Mike McCallum

One of boxing's greatest champions, Mike McCallum was from Kingston, Jamaica, but fought almost exclusively in the USA.

Related Topics:
Boxing - Kingston, Jamaica

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He first became a world champion by defeating the granite-hard Sean Mannion in his own home town to win the light-middleweight title, but came to prominence by knocking out two contenders that had been very highly regarded welterweights- Milton McCrory and Don Curry.

Related Topics:
Sean Mannion - Milton McCrory - Don Curry

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He then moved up to middleweight himself, & after an unexpected reverse to the slick italian-african Sambu Kalambay achieved the title, which he defended several times.

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His two fights with James Toney were exciting & full of excellent boxing on both sides, but Mike was adjudged to have lost the second (the first was drawn), so moved up in weight again to Light-Heavyweight where he again won a world title.

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he was now in, at least, his late 30s (some said his 40s) & unsurprisingly did not hold this crown long, losing to the fantastically talented Roy Jones Jr.

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McCallum was known as "the body-snatcher" because he specialised in body punching, but unlike most other body punchers did not take head punches in return because he was defensively so adept. His greatest professional problem was that the great welterweights, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran & Wilfredo Benitez, knew how dangerous he was and declined to face him without pecuniary rewards that his own promoters were unwilling to meet. Hence he only achieved stardom at the tail-end of his long and illustrious career.

Related Topics:
Sugar Ray Leonard - Tommy Hearns - Roberto Duran - Wilfredo Benitez

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