+Brian Morley I think the punches that he landed here would have troubled the fab four`s defenses, couldn`t tell if Leonard`s reflexes were as quick at light middle, Ray was quite open to counter rights over his low held lead hand after he jabbed, Mike out jabbed Hearns in a sparring match, Duran`s defense was the most proven at light middle because Moore threw so many punches and couldn`t land. Benitez was better than Moore but beat an out of sorts Duran and didn`t throw a high percentage of shots against Hearns. Left Hagler out unless he could make a catchweight fight, McCallum had losses at middle but still Hagler ducked him. I didn`t bother mentoining the Duran v Laing match.

Hagler never ducked McCallum, he was already retired when McCallum moved up to middleweight. and McCallum LOST his first fight as a middleweight to Sumbu Kalambay, and I thought he lost again to Kalambay in their rematch years later as well.

He was but his problem was occasional complacency and he was horrible in several "styles" fights.....he had a tendency to lay an egg every few years in boring points losses to guys whose styles frustrated him. He could be lackadaisical at times. I always thought he should've been more aggressive considering you couldnt ko him with a sledge hammer.

Absolutely criminally underrated

That Body Snatcher was a beast

hammer44head my coach great man

GreatBritt87 What has he taught you?

hammer44head You're 100% right. One of the reason Jamaicans believed that caused Mike M...didn't get more props & bigger fights is because McCallum always fought under the Jamaican flag not the USA. If fought for the USA he would get props & fought with bigger names.

Greg Stewart You are so correct.

HBO/Showtime ruled the world and they were in love with Hagler, Durran, Leonard and anybody who was Heavyweight champ. A good technical boxer who wasn't American didn't float their boat.To be fair they knew their market because they had the speadsheets. Hagler ducked two fighters Bomber Graham and our subject. Would have beaten both, but wouldn't have looked good doing it. So instead he fought brain dead brawlers and come-forward journeymen. Sometimes more than once!

He's a wizard

I imagine as a foreigner in the United States, judges tried to give him the raw deal many times

Not so much a raw deal, curry was winning the distance game. Had the fight gone to the cards I suspect it would've been a blowout for curry if McCallum didn't make the right adjustments

Mike........like I don't need Judges I've got a nice left hook coming 🥊

Yes it was gud he knocked him out.jamaica vs usa

@@yentamoon1808 Fights take place at various distances and McCallum was in control all the way it was just a matter of time.

Mike did not get 1 Million for the Jones fight , he got a little over 800K , the Purse was between 3 and a half Million which works out at a little over 20% . Jones has claimed he'd given the fight to Mike out of respect as he needed it to support his family and deserved a good payday . If he was a man of his word , respectful and giving , his words , he'd have split the Pot 50/50 , giving Mike about 1.7 Million . 🥊🥊

McCallum's mistake was not wanting to work with Don King because he thought King was taking too much money (% percentage cut) from his fighters. At the time, whether he's the lead promoter or not, King always have a hand in most big fights during the 80's that's why Mike never got a big money fight with Leonard, Hagler, Hearns or Duran. Those guys were making more money than the heavyweight fighters before the Tyson craze and others like Roy Jones and Oscar Dela Hoya started their promotion groups

@Chuck Goossen Yes, I realize that. My point was that they were class acts. I realize that when they crawl through those ropes it's a matter of survival, and I better get him before he gets me.

Thanks for the info brother (and sister), and fuck that wanker calling you a liar 👊

McCallum was not a middleweight champ in this fight. He was WBA super welterweight title from 1984 to 1988.

@@johndeagle4389 Junior welterweight, light middleweight, junior middleweight, take your pick buddy. They're all one-and-the-same weight class. ;-p

@@PeekaPeep Different classes buddy.

@@johndeagle4389 Check your years. Hagler wasn't champion that long. And he ducked McCallum.

@@davidcopson5800 Hagler retired in 1987. McCallum started fighting as a middleweight in 1988.

Mike rolled with that punch that’s why he wasn’t hurt

Exactly. It looked as if Curry was just a little too impressed with his own left hook, never thinking that he was setting himself for a better one from the durable McCallum.

Exactly !

Very true. I used to buy the boxing publications KO The Ring Boxing illustrated and others and one thing I noticed was McCallum was underrated by them especially KO Mag. I never understood that.

not of the 80s no.....but he did fight most of the best from the early 90s

@@lifeisblessed4802 That drives the point home. Nobody would fight him until he lost a step.

@@masonlerner9342 Very true, one of the greatest technical fighters of his time.... The Body Snatcher

Personally, I think McCallum is the greatest Jr. Middleweight of all time. He still walked away with a helluva resume: Jackson, Watson, Kalambay and Collins to name a few. Also, imo I believe McCallum edged the 2nd Toney fight, but Toney should've won the first fight which was close.

@@masonlerner9342 Hagler retired in 1987, Leonard was playing hide'n'seek with retirement since 1984 (if not earlier). Mike wasn't a top fighter at that time, I think he really peaked after the Hagler-Leonard fight. Tommy Hearns could have fought him, but we can't say Tommy ever ducked anybody.

Yeah Kalambay had a good resume of wins. I was shocked to see him get starched in one round by Nunn

And how great was Michael Nunn? He vaporized Kalaombay.

@@briancamilli8873 just goes to show how great Nunn and competitive the Middleweight's from 1988 to 1994 were: Kalambay, Nunn, Roy, BHop, McClellan, Jackson, Collins, Graham, Benn, Watson, Toney, and McCallum.

@@renzopeterson153 Yes, it was a good time for middle/super middleweights. There's was a few fights I would have liked to have seen that didn't happen but in general a good solid division. Eubanks too.

@@marksucksmybird4456One of the greatest fighters in the division’s history.

Yeah I was really surprised when Lyod Honeghan beat him.

everyone did. he was Ring Magazine's Pound for Pound # 1 for quite a while.

Curry had over 400 amateur bouts,and peaked early. Had all the skills, but was "shopworn"by 28. He also said n many occasions that he didn't love boxing either. Definitely one of my FAVORITE fighters. As for McCallum, he was soo underrated and good. I wish he would have got a chance to fight one of the fab four

He would not have beaten a prime Ray Leonard.

I agree. After their fight, Curry lost his invincibility and effectiveness, whereas, Honeyghan became an overnight sensation and a big party animal! They were both on the decline.

very true

MbdslEst1964 Starling completely destroyed Honeyghan with that 9 round beating..

And Curry beat Starling twice. It's funny how things turn out.

MbdslEst1964 Curry had problems outside of the ring that affect him against Honeyghan and 🥊 10percent physically and 90 percent mentally

The only thing was, this was 154 McCallum, Toney and Mike fought at 160. The McCallum from 1989-90 vs Toney would've been great too.

True.

They were in the back end of their careers

@@petej5232 ray is 64 Mike is 65 Tommy even younger I think

@@staffh3815 this means the four kings were coming to the end of their careers and looking for only big money fights. There is no point fighting a younger good prospect unless your getting good money for it.

@@petej5232 McCallum was a year older than leonerd and 3 years older than tommy

Curry was in his prime 26-27 years old here and obviously motivated and in top shape.

He gave Nunn a helluva time at Middleweight, which was a great feat within itself. Nunn was ducked too, especially at Middleweight in the late 80's and early 90's.

U lying

The commentary isn’t live.

Bringing his feet together was a mistake but the bigger mistake was dropping his hands simultaneously and leaving his chin COMPLETELY exposed.

@@Codzilla71 You're blind. Read the comments and show me someone who agrees with you.

@@Codzilla71 You must be crazy - or blind - or both!

I totally the second and third round Mike clearly won. Thank God the ko stopped the attempted robbery.

I left out the word agree.

Brutal body punches. Some questionably low. Curry was the one on the canvas btw.

Chris Pyfer lol I got the names mixed up

Henry Valerio after the honeyghan loss it all went down hill

Henry Valerio rumour has it, when he faced Honeyghan he was really supposed to be fighting Ray Leonard in a Superfight at 154 but Ray told him to have another defence first. Apparently he was struggling to make 147 and that was his undoing.

+Edward Ricketts I think he also underestimated Honeyghan. They gave the Brit no chance at all, even in his home country.

Dude he would have never beaten Hagler

Well that and the fact he was not a big knockout puncher despite what happened in this fight. He also came to the title a bit late in 1984 at age 28. I think what happened to James Schuler vs Hearns affected how many viewed him. Schuler another highly regarded unbeaten fighter was knocked cold by Hearns promoting this idea there was a gap between McCallum and the top fighters.

This fight explains why he was avoided by the Big 4. No way any of them were going to risk a loss for the poultry money a fight with McCallum would've pulled in. He just wasn't that big a draw. But a win over Hagler, Duran, Hearns and possibly Leonard would've put him right up there with the big money fights. It's a shame he didn't get any of those matches although he was just a few years late of catching these guys in their prime.

That is bullshit.

@@joeblow2069 I'd just like to know what part , or parts , of those comments are BS , as you say ? I made 4 comments there , all of which are true . 1 , his brilliant KO of Curry . 2 He is Universally recognised as 1 of the best 154lbs to 160lbs Boxers of the last 50 years , is in the HOF . 3 , he was ducked by many fighters even the 4 Kings , Hagler , Leonard , Duran and Hearns and many others like Benn and Eubank . 4 , he earned a pittance compared to what many others who were nowhere near as good as him . This poor guy had to travel over seas to earn a wage just to defend his Title , not fight for it . He pursued a clash with the 4 Kings and was denied at every turn , offered to fight the new WBO MW Champion , Chris Eubank in late 90 , in a Unification Bout as he was the WBA King , in the UK but Eubank refused , he'd just taken that Title from Benn who'd won and defended it ruthlessly from De Witt and Barkley , in the US . He also offered to fight Benn in 92 , just after he'd claimed the WBC SMW Title , Mike , who was still operating as a MW but would soon move up , said he would go up a weight and fight Benn in the UK but once again , he was ducked . When the WBC , introduced the 168lbs , SMW Title to its list , the first winner was Leonard in late 88 , he beat their LHW Champion , Donny LaLonde , who was paid about 1 Million Dollars , a considerably less amount of what Leonard got but this was also a considerable amount more of what Mike ever earned , he never got near that for any of his fights . 🥊🥊

@@francishegarty8087 The lie that he was ducked by the big 4. I already explained this in a post. He came to the championship too late. Did not disagree about McCallum as a great fighter. I'm tired of the lie pertaining to the big 4 because McCallum was not thought of as a top fighter until July of 1987. He did not win a title until 1984.

@@joeblow2069 Sorry , never seen that post Joeblow , get your meaning now . I'm a massive Mc Callum fan and totally get why he was avoided , being also a massive Hagler fan , I didn't mean to include him here because he didn't duck anyone imo . Unfortunately for Mike , he had some major things go against him , his Nationality , born in Jamaica , he didn't have anywhere near the pulling power of them other lads and I also concede that he just wasn't a great attraction and despite his huge talent in every aspect of Boxing and great fundamentals , he could be quite boring to watch . He was too good for his own good if you get my meaning , either ways , thanks for that 🥊🥊

@@francishegarty8087 If you look at the timing and circumstances there were not a lot of opportunities. Leonard only fought once in 5 years and then came back to fight Hagler. McCallum never really had anything that Leonard wanted. Duran lost several fights after the no mas. Benitez-Lang-Hagler-Hearns-Sims. Again what did McCallum have that Duran wanted? Duran wanted the 160 title and he wanted another fight with Leonard. Hagler's last fight was 3 months before McCallum fought Curry. There were a couple of opportunities before that but Mugabi was a bigger money fight in 86. Then there are other factors. McCallum lost his next fight after Curry to Kalambay which set him back a little. Then Kalambay gets KOed by Nunn in the first rd. Nunn vs McCallum was another fight we did not get to see.

Mike ducked no one. Error ducks Bud.

Chavez

Hagler

Not, Curry almost knocked McCallum down with a right hand, McCallum was clearly hurt by that punch.

Even though he nearly knocked Mike down he lost the round. Go look at all three minutes and l am sure you will change your mind. Mike won the second and the third round. Thank God for the ko. It saved a controversial decision.

He pulled that punch from toenails and turned curry's lights out!

blindside hook

Yeah Curry caught McCallum good but it glanced off his shoulder before connecting with his head, then Curry sat back a fraction to check what effect it had & got countered perfectly. It's so hard to call it a mistake, cos we're talking hundredths of a second in reaction time, but that's the difference at the top. Curry was a great fighter & hugely respected by every pro or trained I knew at the time.

Jonty Arnold dead right, man.

Marvin Hagler never ducked anyone. The guy fought Philly's finest in the 70s and took it to Hearns and Mugabi. Mccallum wasn't a name yet when Hagler was getting big paydays as champ.

Jonty Arnold very true saying!

@@mattsharkey8437 not true ,they fought same era ,to this day Mike says he was always chasing the fight with hagler ,check out McCallums resume he fought everyone but wasnt a big star unfortunately, should get much more recognition even fought Jones and toney

@@staffh3815 why would he duck Mccallum? It makes no sense

That's a triangle theory, and if 147 was a problem to make, then by that logic wouldn't 154 be a more comfortable fit? Curry had the power to stun iron chin McCallum, went up to 160 and buzzed Nunn a time or two in a competitive 10 round bout.

LMFAO!.......no

You don't know that!

He'd have beaten Hearns.

Curry wasn't overrated at all. He was a great welter but lost control of his weight. He lost his chin after that . I remember Lupe Pintor and Wilfredo Gomez during the same era. They were greats too but they lost their chins when they lost control of their weight .

tlig Mike wouldnt beat Hearns. Not the pre Hagler Hearns, who would outbox him. Hearns was too fast and had a great jab. Hearns was better than Curry.

ddland45 Mike M.... stated many times in Jamaica that he beat Hearns in the gym all the time. Remember they both were trained by Emanuel Steward. But Steward would never let Mike face Hearns cause he knew Mike beat in the gym all the time.

mike mccallum beats all the fighters you listed very easy.

It was commentated on after the fight cos there was no commentary i think because of a strike

True.

They didn't need him they had each other.

@@jasperfuentes453 That's not the point I was making they were all afraid to fight him for fear of losing is the point!....😉

@@Tonyconner74 Boxing is a money sport. He didn't provide enough money for them to fight him. That is not ducking someone. If these guys were into ducking they would have never fought each other and there would not be a fab 4.

@@jasperfuentes453 Not true, Sugar Ray had 40 professional fights Tommy Hearns had 67..... Marvin Hagler had 67..... Roberto Duran had 119.... They didn't build their resume's all fighting each other they fought all comers except for " The Body Body Snatcher " !! 😉

Michael Bonhomme Got any more conspiracy theories...???

Idiot!

I thought it was three fights ?

And between times he stopped the very dangerous Julian Jackson.

MISS old school boxing

+TheHumbuckerboy Because Honeyghan is a gentleman and true champion.

+George Havenhand Yeah, I was impressed with Lloyd on that occasion .Many other lesser fighter's would have been keen to have claimed to have been the new P4P king !

Honeyghan knew his boxing. In retrospect Curry was good but nothing more. Amazing to see some of the basic flaws in his technique: maybe they developed later on in his career...

But the point is that many Boxing 'experts' at the time regarded Curry as being the next SRL before Honeyghan showed Curry up.

That's right. At the time, right before the Honyghan fight, they were talking about Curry as being the best pound for pound fighter in boxing and were talking about Curry moving up in weight class to fight Hagler in a multi million dollar match. Honyghan spoiled everyone's plans! Honyghan was supposed to be a tune -up fight for Curry before he moved up in weight.

Great insight there my man, about the Bodysnatcher , your entirely correct, old school type fighter who was brilliant , exceptional really. I really feel for this Guy, who only earned a fraction of what his talents were worth and was avoided big time, by a lot of the Biggest names. I honesty think he had a few things go wrong for him like his Nationality , if he were British or American , had a more exciting style and charisma , would have helped also. You probably think I'm crazy here, but I also think he was ' Too Good' for his own good, if you get my meaning. Keep safe and well.

Because he didn't achieve that level of greatness that he could have.

Robinson at 147 probably better. But Curry at his best was up there.