Rubin Carter vs Mike McCallum. What if?

[KOJOE90]

If there could have been a fight at Middleweight between the agressive, hard hitting Rubin Carter and 'The Bodysnatcher' Mike McCallum, who do you think would have won.

Carter had some serious power and good stamina but I think that the iron chinned McCallum had the chin and skills to slip and block most of Carters assaults. I could also see McCallums body assault slowing Carter down enough for McCallum to take a hard fought points victory.

Any other views fight fans?

[zslayton]

Carter doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as McCallum. McCallum was a machine, a smart fighter that wouldn't be hurt by Carter or anyone else. He would walk thru Carter and stop him in the mid rounds of a fight he dominates.

[Ezzard]

McCallum was adept at figuring out his opponent over the course of the fight. I think he was really unlucky not to be let into the Hagler-Leonard-Hearns-Duran club. He deserved to get match ups against those guys. Mike had to wait until he was a little past his prime and over his weight class to get shots against naturally bigger and younger men like Toney and Jones.

He missed out on Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Mugabi, McClellen, Benn and Nunn. Mike had to take on the awkward guys like Kalambay and Graham who were avoided by the big names because they made opponents look bad.

[wlvrne]

When did Marvin Hagler avoid anybody? And please don't reply with emotional invectives, just the facts, man.

[Ezzard]

Hagler didn't avoid anyone. I didn't mean that and i'm sorry if it came across that way. But both Graham and Kalambay were due title shots and Hagler didn't fight them. At that point in his career he was fighting about once every year and his sights were firmly locked onto marquee name opponents.

Graham and Kalambay were highly skilled awkward figthers who were a headache to fight against. They were exactly the type of fighters that Hagler fought on his way up. He fought Tommy, Mugabi and Leonard at the end. How the hell did Leonard get his title shot without even a warm up fight?

[KOJOE90]

I remember reading an interview with the Sheffield stylist Herol Graham where is said that in the 1980's he really wanted to become World Champion, but he sort of hoped that Hagler would retire before he got his shot.

[ringsider]

McCallum beats Carter hands down.......not even worth talking about. McCallum was one of the best fighters of the eighties. Nobody but a boxing fans knew who he was......he would have beaten most of his contemporaries, that is why they choose to avoid him in his prime.

[silkov]

I think Herol would have given Hagler fits especially around about 86/87 when Hagler was slowing down and Herol was at his best. The HAGLER of '87 was made for Graham. Herol had to wait far too long for his title shot.........