BoxRec

...beat an excellent fighter like Mike McCallum?


I've seen McCallum fight quite a few times, and I've always been very impressed with him. I only ever saw Kalambay fight once, and that was his fight with Nunn. I know Kalambay had a few big wins on his record, but the one over McCallum was his biggest.

If anyone here has seen this fight, can you shed some light on this subject?

I have the bout but its been years since I watched it. My notes on the bout tell me that it was Kalambay at his very best.

This was the first of two bouts between Kalambay and McCallum, and of course, McCallum won the second bout.

The reason Sumbu beat Mike McCallum was because he was a fine fighter. You don't beat the likes of Steve Collins, Doug DeWitt,
Robbie Sims, Iran Barkley, Herol Graham (twice), Donald Bowers, Clint Jackson and Buster Drayton otherwise. In the fight with McCallum he moved and countered. McCallum liked opponents to come to him and found himself being beaten at his own game. He became desperate, swinging wildly, which only allowed Kalambay to outbox him further. It was a dazzling display by the Italian-based African. In the rematch, McCallum scaped home on a split decision.

The Nunn fight was an aberration....
Kalambay just got caught cold with a perfect left hook....He walked right into it...
Sumbu was a very good fighter...

He did it with movement ,good sound boxing ability,and a air tight defense. As the bout went on McCallen became frustrated with his enability to hit Kalamby and missed even more. McCallen's vaunted body attack was absent the entire fight. Remember McCallen was one of the better boxer's at this time who on that night was beaten by a capable highly competative fighter. Nunn's one punch knockout of Kalumby was what it was ONE PUNCH. I always hoped for a rematch but it never happened. Kalumby a decent sound fighter.