallum would have got along at super middle.

Counter-puncher wrote:

bennie wrote:

Duran had a weakness to 'runners'. McCallum was not a 'runnr'. OK, he was not exactly made for Duran but he would have been there for Duran to hit, break up and, at worst, outsmart. You say McCallum is a good body puncher but what about Duran's body punches? He murdered Hagler to the body (and a million others). McCallum was excellent but it is hard to think that Duran - a Duran in shape - was not better, regardless of weight.
Incidentally, autobarn is actually spelt autobahn.

bennie just because Duran had a weakness to runners doesn't mean that is the only kind of fighter who could beat him, surely? anyway if that logic does hold it works both ways- MM only really struggled with fast cute boxres and Duran wasn't that, eh?

RE my earlier post on Benitez, he beat Duran convincingly, and didn't run all night. I would bet on MM doing a similar job. bear in mind MM could just push Duran away on the inside if he wanted, as he did with the much bigger and stronger Mike Watson and even to an extent the LH Harding.

Duran wasn't fast and cute! That is exactly what he was, aided and abetted by those famous Hands of Stone.
The Benitez night was the night Duran realized he had lost his equally famous drive. His body would not respond as he sought to roar home. He adapted, of course, and became a boxer-fighter, as in the Moore massacre. Duran was just a better fighter then the slowish, mechanical McCallum.

For me the career of Mike McCallum signifies everything that is right and wrong with boxing all in one swoop.
Everything that is right: A fantastic boxer who would fight absolutely anyone, anywhere, no questions. A pleasure to watch, a humble guy, a genuine warrior who was made for the sport.

Everything that is wrong: A guy who will always be remembered as a "token" legend simply because he was considered too dangerous by the so called big names to be given a proper chance to prove himself. There aren't many world class fighters who will go anywhere and fight anyone, but yet still miss out on so many big fights.

In ten years time I think we'll be talking about Paul Williams in the same way (unless I've just cursed him and he gets shown up by Winky next week!)

Terry D wrote:People can talk about Hagler and the rest ducking Mike but Hagler was tied up in huge fights with the best names out there (Duran, Hearns, Mugabi, to an extent, and Leonard) when Mike was coming to prominance. All the guys who supposedly ducked McCallum were fighting it out amongst themselves.

McCallum is a very good boxer who got caught between eras, mumble the years a little and he looks avoided also, everything you need to build a legend. His timing was off, and his overall ability did not get people screaming to push him to the forefront.

Still had a fine carrer, just not as fine as Hagler, Leonard, Hearns or Duran, who were all defined through their contests with one another.

I think his ability was excellent, especially when he improved his timing. I think he was much better with Futch than with Steward.

McCallum to me is a legend - the Toney draw was fought at an outstanding level v a young star; the Curry fight was a great KO, vs a Curry who looked sharp. Toney and Curry being borderline Hall of Famers. McCallum took the best shots of Julian Jackson, before stopping the guy with about 40 unanswered power shots - Jackson was the biggest puncher of his time, just a huge pure puncher. McCallum had to box Kalambay and Graham, 2 of the trickiest defensive boxers around, fighters that few would face if they didn't have to. Ground down Watson, who had just smashed Benn. Beat Collins, future title holder at 160 and 168, though it wasn't pretty.

All this is impressive enough. OK McCallum didn't get the massive payday from fighting a Fab 4, but to me his career is very satisfying as it is. He was still fighting at world level when the Fab 4 were long gone.

McCallum's problem was a) that his style was unspectacular and b) that he lacked charisma. In particular his post fight interviews were often poor. After stopping Watson he said something like, "I'll stop talking, you're more interested in Watson." After stopping some guy in a tune up, he goes, "A take my hat off to x fighter, he's a tremendous...champion." As such he was never part of a mega event, that a fight with the Fab 4, or even Benn and Eubank, could have justified.