Mike McCallum
Mike McCallum ( born December 7, 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica ) is a former Jamaican boxer.
Amateur
In 1976, he took for Jamaica in the Olympic Games in the welterweight class, but failed in the third round of the tournament in the late bronze medalist Reinhard Skricek. In 1978 he won in the same weight class the Commonwealth Games and finished in 1979 at the Pan American Games in second place. His amateur balance was 240-10.
Professional career
1981 McCallum was professional and struck in the development phase the southpaw and former champion Ayub Kalule ( Record 40-2 ). In 1984, he won the vacant title of WBA light middleweight and defended him then to 1987 six times, including against Milton McCrory, Donald Curry and the undefeated Julian Jackson, the light middleweight and middleweight world champion later. In this struggle, Jackson caught him full, McCallum did not go to the ground and has since been praised for his chin.
After the victory over Curry he resigned the title and rose up in the middleweight division and entered 1988 against Congolese WBA middleweight world champion Sumbu Kalambay and defeated completely by surprise on points. But a year later he was exactly that, now win the vacant title against Herol Graham in England.
He defended the title against Steve Collins, Michael Watson and in a rematch Kalambay. In particular, the Boxdemonstration against Watson, who had no chance and K. went o, showed textbook excessive body boxes from McCallum. Shortly thereafter, he lost his belt on controversial way on green table. Then he called in December 1991 James Toney for the IBF title out, reached a draw, but felt cheated by the judges.
The rematch against Toney he lost, gave weight difficulties as the reason for his poor idea and got two classes on the light heavyweight division, where he defeated the Australians Jeff Harding on 23 July 1994 for the WBC world title. After only one successful defense of the title he lost the belt in June 1995 to Fabrice Tiozzo. After a defeat against Roy Jones Jr. in November 1996, he was back on a weight class and met at cruiserweight for the third time on James Toney and lost again on points. He then ended his career.
He had throughout his career to tackle the problem, good opponent in the ring. Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard and others knew how good he was and avoided him why. As Roberto Duran ran against the Kronk boxer Hearns and not against McCallum came the bitter public dispute with Emanuel Steward. The " Ring Magazine " rated him as the second best Halbmittelgewichtler all time according to Thomas Hearns.
2003 took place McCallum induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.