What are Mike McCallum's Top 5 wins?

[roxy]

Duran, but I consider the second fight with Toney as a W on his resume. That boosts him rather substantially as he was already in his mid-30s and Toney is one of the best fighters I've ever seen on film (as is McCallum himself).

01) Toney II (32-0) PTS12
02) Kalambay II (51-4) SD12
03) Curry (27-1) KO5
04) Jackson (29-0) TKO2
05) Watson (22-1) KO11


One of the most underrated resumes of the last 30+ years, really. There's further depth there as well with the likes of Collins, McCrory, Graham, Braxton, Kalule.

I thought Toney beat McCallum twice! I also wouldn't put the Kalambay win up there. He lost the first fight to Kalambay but the second fight came after Michael Nunn knocked out Kalambay and he wasn't the same fighter.

[mickey malone]

I thought Toney beat McCallum twice! I also wouldn't put the Kalambay win up there. He lost the first fight to Kalambay but the second fight came after Michael Nunn knocked out Kalambay and he wasn't the same fighter.

Yes, that's true, Nunn did a number on him, and Kalambay went a bit gun shy after that..
Memory issues, and I need to re-watch the Toney fights.. Remember one was a draw, but i'm buzzed as to whether it was debatable or not

[BattlingNelson]

Well we definitely disagree, beating Collins and Graham twice is 1000x better than beating Barkley. Collins never gets enough respect a clean win over Collins is a GREAT win.

Also I don't know if you have ever seen Kalambay vs Kalule but I thought Kalambay was robbed.

I also think his win over McCallum ranks as one of the best wins of the entire decade no one had beaten McCallum as soundly as Kalambay beat him until Roy Jones.

Kalambay robbed against Kalule? I've never watched the full fight and scored it, but I find it very hard to believe. Kalambay was at home in Italy at a time where the saying was that you'd have to knock out the home fighter to get a draw. Kalambay faced a Kalule well over the hill and lost.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

McCallum's top 5 wins are in my opinion they are

1. Kalambay
2. Watson
3. Curry
4. Jackson
5. Collins

How do they compare with Bernard Hopkins Top 5 wins

1.Winky
2.Tarver
3.Pavlik
4.Trinidad
5.Johnson

and Roberto Duran's top 5 wins

1.Leonard
2.Marcel
3.De Jesus
4.Buchannon
5.Palomino

None of those top 5's are in order and use your own top 5 that's not what this thread is for.

Duran's has the single biggest win vs SRL,,

I think hopkins and mccallum are pretty even, the only difference is that mccallum got all his wins in the same time period, and hopkins wins span over 3 decades if you use the pascal win as one of his best, I like that win better than the winky win IMO

[Sugar Adam Ali]

The Toney-Mccallum fights were great fights,,

both could have gone either way, I dont think there should be an outcry for the first one being a draw...

Those fights are top elite level boxing showcases,,, Watch those and then compare to any current fight this year, These guys are lightyears ahead of todays fighters

[Hands of Iron]

I thought Toney beat McCallum twice! I also wouldn't put the Kalambay win up there. He lost the first fight to Kalambay but the second fight came after Michael Nunn knocked out Kalambay and he wasn't the same fighter.

Being an even bigger Toney fan, I'd love for that to be true but it wasn't how I honestly saw it. I think at a push, the official results of the first two fights could be swapped. I had Toney winning the first 115-113 and if he'd been credited with the KD in the second round, he'd have won officially.

Kalambay is there because in an ability sense, he's one of the most talented defensive stylists I've ever seen. He wasn't quite the same post-Nunn, but at the same time he was taken out by a single punch in the first round, not a thorough and damage sustaining beating. He still won a few relevant fights afterwards, was still a top middleweight, McCallum was even older their second go-round and was up against a difficult assignment stylistically thanks to Sumbu's movement and Mike's own natural flat footedness.

[Hands of Iron]

The Toney-Mccallum fights were great fights,,

both could have gone either way, I dont think there should be an outcry for the first one being a draw...

Those fights are top elite level boxing showcases,,, Watch those and then compare to any current fight this year, These guys are lightyears ahead of todays fighters

I consider the first fight to be the most mutually skilled boxing match in the history of the sport (on film). It was a definitive two-way showcase. That whole era of McCallum, Toney, Nunn, Kalambay and Co. is underrated today. They were all Elite talents at the time and would be in any era, if falling short of solidifying full "ATG status".

[Sugar Adam Ali]

I consider the first fight to be the most mutually skilled boxing match in the history of the sport (on film). It was a definitive two-way showcase. That whole era of McCallum, Toney, Nunn, Kalambay and Co. is underrated today. They were all Elite talents at the time and would be in any era, if falling short of solidifying full "ATG status".

yes, totally agree,,, I always thought that fight to be one of the greatest fights ever in terms of pure boxing skill be used by both guys in a high paced fight. There isnt alot of those fights anymore, the most current one i think was the MAB-JMM fight from 07, i thought both those guys performed at a very high technical level while also providing a good pace, it wasnt on the level of toney-mccallum, but in my eyes it was to master boxers trying to figure each other out, and not let the other dictate

[Hands of Iron]

yes, totally agree,,, I always thought that fight to be one of the greatest fights ever in terms of pure boxing skill be used by both guys in a high paced fight. There isnt alot of those fights anymore, the most current one i think was the MAB-JMM fight from 07, i thought both those guys performed at a very high technical level while also providing a good pace, it wasnt on the level of toney-mccallum, but in my eyes it was to master boxers trying to figure each other out, and not let the other dictate

Yeah, Tactical Warfare at it's finest. Even through all the technical brilliance on display, they still had some almighty heated exchanges. Some of the counters Toney landed were flush zingers. The second was tactically interesting as well but with a little less to write home about. By that point, Toney's weight was really starting to become a problem and it's no coincidence it was his last fight at 160. Just look at how much more noticeably bloated and thick he was in II compared to their first only nine months prior. He didn't have the same reserves in the tank, though considering his level, McCallum's age and wear-and-tear it hardly takes away from it.