BoxRec

I got bored of the 500 Froch-Groves hype programs on Sky the other week so spent a bit of time making this video.

Always been a big fan of Mike McCallum and try to implement some of his skills into the coaching i do, so thought it would be useful for some of my lads to break down some of the stuff he did so well.

It's my first attempt at a video like this and i'm not great with computers so appreciate there's stuff that's not ideal (text going to quickly, hard to read at times etc, and i wasn't happy about the shot of Watson on his back for so long at the end) however, after messing about with it for a bit i just couldn't be arsed to make any more changes :(

Anyway, some of you might enjoy it, if you've got 15 minutes to spare and are a massive boxing nerd like me...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w58KO09kfWs

Fascinating stuff and very insightful.

Feel free to do some more

arlovski wrote:I got bored of the 500 Froch-Groves hype programs on Sky the other week so spent a bit of time making this video.

Always been a big fan of Mike McCallum and try to implement some of his skills into the coaching i do, so thought it would be useful for some of my lads to break down some of the stuff he did so well.

It's my first attempt at a video like this and i'm not great with computers so appreciate there's stuff that's not ideal (text going to quickly, hard to read at times etc, and i wasn't happy about the shot of Watson on his back for so long at the end) however, after messing about with it for a bit i just couldn't be arsed to make any more changes :(

Anyway, some of you might enjoy it, if you've got 15 minutes to spare and are a massive boxing nerd like me...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w58KO09kfWs

Excellent analysis and video mate

McCallum, one of the most avoided fighters, when he was with Steward, he begged for a fight with Hearns, never got it and Hagler promised him a fight, but never gave him it, his ko of Curry was brilliant and fought the big punchers others avoided and ko'ed them like Julian Jackson, if he had got the big fights he craved, what would his legacy be like then ?

McCallum was hardly avoided; he didn't fight at middleweight til 2 years after Hagler retired, and Hearns had his last fight at light middle about the time he arrived at the top. He got to fight all the big names who were actually in his weightclass; Jackson, Curry, Toney etc; the only name arguably missing is Roy Jones.

great video.

SamWise72 wrote:the only name arguably missing is Roy Jones.

Who would have schooled him at any weight or age.

Great video though.

Well he did meet RJJ at Light heavy, that was the only time i've seen McCallum close to being stopped.

I mean the man took some bombs of Julian Jackson as well, some chin.

He did meet him at LH, but it was way too late for Mike at that point. I don't see him beating Roy at any time though; he went life and death with Herol Graham, who for all my great love of him, I cannot see beating Roy, but it would have been a much better fight at middleweight a few years before. The idea that Hagler ducked him when his first fight at middle, two years after Hagler's retirement, was a defeat to Sumbu Kalambay, is comical. Mike was an ATG with fantastic skills and a great legacy, but he was never a serious challenger for Hagler.

SamWise72 wrote:McCallum was hardly avoided; he didn't fight at middleweight til 2 years after Hagler retired, and Hearns had his last fight at light middle about the time he arrived at the top. He got to fight all the big names who were actually in his weightclass; Jackson, Curry, Toney etc; the only name arguably missing is Roy Jones.

I know for a fact he was avoided by Hagler and Hearns, Steward spoke about his refusal to put him in with Hearns and Hagler and McCallum fell out over, Haglers broken promise to him, not saying he would have won theses fights, but the top fighters knew he was high risk.

arlovski wrote:I got bored of the 500 Froch-Groves hype programs on Sky the other week so spent a bit of time making this video.

Always been a big fan of Mike McCallum and try to implement some of his skills into the coaching i do, so thought it would be useful for some of my lads to break down some of the stuff he did so well.

It's my first attempt at a video like this and i'm not great with computers so appreciate there's stuff that's not ideal (text going to quickly, hard to read at times etc, and i wasn't happy about the shot of Watson on his back for so long at the end) however, after messing about with it for a bit i just couldn't be arsed to make any more changes :(

Anyway, some of you might enjoy it, if you've got 15 minutes to spare and are a massive boxing nerd like me...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w58KO09kfWs

If I ever do something stupid like breed, I'd like my spawn to fight like Mike McCallum.

Thank you very much for this mate, beautiful work.

PS: As others have said though, maybe a touch too much of Watson on the floor at the end?

Brilliant analysis, great contribution mate. Would be interesting to see if there were things Watson did in that fight that were effective and not entirely dealt with by McCallum - to give it some balance.

Thanks for the positive and constructive feedback on the video, appreciated.

For what it's worth i think McCallum beats Duran and Hearns at lightmiddle, but loses to Leonard and Hagler at any weight.

Regardless, i think he was technically the smoothest operator out of the lot, and a great fighter to study - although trying to teach some of his moves to the lads i train is another matter entirely
The fact that he made things look so easy and was always so composed is just incredible.

Looking forward to doing another video now, Arguello/Chavez/Monzon are in my sights for the future

arlovski wrote:
Regardless, i think he was technically the smoothest operator out of the lot, and a great fighter to study - although trying to teach some of his moves to the lads i train is another matter entirely
The fact that he made things look so easy and was always so composed is just incredible.

you've absolutely hit the nail on the head there, mate

i used to get told off for parring the jab away with my right hand ..

stevedoc wrote:i used to get told off for parring the jab away with my right hand ..

ha, me too! Although i went to the States in the late 90's and went round a few West Coast gyms and it was literally the first thing they taught me, does take impeccable timing and anticipation though as it's so easy to react and get caught to someone throwing clever feints/ hooking off the jab.


Not many could parry and ride shots like McCallum, must have had amazing eyes and awareness of distance

arlovski wrote:

stevedoc wrote:i used to get told off for parring the jab away with my right hand ..

ha, me too! Although i went to the States in the late 90's and went round a few West Coast gyms and it was literally the first thing they taught me, does take impeccable timing and anticipation though as it's so easy to react and get caught to someone throwing clever feints/ hooking off the jab.


Not many could parry and ride shots like McCallum, must have had amazing eyes and awareness of distance

i used to train at a pro's gym before i boxed amateur and my amateur trainer hated some of the things i did like keep my right hand open to catch shots rather than having it in a fist ,i'd also do this move a little like the philly shell but really extend my right elbow out wards so the other guy would hit my elbow ,once a guy hit your elbow a few times he stops punching anywhere near there as it bloody hurts the hands . funny thing i got a new trainer after about 18 months in the amateurs and he wanted me to be me and i had forgot some of the tricks by then .

good analysis though of the fight, might i suggest a Toney v Barkley vid, how to defuse an aggressive puncher

Old bones Ian wrote:good analysis though of the fight, might i suggest a Toney v Barkley vid, how to defuse an aggressive puncher

great shout

Great video. Learned a lot from that.

by the sounds of it, Mike still thinks Hagler avoided him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abmZoQRxRrc

Fantastic bit of analysis mate. I love watching things like that, showing the little things you don't notice when the leather is flying at full speed, the little things that allow the punches to land.

Hell even your analysis of your own video is spot on. (The text could have stayed up a little longer and the shot of watson on the canvas was prolonged a bit)
But good effort for a first attempt.
I look forward to the second.

davie wrote:Fantastic bit of analysis mate. I love watching things like that, showing the little things you don't notice when the leather is flying at full speed, the little things that allow the punches to land.

Hell even your analysis of your own video is spot on. (The text could have stayed up a little longer and the shot of watson on the canvas was prolonged a bit)
But good effort for a first attempt.
I look forward to the second.

cheers mate, appreciate that

I would agree that I found the analysis fantastic, and really interesting. More of this, please.

On the McCallum thing, it's all just nonsense, isn't it? If he wanted to challenge Hagler, or Hearns, he should have moved up to middleweight. Hearns and Duran were leaving LM when he arrived, and Hagler didn't face little guys moving up, unless they were bona fide legends. Why would he fight McCallum at that point? He wasn't a name, and didn't have a big rep. AND, when he did move up, he lost to Kalambay and went life and death with Herol Graham. Yes, he would have liked to be part of that generation of legends, but he wasn't. He WAS part of the next generation, but he was conclusively third in that one.

McCallum was the WBA mandatory whilst Duran was holder. When Hearns fought him it should have been for both titles but he/they forced him to vacate the WBA title in order for McCallum to get his shot.

If you listen to Tommy/Manny, they were doing McCallum a favour, if you listen to McCallum he was shafted out of a big fight/purse.

That was the start of the schism between McCallum and the Kronk, where he was based out of at the time. McCallum got a great deal of satisfaction beating up former Kronk gym mate Dwight Braxton in his second defence, and Milt McCrory in his fifth.

Hearns was still holder of the WBC title but didn't defend it again until two years later, fighting Hagler & Schuler instead, so technically they were both light middle champs at the same time for roughly two years or so.

McCallum was/is one of my favourite fighters, he was a great technician and possibly a more naturally gifted boxer than Hearns was (Manny has said this a number of times) but Hearns was like a son to him and he had a habit of giving preferential treatment to his favourites, to the detriment of other Kronk fighters (there is a history of fighters getting fed up and leaving).

Having seen all their televised fights it's fair to say McCallum was actually "better" at the Kronk style than Hearns was but lacked that crazy power that Hearns had. That's not to say that he didn't hit hard, but he was more a wear 'em down type puncher. He could be outboxed though and sometimes struggled with movement and speed, and despite his chin, could be hurt. Curry had him wobbled and outboxed before landing that huge left hook which he set traps for. He says it was the best punch he's ever landed and could feel it all the way through his body, he knew it was game over the moment it landed. I doubt Curry's been hit harder.