Oliver McCall (interesting read)

[lyrical]

This is the extraordinary case of former heavyweight titlist Oliver McCall, who remains active at age 41. According to Jimmy Adams, who has managed or co-managed “The Atomic Bull” for 16 years, McCall has been on drugs since age 13, and hasn’t been clean for more than 50 consecutive days since.
I’d do the math for you, but the results are too frightening.
“The night before Oliver fought Bruce Seldon in Atlantic City [in 1991],” Adams said, “I went into the streets looking for him. A hooker comes up to me and says: ‘You looking for The Bull? He’s at Howard Johnson’s Motel, room number so-and-so.’ I asked her how she knew, and she said that she was due back in the room in two hours, that Oliver was rotating six different girls while smoking pot and crack.”
The next night, McCall KO’d Seldon in the ninth round.
Asked how McCall managed to repeatedly pass his post-fight urine tests, Adams said: “He’d have somebody piss for him.”
“It was the same thing for the Henry Akinwande fight,” Adams continued. “We couldn’t find him for three days, then we cleaned him up. [In 2001, McCall KO’d Akinwande in 10 rounds.] And the Francesco Damiani fight, too, same thing.” [In 1993, McCall KO’d Damiani in eight rounds.]
Adams said that two months before McCall’s infamous meltdown against Lennox Lewis, the heavyweight was in rehab for four weeks. He trained during the stay.
“One night we’re having dinner,” Adams said, “and he says to me: ‘The FBI put a metal piece in my toe.’ But there was no doubt in his mind he was gonna knock Lewis out again. When we went to Vegas, he was 50 days clean.”
Asked to explain how McCall could regularly win under such conditions, Adams said: “God bless his natural talent and ability. [Had he been clean] I think he would’ve been better than all of them. He was beating up Tyson in the gym during Tyson’s prime.
“Oliver’s an addict who’s never been able to clean himself up. In 16 years, I’ve never heard him say: ‘I just want to get high.’ He looks for reasons, with someone else to blame, like his wife or Don King. When he’s reading the Bible for an hour, he’s happy for an hour. But staying clean is a daily struggle.
“Have I put him in the ring when I shouldn’t have? Yes, plenty of times. But did I ever do so thinking he was gonna get hurt? No.”

[Derranged_]

That was an interesting read; boxers are no different from everyday folks in that they struggle with the same problems in life. Best of luck to Mccall if he stays fighting....

[Unseen]

might explain why he was crying. possibly he was too high from weird and just went crazy.

[Ramamaiden]

wow....this guy sure was a lost talent.

[paul750]

Certainly seems like a guy who could have achieved a lot more. It just shows the natural ability and talent he has though, that he could live like that and still be so successful. I honestly believe certain people, McCall included, just can't be knocked out in a boxing ring.

[catskills23]

This is the extraordinary case of former heavyweight titlist Oliver McCall, who remains active at age 41. According to Jimmy Adams, who has managed or co-managed “The Atomic Bull” for 16 years, McCall has been on drugs since age 13, and hasn’t been clean for more than 50 consecutive days since.
I’d do the math for you, but the results are too frightening.
“The night before Oliver fought Bruce Seldon in Atlantic City [in 1991],” Adams said, “I went into the streets looking for him. A hooker comes up to me and says: ‘You looking for The Bull? He’s at Howard Johnson’s Motel, room number so-and-so.’ I asked her how she knew, and she said that she was due back in the room in two hours, that Oliver was rotating six different girls while smoking pot and crack.”
The next night, McCall KO’d Seldon in the ninth round.
Asked how McCall managed to repeatedly pass his post-fight urine tests, Adams said: “He’d have somebody piss for him.”
“It was the same thing for the Henry Akinwande fight,” Adams continued. “We couldn’t find him for three days, then we cleaned him up. [In 2001, McCall KO’d Akinwande in 10 rounds.] And the Francesco Damiani fight, too, same thing.” [In 1993, McCall KO’d Damiani in eight rounds.]
Adams said that two months before McCall’s infamous meltdown against Lennox Lewis, the heavyweight was in rehab for four weeks. He trained during the stay.
“One night we’re having dinner,” Adams said, “and he says to me: ‘The FBI put a metal piece in my toe.’ But there was no doubt in his mind he was gonna knock Lewis out again. When we went to Vegas, he was 50 days clean.”
Asked to explain how McCall could regularly win under such conditions, Adams said: “God bless his natural talent and ability. [Had he been clean] I think he would’ve been better than all of them. He was beating up Tyson in the gym during Tyson’s prime.
“Oliver’s an addict who’s never been able to clean himself up. In 16 years, I’ve never heard him say: ‘I just want to get high.’ He looks for reasons, with someone else to blame, like his wife or Don King. When he’s reading the Bible for an hour, he’s happy for an hour. But staying clean is a daily struggle.
“Have I put him in the ring when I shouldn’t have? Yes, plenty of times. But did I ever do so thinking he was gonna get hurt? No.”

this article is a gross exageration of mccalls drug problem . Mccall was a sparring partner of tysons from 86 to 92 . If he took as much drugs as his manager said he would of never being tysons main sarring partner for 6 years . Mccall wasent a particuraly talented fighter . Yes he had a superhuman chin but he wasent very quick or mobile and had decent speed and good but not great power and the only time mcall beat up on tyson in sparring was before his loss against douglas and he wasent the only one . all of tysons sparring partners were beating the crap out of him . To say that if mccall was more disciplined he would of beaten prime tyson is to overrate his abilities.

[Eno]

this seems a little strange. A guy can't be in that good of shape and be blown out of his mind all the time.

[paul750]

You can be in good shape as long as you're always training though. It was like the drinking culture in British football years ago. Those guys were drinking all the time but were still able to perform. If you train you're still going to be fit, regardless of wheather you abuse drink and drugs.

[Eno]

You make a valid point but the thing with your comparison is that EVERYONE was drinking. In McCalls case, it means he would be fighting sober fighters who most likely were in teh best shape of their lives.

[catskills23]

wow....this guy sure was a lost talent.

you want to talk about lost talent . Buster Douglas, Tony Tubbs, tyrell biggs, greg page, tim witherspoon, tony tucker and michael dokes were far more talented than mccall ever was . Mccall was just a plodder who could take inhuman punishment . If the guy didnt have such a good chin . He wouldnt of even being a contender . He got beaten by a 90 year old larry holmes . His manager talks about his greatness of being able to beat bruce seldon without training while ignoring the fact that bruce seldon is without doubt the worst alphabete champion in boxing history . A gust of wind would beat bruce seldon for crying out loud.