All-time great Mike McCallum, world champion in 3 divisions, dies at 68
'The Bodysnatcher' was an Olympian, often avoided, and Hall of Famer
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Mike McCallum, the three-division world champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer, died on Saturday in Las Vegas. He was 68.
McCallum, one of the most revered athletes of all time from his native Jamaica, lived for decades in Las Vegas. According to the Jamaica Observer, McCallum was driving to a gym when he felt ill and pulled over to the side of the road. He was eventually found unresponsive and later declared dead. No cause of death has been determined yet.
Born Dec. 7, 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica, McCallum had a decorated amateur career, going a reported 240-10, including representing Jamaica at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where he reached the quarterfinals. He continued box as an amateur for the next several years before turning pro.
During his 1981 to 1997 professional career, McCallum (49-5-1, 36 KOs), who became known as “The Bodysnatcher” because of his calling card brutal body attack, not only was the first Jamaican to win a world title but he won titles in three weight classes — junior middleweight, middleweight and light heavyweight — and fashioned a 13-3-1 record with eight knockouts in world title bouts.
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“It is with utter and complete sadness that I learned of the death of Jamaica’s three-time world boxing champion Michael McKenzie McCallum,” Jamaica Sports Minister Olivia Grange said in a statement. “I express my personal condolences to his mother, siblings and his children. On behalf of the Ministry of Sports I take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of this legendary Jamaican.”
As respected as McCallum was for his combination of power and skill, he was also known for being avoided by his era’s biggest stars despite his desire and credentials to fight Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler. McCallum is often mentioned as one of the most avoided greats in boxing history.
“He fought in a time (in the 1980s) when the ‘Four Kings’ were around and not one of them wanted anything to do with him,” said Top Rank’s Hall of Fame matchmaker Brad Goodman, who was friends for decades with McCallum. “He was in line to fight Roberto Duran but (trainer/manager) Emmanuel Steward at the time worked with McCallum and Hearns and pushed the fight for Hearns. This really got Mike upset because a win over Duran would’ve put him into much bigger fights. He left (Steward’s) Kronk team after that and got revenge by beating former stablemates Milton McCrory and David Braxton.”
McCallum, whose boxing heroes were Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali, was a teenager in 1973 when he attended the Joe Frazier-George Foreman heavyweight championship fight in Kingston. The event was pivotal in his pursuit of a boxing career.
“I got a lot of inspiration from that,” McCallum once said. “I remember thinking, ‘I want to fight for a championship like that.’ I remember thinking, ‘That could be me one day.’”
That day happened on Oct. 19, 1984 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. McCallum, who was 21-0, squared off with Sean Mannion in the co-feature of Hagler’s middleweight title defense against Mustafa Hamsho and won a lopsided 15-round decision to claim the vacant WBA 154-pound title that had been stripped from Duran.
McCallum defended the title six times, including by second-round knockout of Hall of Famer Julian Jackson, 10th-round knockout of McCrory, and highlight-reel fifth-round massive left-hook knockout of Hall of Famer Donald Curry.
McCallum vacated the title, moved up to middleweight and suffered his first loss, a unanimous decision challenging Sumbu Kalambay for the WBA title in March 1988.
McCallum won his next three bouts and then traveled to Herol Graham’s home country of England in May 1989 and won a split decision to claim the vacant WBA middleweight title.
McCallum made three defenses: a decision over Steve Collins, an 11th-round knockout of Michael Watson, and a split decision in a rematch with Kalambay.
The WBA eventually stripped McCallum, who challenged IBF middleweight titlist James Toney in the first of their three fights in December 1991. The bout ended in a split draw. Two fights later they met in a rematch and Toney won a majority decision to retain the title.
A move up to light heavyweight followed and McCallum challenged WBC titleholder Jeff Harding in July1994 and won a unanimous decision to claim a title in his third division.
McCallum made one successful defense via seventh-round knockout of Carl Jones and then traveled to France, where he got knocked down in the second round and lost a unanimous decision and the belt to Fabrice Tiozzo in June 1995.
McCallum would fight three more times, a win over low-level opponent Ali Saidi followed by a shutout decision loss to Roy Jones Jr. in a WBC light heavyweight title fight in November 1996 followed by his final bout, a decision loss in his third match with Toney in February 1997.
McCallum, whose trainers included Steward, the famed George Benton/Lou Duva team, Eddie Futch and Miguel Diaz, trained fighters in retirement in Las Vegas.
In 1994, Ring magazine ranked McCallum as the second greatest junior middleweight of all time behind Hearns. In 2003, McCallum was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
“I was so fortunate to be at the Curry and Julian Jackson fights as well as others,” Goodman said. “I thought he fought a masterpiece fight when he went to England and stopped Michael Watson. When people say ‘great fighters,’ McCallum’s name is right up there without any questions. Best junior middleweight in my opinion. Boxing lost and all-time great.”
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I had the honor of meeting Mike at the International Boxing Hall of Fame. I showed him a picture I had taken of him there, which he signed and asked me for a copy, which I provided. He was very gracious to fans with his time. Rest in peace Champ! And thank you for the memories.
You truly did Mike's memory and career justice. Among your finest writing IMHO. Thank you, Dan.