BoxRec

Who would you favour in this match up?

Tony Tucker on points

Tucker on points easily, a much better boxer than a glorified journeyman with sparring-partner syndrome like McCall.

tnt tucker by wide boring decision.

Tucker by split decision (118-112 115-113 113-115).

Tucker easily on pts....a shame peak Tucker of the 1980s never got opportunities he deserved...he missed out on Olympics, than developed too slowly to take advantage of an ageing holmes and whole HW mess during 83-early 86, and than he had a roadblock in Tyson.

wouter wrote:Tucker by split decision (118-112 115-113 113-115).

Agree.

Tucker like Greg Page gets over-rated for what "he could've been" rather than he was actually was. He had all the tools to be a first-rater, but he just didn't have that extra edge guys need to get to that next level (he also always had a porous defense). I saw him sleep-walk his way through far too many lackluster, boring decisions. McCall would make it close simply by trying harder in the later rounds.

hhaehre wrote:Tucker on points easily, a much better boxer than a glorified journeyman with sparring-partner syndrome like McCall.

Well-said.

Are you guys aware Tucker and McCall actually fought? June 1992. Tucker split decision, McCall looked to have won.

hhaehre wrote:a glorified journeyman with sparring-partner syndrome like McCall.

Journeyman who KOd Lennox Lewis, Henry Akinwande, Francesco Damiani, Bruce Seldon, Oleg Maskaev and beat Larry Holmes. That is SOME 'journeyman'!

Tell Mike Tyson he's a journeyman - Tyson seemed to regard him very highly in 94, 95. And having sparred several hundred rounds with McCall he was a pretty decent judge of his capabilities.

wouter wrote:Tucker by split decision (118-112 115-113 113-115).

I see this flew over a few heads. I've never been able to find the bout, but apparently it was very close.

It was broadcast by Showtime on the same card as Jackson v Razor Ruddock. Good fight.

loaded_gloves wrote:Are you guys aware Tucker and McCall actually fought? June 1992. Tucker split decision, McCall looked to have won.

I assumed it was prime vs prime. Tuckers prime ended when he lost to Tyson, took two years off and gained 30 pounds.

loaded_gloves wrote:

hhaehre wrote:a glorified journeyman with sparring-partner syndrome like McCall.

Journeyman who KOd Lennox Lewis, Henry Akinwande, Francesco Damiani, Bruce Seldon, Oleg Maskaev and beat Larry Holmes. That is SOME 'journeyman'!

Tell Mike Tyson he's a journeyman - Tyson seemed to regard him very highly in 94, 95. And having sparred several hundred rounds with McCall he was a pretty decent judge of his capabilities.

A bit harsh for sure but so many times McCall looked like sparrings-partner.

If I am honest, I never knew they had fought. Don't remember seeing it reported anywhere.

However it appears Tucker managed to get the win even though he wasn't in his prime.

loaded_gloves wrote:

hhaehre wrote:a glorified journeyman with sparring-partner syndrome like McCall.

Journeyman who KOd Lennox Lewis, Henry Akinwande, Francesco Damiani, Bruce Seldon, Oleg Maskaev and beat Larry Holmes. That is SOME 'journeyman'!

Tell Mike Tyson he's a journeyman - Tyson seemed to regard him very highly in 94, 95. And having sparred several hundred rounds with McCall he was a pretty decent judge of his capabilities.

Fantastic post . Real quality. McCall certainly managed to beat some very impressive opponents...I guess he is totally discredited in my mind due to losing to Frank Bruno and struggling so hard with a very old Holmes! I do recall though even in the Lewis rematch he just took some hellacious shots from Lewis and didnt flinch.......he cried...but he didnt flinch....true nut case tough as nails...and its amazing when u consider his wins as u listed...I also forgot he actually fought Tucker....

Thats a pretty damn meek list of opponents, for the most part.

mugabi wrote:

loaded_gloves wrote:

hhaehre wrote:a glorified journeyman with sparring-partner syndrome like McCall.

Journeyman who KOd Lennox Lewis, Henry Akinwande, Francesco Damiani, Bruce Seldon, Oleg Maskaev and beat Larry Holmes. That is SOME 'journeyman'!

Tell Mike Tyson he's a journeyman - Tyson seemed to regard him very highly in 94, 95. And having sparred several hundred rounds with McCall he was a pretty decent judge of his capabilities.

Fantastic post . Real quality. McCall certainly managed to beat some very impressive opponents...I guess he is totally discredited in my mind due to losing to Frank Bruno and struggling so hard with a very old Holmes! I do recall though even in the Lewis rematch he just took some hellacious shots from Lewis and didnt flinch.......he cried...but he didnt flinch....true nut case tough as nails...and its amazing when u consider his wins as u listed...I also forgot he actually fought Tucker....

McCall is one of those fighters who are so infuriating to watch and the Bruno fight is a good example of a typical McCall fight. He should have knocked Bruno out, it was such a winnable fight for him but instead he sleepwalks through it, not throwing leather, waiting waiting and then it's too late and Bruno has won his first and only decision vs. a top-tier fighter. It's symptomatic that McCall came from behind to win several of the fight listed above.

After McCall KOd Lewis he went back to his old drug addled ways, and you'll do well to a win a world title fight in that state.

The Lewis rematch was sad to see, his withdrawal led to a major meltdown.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Thats a pretty damn meek list of opponents, for the most part.

Not all of us were spoiled seeing Aussie Joe Bugner beat Quick Tillis, David Bey and Greg Page on the trot .....to be so hyper critical! D

Probably the only time McCall was well trained for a fight was the first Lewis fight. One of McCall's management team said that if they could get one week of training out of McCall he could beat anyone, if they got two it was no contest. They KNEW he was going to beat Lewis. There was no question in their minds because he was in condition for the fight.

He is a physical freak, he has an incredible chin, he has natural stamina that doesn't come from training, and he is physically strong. When he looked bad in fights, he was probably doing things prior to the fight that few others could do and live, much less compete.

mugabi wrote:Tucker easily on pts....a shame peak Tucker of the 1980s never got opportunities he deserved...he missed out on Olympics, than developed too slowly to take advantage of an ageing holmes and whole HW mess during 83-early 86, and than he had a roadblock in Tyson.

He lost to Alex DeLucia in the 1980 Western Olympic Trials.......he should be ashamed.

John Galt wrote:Probably the only time McCall was well trained for a fight was the first Lewis fight. One of McCall's management team said that if they could get one week of training out of McCall he could beat anyone, if they got two it was no contest. They KNEW he was going to beat Lewis. There was no question in their minds because he was in condition for the fight.

He is a physical freak, he has an incredible chin, he has natural stamina that doesn't come from training, and he is physically strong. When he looked bad in fights, he was probably doing things prior to the fight that few others could do and live, much less compete.

Nail on the head here. McCall was a true freak when you consider what problems he boxed with and his god given assets of chin, power, fitness, fearlessness. Super tough guy.