You know what they say: if the media/boxing world doesn't make you into anything special, then you're not special. It's misperception. McCallum won three title belts in two weight divisions and defeated seven champions/former champions along the way. Think of him as like the Aaron Pryor of the Middle Weight division: a dangerous fighter, with meager earning potential. He has a point! Someone should've given him a chance for that big payday, but there's always a guy who gets left out in the cold, in each boxing generation. It's a shame, but it's a reality.
+smoothALOE at least Pryor was offered 750K to fight Leonard and Duran...I don't know what Mike's max purse was in the 80's, but I bet it was nowhere near that...I understand his resentment, but he just came along at the wrong time, unlike Pryor, who just made foolish choices[tho with Duran, he refused on the advce of an attorney ...with Leonard, he just held out for more money in 1980, like he was ray's only option, and Ray would not go past 750K...same price as 1982, but Ray retired]
i agree. stewart trained maccallum and hearns, he decided to promote, cultivate hearns and sacriface maccallum. we have to take in to account don king, he was the king maker. mike tyson called him a reptilian human being or something like that. i believe he deserved a chance and we, the public would had the pleasure of watching a great fight with any of those four he mentioned. he earned it. and more to the point, the other four champs and ex champs fought nobodys....made easy money. maybe it was not on purpose, but they ducked him.
McCallum vs Toney were the type of fights that you would show to an up and coming young boxer to show him what perfect boxing execution looks like. Man those dudes had some great boxing matches. They were BOXING wars. Not the type of Ward/Gatti wars, though they went at it. They were wars of pure boxing SKILL.
@@tttsharpe8118 his experience got him through it. And toney become much better for it. He already had a bag of tricks.Then he took shit out this man's bag. which was full too.Probably my all time favourite fight. could watch it everyday.
TRUTH... Toney would tell you till this day, how great Mike McCallum was. And that was the older version of the master technician, fighting a younger, master technician. The two was very similar.
Past his prime McCallum still gave the top guys tough fights. Young McCallum beat whoever was in front of him, including Julian Jackson. The most feared puncher during that time.
Wellll ...... he is only 1/2 correct in his assessment. There was not anywhere near the money in a Mike Mccallum as Duran / Hearns/ Leonard / Hagler. By the time MM came around to middleweight Mugabi was the fight people wanted to see. I think MM was still a junior mid at that point. He was a very formidable fighter ... but he was a little late for those guys and they had to get the big money fights in. Would you rather have two million to fight MM or 6-8 million to fight Thomas Hearns? MM was three years late and those guys had to get their bigger paydays and retire. He's right... They were not interested .. but partially because a fight with him while would gather a little attention sure ... but it wouldn't have the big cash payday (or draw) like the others by the time MM came around. He was a risk to fight but with no payday. Those others were a risk with a huge payday is the reality of it.
Not sure how he can claim this about Hagler. Hagler who only fought at middleweight retired in 1987 and Mike never fought at middleweight until 1988 when he lost to Sambu Kalambay. That one at least doesn't add up.
McCallum was a great fighter and Hagler didn't want no part of him and Hearns knew what time it was they sparred and Hearns knew he'd have real problems
Mike Mccallum one of my all time favorite boxers to watch what an extraordinary ring practitioner. The only reason that Duran , Hearns, Hagler and Leonard side stepped Mike Mccallum was because 1)Mccallum was too dangerous of an opponent who did not possess the ticket appeal of Leonard,Hagler and Hearns. Very unfortunate because on a good night Mccallum had the ability to pretty much get a victory over any one of the Fab Four. He just did not possess the fan appeal as the other guys, but he was just as great technically and in some respects better in some areas. Love watching Mike Mccallum fights up to this very day. He may not have gotten the big money fights however he goes down in my book as one of the best technicians of boxing to ever grace the professional boxing ring.
Wow. I remember getting into arguments about this. They did avoid McCallum. McCallum was calling out Duran, Leonard, Hagler. I remember him calling them out after he KO'd Donald Curry in a fantastic fight. Very unrated and unappreciated. The Bodysnatcher.
+ashyknuckles1-He beat Curry after the Hagler/Leonard fight. McCallum wasn't owed anything. He did not do enough to earn consideration and a dozen guys had similar claims to a shot. Then he gets his shot agaist Kalambay and loses.
Quite true at forty he gave a good performance against aprime Roy .l debate opinions not facts Duran and Hearns ducked him.l am an avid fan and a former referee have studied boxing for nearly fifty years .I can't say about Ray or Marvin but Tommy and Roberto definitely ducked him.
@@keithcampbell6806 i talked to Roy about that fight and he said he had to respect McCallum power and IQ. Roy is my nieces business partner and she's married to Joe Frazier Jr so I get to talk to plenty of boxers.
Not only that, he beat James Tony in the second fight...age 35 when James Tony was in his prime age 23...they robbed mccallum..I find more impressive things about this man everytime I digg..mccallum can beat them all!!!!
While I completely agree that McCallum was an upper echelon fighter, retrospect is a M-Fer, especially after 30 years or so.McCallum lingered in the Jr. Middleweight division and didn't make a move to 160lb until after beating Donald Curry(which took place a few months after the Hagler-Leonard debacle) and promptly lost to Sumbu Kalambay by unanimous decision. Perhaps Hagler did have ample time to fight McCallum in 1985-1986 timeframe(McCallum winning the WBA Jr Middleweight belt in 1984), but McCallum wasn't seen(at least in 1984-1986) as an exciting fill the area type of fighter, which John Mugabi was(based on his perfect win/ko record entering the Hagler fight). Sour grapes by McCallum? Well, knowing "what 'cudda happened" didn't happen and history took a different path can cause resentment. Will Keith Thurman be facing the same questions 30 years from now regarding why Mayweather never fought him? We can only wait and see......
He is a bit delusional if he thinks Hagler or Duran weer fearful of him or intentionally avoided him. Hagler took a more dangerous fight with the undefeated Mugabi in 1986. After that Leonard and he was done with boxing. Duran fought everyone. The fact that he was willing to fight Hagler and Hearns is evidence that Duran feared nobody. It's a business about dollars and sense.
This guy is just pissed because Mayweather avoided a lot of his toughest opponents and only fought them when they were past their prime. He's trying to insinuate that during this golden era of boxing that Hagler, Duran, Leonard and Hearns ducked this guy
McCallum is just sore that he never made the big money in prime matchups. McCallum was not even a true Middle weight when Hagler was the Champ. I assure you there was never a Hagler/McCallum fight that was in the cards. Again, Hagler ducked nobody at 160lbs.
viviandarkbloom100 Look at Roy jones, James toney and other legends in boxing giving their praise to McCallum on interviews for being a warrior...Trust me McCallum is the real deal.
He was a great boxer. One of my favorite fighters to watch and criminally underrated. But Hagler did not duck him. Mike didnt fight at Middle weight until he beat Kalambay for the WBA title in 1988, more than a year after Marvin had retired. Hagler was busy defending his Middle weight crown against the top Middleweights of his era.
McCallum moved to MW in 1988; Hagler retired in 1987; do the fucking math! McCallum waited for Hagler to retire before moving up. what a jerkoff Hagler would have prison fucked this Bitch McCallum
He is the greatest 154lb fighter in the history of the sport. HANDS DOWN. With Trinidad second. I say Trinidad because the division was loaded with fighters and he fought and beat nearly all of them and went undefeated at that weight in a dangerous 154lb era.
Who's the plank that doesn't use his real name @mowgli ur full of shit u no nothing bout boxing see ur pillow ,? Get ur head on it plank ur lover marv got shut up by the body snatcher .boogaloo watts and Monroe ain't sumbu kulumbay f......g casual only casual on here is u learn ur history u two left footed turd burger 🍔
I love Mike McCallum, and he was just amazing to watch, but Hagler would have beaten him. Probably by later round TKO . Hagler was the very best Middleweight champion of all time .
Hagler might have ducked him and I thought Hagler was invincible Now dude might have and super ego but he was dangerous, look how ripped up Juilan Jackson
@@harryheathheath5050 Marvin never ducked you, in your weight class the top boy was John the beast, Marvin dealt with him, you want a piece of Marvin you deal with the beast as well then come check for me and we can fight, but you didnt
Marvin never ducked you, in your weight class the top boy was John the beast, Marvin dealt with him, you want a piece of Marvin you deal with the beast as well then come check for me and we can fight, but you didnt
@@jasonwhite4489 Mugabi's record was more impressive than his skills as his fights after Hagler prove, the body snatcher would have ate him alive he was too basic in his style to trouble Maccallum.
Hagler never ducked anyone neither have Duran. Mccallum moved up to middleweight in 88 and hagler fought Leonard in 87. He couldn't get his rematch with Leonard so he retired a year later. Duran jumped in the ring with Hearns and was crushed but he still showed Hart and got in the ring. People have to understand that boxing is also a business and nobody is gonna just fight any ole fighter just to be fighting. If you mention Mccallum name in a boxing conversation at a barbershop people are gonna be like who the hell is that...
Haggler didn't duck anyone but Leonard he ducked Haggler to begin with lmao. Leonard had only 36 fights wins and 3 losses while Haggler had like 67 wins and only 3 losses. Haggler was a beast. Leonard was ducking like a mf. But hes a smart man.
McCallum lost to Sumbu Kalambay by unanimous decision in his debut move to middleweight, so no need for any of the fab4 to duck him lol, yes he is a good technician, but not as great as he made himself up to be.
Sad thing than my man Gerald McClellan came into the light later when these guys were past their prime. Think about how good was the G - man when even Roy Jones jr. ducked him... Gerald already beat Roy in the amateurs !
They did not fight him bcause thre was more mony to be made fighting others. I sriously doubt Marvin Hagler thought, "McCallum is a better Kronk fighter than Tommy Hearns, so I will fight Hearns." Hearns would dominate McCallum. Hearns had destroyed Duran with a 2nd round KO. And Hagler thought, ""McCallum is more dangerous than Hearns." LOL!!
@@rparker8761 No sir. Not according to sources like KD King who was one of longstanding fighters of The Kronk gym. McCallum used to beat up Hearns in sparring regularly. Hearns had a very important fight in which he got into the fight with a blue eye and bruised nose and the commentators mentioned it. That was courtesy of Mike McCallum. McCallum was somewhat of an outsider at The Kronk gym and he lost many opportunities for being there. Aaron Pryor, who was trained by Emanuel Steward, also had serious problems with the guys at The Kronk who saw him as an outsider too. Precisely why The Hawk never wore The Kronk's signature gold, blue and red colors. Former IBF Super Bantam weight Champion, Welcome Ncita, who trained at The Kronk for some time mentioned something along similar lines that McCallum and Pryor had mentioned.
@@bh1422 I am absolute correct and you are full of shit. I saw McCallum in person ringside when he beat Sean Mannion in aa 15 round snorefest. Hagler was on the same card and demolish Hamsho in 3 rounds. McCallum beat exactly nobody---ok, he exposed Donald Curry. Believe me, nobody was impressed with McCallum. You can see Hearns and McCallum sparring on the internet. Hearns is control. You are babbling on about Kronk, when the issue is whether Hagler, Duran Hearns Leonard ducked him. Lol, absurd. McCallum is a good fighter, and he had a better chin than Hearns. To say Hagler, Duran and Hearns ducked McCallum is complete bullshit. Unlike somebody such as Mugabi or Schuler, who were powerful fighters that people did think had a chance against, Hagler, Hearns, McCallum was a boring fighter, not a hard puncher and nothing special.
@@rparker8761 unfortunately, I think you absolutely full of shit! You can't deduce much from one sparring session. Hearns was far from in control of that session any more than McCallum was. I too think Hagler would have beaten McCallum, and Emanuel Steward has mentioned it on numerous occasions that Roberto Duran chose to relinquish his WBA 154 title and challenge Hearns instead of McCallum. He did so because it was a far more lucrative than risking fighting McCallum for far less. I mentioned this somewhere else on this feed. It is nothing but uou opinion that McCallum was a boring fighter. That's it. Emanuel Steward has mentioned he thought McCallum was one of the best fighters he's ever trained because he did so much so well and with ease. I'm almost certain I'd take Steward's firsthand experience over your opinion any day of the week.
@@rparker8761 Emanuel Steward: "It makes me feel extremely good because in Mike McCallum's case in particular here's a fighter that never got any recognition at all. He was always going from one person to another (trainers, managers, promoters)-didn't stay long with anyone-and to now see him get this recognition means a lot to him-maybe more so than anyone who's being inducted this year. He was a great champion-many people only remember him knocking out Donald Curry. I don't remember ever seeing him on the cover of a major boxing magazine. Ever. That's very unusual. He fought so many guys in their hometowns or even their home countries. He never had a home base like say Tommy Hearns did with Detroit. He just fought anybody, anywhere, under whatever conditions and prevailed all the way 'till he was really never beaten. His age really only caught up with him. But to see him enshrined means a great deal to him because he never got the recognition or the super fight with Leonard, Duran, Hagler-none of those guys-which I think he'd have been 50-50 to beat any of them!" DI: "Boxing insiders always loved Mike "The Body Snatcher" McCallum, but many fight fans don't know much about him. Do you have any interesting stories involving Mike?" ES: "I signed Mike and moved him into the number-one spot, and we were supposed to fight Roberto Duran. Then Duran's people told me (they weren't) going to fight Mike McCallum. I said, 'What do you mean, we have a contract, he's the number-one contender!' Duran just had a good fight with Hagler and lost a close decision, and they wanted to make a rematch. With McCallum, they would only make $500,000, but with a rematch with Hagler, they would make $5 million. So, I made a deal that Duran would fight Tommy Hearns, but Duran would have to give up his WBA title. I allowed Duran to fight Tommy and make more money than Tommy, but the bout would only be for Tommy's title. I made him give up the belt so Mike could fight for that vacant title. So, Mike was gonna fight Sean Mannion for the title on the under card of Duran/Hearns. I was using Tommy to get him his title shot because they were not gonna let him have it. It was advertised as being a double-header with Hearns/Duran for the WBC title and McCallum/Mannion for the WBA title, and I told him that under these conditions if Duran won, he would have to give McCallum a shot. Anyway, we all agreed. Mike was getting $250,000 and keeping all of it-as his manager I wasn't taking anything-and then suddenly he gets a phone call from Shelly Finkel telling him that I was screwing him and so on. I explained to him that I thought I was doing the safest thing for him that would guarantee him a title shot. We had an argument, and he ends up pulling out of the card. That's why when you saw the Hearns/Duran fight it was only for Tommy's title even though they were both champions. It should have been a title unification, but that's what we sacrificed to get Mike his shot. He didn't want to fight on the card, so later on the fight takes place, and he ends up fighting for about $30,000. He won the title, but shortly after that we severed our relationship because I got to realize that he always talked to everyone. He was always looking for advice, and when you do that you stay confused. People don't know that even though Tommy was the star at the Kronk, Mike was the one I was the closest with-he was my close buddy. I mean almost every night I went out to eat, wherever I went, Mike was with me. We got to be that close-not Tommy-Mike and I were much closer. I've watched his career as it went on, and I was right there in the front row when he knocked out Donald Curry with a beautiful, picture-perfect left hook. The main thing that I remember about Mike is he's the most naturally gifted fighter that ever walked into my gym. He did everything effortlessly. I mean he was just so smooth, so automatic. You would show him a little trick, and . well here's a good example. One day he was boxing with Tommy, and I said to him, 'I'm gonna show you a little trick. Tommy jabs with his left hand down, so I want you to parry it and step over real smooth, and shoot a little one, two and hit him on the chin.' He hit him three consecutive times, and finally Tommy stopped and said, 'How come I can't stop him from hitting me?' And everyone laughed! He did it so smooth-and I've shown that to a lot of fighters-but no one was ever able to do it, and he could hit anybody to the body! The workouts between Mike and Tommy were just unbelievable. They were better than most fights. They were just phenomenal!
There is no logic to the fact Hagler ducked McCallum. Mike won his title in 1984 in October. At the time Hagler was singing to fight Hearns, who had won his first title the same year Hagler won his in 1980. Then Hagler (after Hearns)took a year off, after a sparring injury. He fought Mugabi in March of 1986,, and then was going to fight Hearns in a rematch, but Ray came out and said he wanted to fight Marvin. Then Ray and Marvin signed to fight in April of 1987 and Ray won and Hagler retired. How did Hagler duck Mike? The numbers do not match what Mike says.
Andrew Barto-And McCallum didn't even try to move up until Hagler retired. If anything Mccallum was ducking him. He could have done what Mugabi did, move up and become the No. 1 contender. Instead he never went for it and whines about others not seeking him out despite having no rational reason to do so.
He was never Marvin's mandatory. But yeah he was mandatory for Duran and Hearns and they ducked him. Too much risk for not enough money. Like GGG today.
Duran never ducked no one, he fought Marvin Hagler who had SEVEN defences of his title all by KO, Duran was the 8th contender of marvin´s middleweight crown.
@@Rundm3p what do you don’t understand by “Too much risk for not enough money” of course he was willing to fight Hagler he was a much bigger draw 🤦🏾♂️.
@@Rundm3p yeah but again you seem to not get my point. Do you rather face a living legend like Marvin with a big purse and most likely end up losing or face a skilled fighter like Mike with less exposure and a big possibility of loosing ? I don’t blame Duran he made the smart choice. Sadly for McCallum
Sorry but this is a joke,to say those 4 ducked Mike McCallum is absurd.He came too late on the scene and was operating at a lighter weight class.Mike was a good entertaining fighter involved in some great fights,but this video just stinks of bitterness.He simply wasn't on their radar because they were several weight classes above and there was bigger fights out there.A fact he needs to acknowledge and quit with this idiotic rant !
+ONENIGGER2ANOTHER of course, and all those guys moved around in weight anyway...but in 1985, McCallum was fighting an 0-3 fighter...he just wasn't on their level yet. Too young for the fab 4, too old for Toney and Jones....life is cruel
PorkFrog Hearns was active through the 1990's. Leonard was active till 1991. Both are the same age as Mccallum. In 1987 he had just beaten Mccrory and Curry back to back and was 33-0. The fight could have been made and should have been made. No more fucking excuses
PorkFrog That has to be the fucking stupidest comment I have heard on a fight video thread. The fact you said it shows you really have zero grasp of this issue and shouldn't even open your mouth for further looking like an idiot. "Age is NOT just a number" in boxing or any other athletic endeavor. Human beings suffer from degradation of function and ability through both passage of time, and damage to muscles, nerves, fibers. Athletes have a Prime in which they are performing at optimum levels. Once they are past that prime they begin to degrade by slight and often significant degree. They can no longer execute nor do they have the motor and nerve functions: NO more than a Lion remains dominant in a pride but a season till a younger, stronger and faster challenges his position. Fighters get old and that Prime can end in a single round.. sometimes it just happens. It's a combination of both physical and psychological factors. After it happens you can still perform at a certain level but something is missing forever. Chavez prime ended between rounds in his first Randall fight and I told a whole room full of people in the moment it happened. In his case it was in his eyes..a subtle sign that the fire was gone. He was NEVER the same after that fight and ended his career being beaten dominantly by nobodies. sadly he wasn't the first GREAT FIGHTER that went out on his shield like that and he won't be the last. As sad as it is ;That's what REAL FIGHTERS tend to do. The posers like Floyd Jr. will never be in that number.
McCallum really thinks hagler shoulda fought McCallum over Hearns? McCallum over Mugabi, when Mugabi could not only make it rain, like you kids say, but was the #1 contender for all three sanctioning bodies? Hagler is fighting Hearns, and Mike is fighting Martinez, a winless fighter. and Mike never fought at middle and was not ranked, while The Beast was crushing middles and was the #1 But Hag should fight Mike not media sensation The Beast because Mike asked him too man, fight fans are nutty
McCallum need to stop pushing that false narrative that Hagler ducked him while he was the middleweight champion. McCallum didn't move up to the middleweight division until 1988 and lost his first fight (at middleweight) to the legendary Sumbu Kalambay by unanimous decision. Hagler retired in 1987.
When Mike moved up to middleweight he lost to Samu Kalambay at his first try at the title and in his second try he was lucky to escape from London with the belt ( WBA ) in a split decision win against Herol Graham , a fight that really was a draw. I like McCallum but he was not a big name when Hagler was champ , and to be honest , if he could not beat Kallambay , he would not have beaten Hagler
True talk, but McCallum was an exceptionally dangerous opponent back then. All fighters/managers have an agenda at any given time. But, he's being a bit late considering his ascension into middleweight and presenting issues with Hagler.
Powerule I dont disput McCallum's greatness , he is a fighter I used to love watching , a genius in the ring. But it's all about timing. He did not look great at middleweight until after a couple of years and several fights at that weight and Hagler had already retired by then. I think at his best he would give Hagler a great fight , but at the time when Hagler was champ and there was a chance of that fight happening I don't think it would have been good for McMallum.
I really want to see GGG against someone good. Would have loved to see him against Ward. I doubt he would have beaten an on form Hagler or McCallum. He looks a bit slow to me and to easy to hit.
This is complete bullshit. Hagler retired in 1987 & McCallum first fought at middleweight & lost to Sumbu Kalambay in 1988. He was a nobody then compared to Hagler. Why should Hagler have fought him? If he could not even beat Kalambay, how would he have done against Hagler. Ray Leonard would have made McCallum look stupid at any weight.
Not to take away from Mike McCallum, because I think he is one of the best Junior Middleweights ever, but what he says in this video is complete bunkum. His record at Middleweight is not all that great anyway.
From what i remember McCallum came in just after these men's primes and McCallum was not a marquee name. Besides, I find it very hard to believe that Hagler would duck anyone! That man would've fought Holmes if the price had been right and Duran fighting Hearns instead of McCallum was a no brainer: more money in a Hearns fight! Looks to me like McCallum was just bitter because he didn't get to dip his hands into the millions being made by the others.
@@bigp5065 no he was the mandatory for Duran . Duran went to 160 together battered by hayler. Then came back to fight hearns. Instead of his mandatory. McCallum own manager was Emmanuel Stewart who was also hearns manager. When contacted about the mandatory he turned it down for McCallum. And garunteed Duran a fight with his other fighter , hearns. The fight was for Hearns WBC title . McCallum left Stewart after that betrayal and never spoke to him again
Every guy that didn't fight the fab four claim they "ducked" them. They always have convenient excuses based off of cherry-picked bits of information to build a House Of Cards argument that can easily be knocked down with facts. Fighters don't have control over who they fight. The money-machine _behind them_ dictates who they fight. Boxing is no different than pro-wrestling. In wrestling, the people the draw the most money at live-events and sell the most merchandise are the ones you see on TV all the time. The powers that be pick and choose who they want to push(exploit) and the rest fall to the wayside. Rankings don't matter. Never have, never will. No one "ducks" anyone. Fighters fight the fights they are *TOLD* to fight. The only value of this video is the hot chick at the beginning.
McCallum wasn't on Hagler's radar then. He came in late. Mike was a muthafuckin great champ. Vicious. But I can see how McCallum was not on Marvin's radar.
It's usually about money...Hagler had a hard time coing up getting decent fights, precisely because he was a high risk/low reward guy. Sounds like the same deal with McCallum
+Joe Johnson Hagler would beat him down, no come forward punchers gonna trouble hagler, he can take it and his thorough conditioning allows him to dictate a ferocious pace that not many guys can keep up with proven in the hearns and minter stoppages... way to beat hagler is to utilise movement, frustrate him, use your legs a lot... Mike cant fight that way, he would come straight at hagler and u cannot beat hagler fighting that way
Duran gave up the title for a bigger fight which was Hearns another of the top fighters with Duran. This stuff about Duran ducking him is not valid. Hearns, Duran, Hagler and Leonard and Benitez had each other to fight. They didn't need more challengers.
He's an ATG and one of my favourite fighters, but i don't believe the big 4 were afraid of him, it was more like a high risk-low reward situation. You can't tell me Duran was afraid of him when he stepped in the ring with a guy with skills and huge power like Hearns. If you're going to take a high risk fight, isn't it better if the reward is high too? He was not a big name at the time unfortunatelly, he was more well known after the mid-late 80's. Anyway he still became a legend, a real throwback fighter. James Toney said that he taught him boxing...
@@tman2741 my friend that is not correct Hearns had the title he won from Wilfred Benitez Duran was the challenger . Duran gave up 5 1/2 inches in height and a laughable 11 inches in reach. Styles make fight Hearns later got washed up by Barkley twice and Duran beat Barkley in a split decision also Hearns got laid out by Hagler Duran fought a tough 15 round fight against Hagler. All great champions. Hearns was a tough match up.
@@ishcaby1231 Duran and hearns fought for the wbc title. Duran had won the wba from Davey Moore b4 moving up to fight Hagler. I think McCallum is saying Duran ducked him to fight hagler instead.
@@tman2741 I just look it up on you tube video of the fight. At the start of the fight it clearly states Hearns had the title he got from Benitez. Duran fought Moore 6/16/83 Hagler 11/10/83 and Hearns in 84.
Mcallum was one of those dangerous fighters that couldn't draw flies, but was a good tough fighter that could beat any of those guys on good night. He was big, skilled, strong, and hit hard. There wasn't a whole lot of upside to fighting him, Aaron Pryor had the same problem.
I doubt this incident happened. Mccallum moved up to middleweight in late 1987 and lost all 15 rounds to kalambay...marvin was retired by than...in the 70s and early 80s mmcallum wasnt even a middleweight or contender...while hagler was cleaning out the division...1983-early 87 hagler fights duran,hearns,hagler and mugabi the toughest guys out there but he avoided a light middleweight mccallum struggling with welters mcrory & curry?! Get the ferk putta here....by the time he beat curry ,marvin was retired forever.....absolute nonsense from mccallum...mccallum was a very good champion after duran,ray,marvin and hagler had moved on...but the fact is he blew it losing to kalambay if he'd won that fight there was that small window 88-89 when ray,duran or hearns may have considered him. Mccallum is a very good fighter but this bitterness is bs. He got superfights v toney, roy jones, and curry...accept your lot 3 time world champion
Marvin Hagler never ducked anyone! The only way he lost the title was to have it stolen from him. Leonard ran, clinched, threw flurries at the end of a round to steal it. Hagler was so disgusted he never came back.
Leonard and Hearns grew in to the middel weight divisons. Even fought at Light heavyweight both of them.. Hagler beat Mugabi at his Mugabis best.Mugabi was a great fighter at his best. Hagle never ducked anyone...He fought them all..
Duran never ducked anybody, he actually wanted to fight Aaron Pryor because he liked his style. But the boxing promoters and corrupt boxing game could not negotiate that. Duran was not afraid of anybody, including Mike McCallum!
LOL...Hagler, who never moved from middle, ducked a guy that never fought at middle until he was retired. The one time McCallum tried 160 while Hagler was around was against an 0-3 fighter - that's right, a guy without a pro win. Meanwile, 10 short months later, Hagler meets Mugabi, who was actually kicking people's asses at middleweight and was the #1 middleweight contender according to all 3 sanctioning bodies...but Mccallum fans and/or people that hate Hagler will tell you he shoulda fought Mike instead of The Beast it's just a bunch of nonsense
I cant even read past the first sentence. To hate on a man that was obviously a master of his craft and you not even able to last 1 round with the man. Too silly.
blackelk7373 you don't understand what I wrote at all...lemme rephrase that first sentence for you: to accuse Hagler, a middle who never moved from middle for ANYBODY, of dodging a man who never fought at middle until Hagler was retired is a laugh the rest of the post is pretty good. give it a read
lol I just went and read your comment my bad. I was completely wrong. Hey off the subject but is mr t still alive? I remember didn't he have cancer a couple years ago? Did he beat it?
nice introduction by very hot chick McCallum was ducked. He was too high risk, low reward for Duran, haggler, leonard and hearns. I'm certain he would have beaten Duran at 154 and the other fights would have been competitive.
I was in the audience when Mike McCallum fought Milton McCrory in 1987.It was like watching a master craftsman at work.He demolished McCrory in ten rounds.I was sitting where the fighters made their entry and exit and when McCrory was leaving he looked like he'd fought three or four guys instead of just one.He had to be helped out of the arena by his handlers.When McCallum came by he looked fresh as a daisy and was waving to the crowd with a big smile on his face.I don't think Hagler,Leonard or Duran consciously ducked McCallum and Mike was never going to get a fight with Tommy Hearns because of his dispute with Emmanuel Steward and the Kronk gym.McCrory was with Kronk when he fought McCallum so Mike got a bit of revenge.
Maybe so,but I really don't think that they were SCARED of him-I seriously doubt it! Especially Hagler,that guy was one Superman who proved his courage more than anyone in boxing! Or almost anyone.
He beat James Tony at age 35, when James Tony was 23 in his prime, but they robbed mccallum...this was after James Tony knocked out micheal nunn...truth always come to light..this man was the greatest!!!!
Fighter have always avoided fights this is nothing new ! I bet money if you could back to srr time you'd find plenty of top contenders history has forgotten that he did not fight
Fakeboxingfan..MacCallum is talking shit, he was like a Thurman type of fighter, young with nothing to offer...The top fighters fight each other back in the day and of course some fights never happen but overall they did fight prime vs prime, top 10 P4P vs P4P...Stop defending your idol, anybody knows that Floyd is the one fucking the sport or avoiding the fights, we want...All he need to say is yes is that simple...6 years and counting...NEVER BEFORE...
Hagler ducked NO ONE. Being middleweight champion meant more to him than anything but he also respected the sport and paying your dues. Instead of taking the big money fight against Hearns in 1984, Hagler said he had to first give Mustafa Hamsho his due as #1 contender for the middleweight title. He took care of Hamsho first then fought Hearns in 1985. Hagler was willing to go through everyone to keep the division unified. Where was McCallum during Hagler's reign of terror? No where to be found. Mike is cool but he's talking rubbish here.
Hagler didn't duck. there wouldn't have been any money in fighting mccallum. Hagler wanted money and respect more than anything. why would he have fought mccallum with all due respect. he wasn't a big name or a big paycheck
troy Graham He only fought two more times after Hearns. He fought John Mugabi, who was a talented and hard hitting up and comer, and then he fought Sugar Ray Leonard to the one of the most contested decisions in boxing history. If you know anything about The Four Kings or Boxing in the 80s, you would know Mike McCallum wasn't the same man back then -- in 1987 (the year Hagler retired) McCallum was still fighting as a Super Welterweight. They weren't even in the same weight class, on top of Hagler being *well* out of his prime when Mike would have been ready to step up to the plate. The most notable things Mike McCallum did in his career was KO Julian Jackson twice (which is a really good win, but Julian was no Hagler), managing to lose twice to James Toney, and getting beaten to pieces the Roy Jones, Jr. He's just bitching because he wants more attention to match his ego. Gtfo
@@samjohnsonkb Did you even watch the James Toney trilogy fights? He only lost on paper. Those fights were Canelo GGG equal. All 3 fights were super razor close. Toney was showboating and won. This guy didn't showboat.
@@gabe6281 Canelo - GGG was close, but not all that close. Pretty much everyone knows and agrees that GGG won. Past that, I did watch the fights and his performances were good, but A) he hasn't tested himself with competition of that level enough for me to firmly believe that he was at the level of the Four Kings and B) a loss is a loss. And when he finally got compete against a hi caliber fighter like James Toney, he lost. Twice.
That was a good interview and a funny one. Mike asked Manny to give him Tommy but Manny gave him a picture of Tommy and told him to go on his way lol. Every one of the fabolous four wanted nothing to do with McCallum.
Mike would have beat Tommy...Ko'd Tommy (my fav fighter). Lost to Hagler. The Leonard and Duran fights would have been a close...but I give a slight edge to Roberto and Ray. The best of the fights would have been Duran vs. The Body Snatcher.
I think Mike was too strong for Duran at 154. yes, I know he beat Barkley at 160, but Mike was much much better than Barkley. SRL would've ran and probably won on points.
ROTFLMFAO, you don't shit about boxing. McCallum is talking like all the punks talk. You have to earn a shot. McCallum didn't "expose" anything. Boxers with five fights would call out Hagler. He'd just laugh. Hey Mikey, you don't get a title shot by beating guys such as Freddie Creech or Charles Smith or Danny Chapman. While you were "fighting" these bums, Hagler was fighting the best in the world. Then when you got Kalambay or Jones, or Toney, you got your ass kicked. You never deserved Hagler or Hearns or Duran or Leonard. Second rate fighter. Still no class in retirement. Hagler could still kick your ass with one hand.
Interesting vid. So the following is an excerpt from a 1997 article in the Hartford Courant. McCallum dispatched tough customers such as Sean Mannion, Julian Jackson and Donald Curry. He lost only once in his first 45 fights -- a decision to Sumbu Kalambay, which he avenged. Still, there are times McCallum wonders what might have been. "It was always, 'Mike who?' " McCallum said. "Especially Leonard. I respect [Marvin] Hagler because he was a man who fought the best guys. He was a great champion." I didn't make any changes I simply did a copy and paste job. So, now either this media outlet deliberately misquoted Mike McCallum, or he changed his opinion of Hagler over the years for whatever reason. I am fan of Mike McCallum and I am fan of Marvin Hagler. Not sure what's going on here because it's an obvious reversal from an opinion he expressed 17 years earlier. I don't often comment on youtube vids but saying Marvin Hagler ducked someone is a serious accusation. The other three (well the Duran "Manos De Piedra" was hard to accept but that appears true) are more likely. But not Hagler.
McCallum is full of shit. First of all Hagler never ducked ANYONE. Second of all McCallum didn't even move up to Hagler's weight class until after Hagler's last fight. Third Duran didn't duck either. I don't even believe the conversations McCallum claims he had with those fighters.
What's a McCallum? Sounds like he thinks Hagler was responsible for feeding his wife and kids. If he couldn't make enough in the ring then go get a degree in something else or start flipping burgers until you get something better like the rest of us.
Marvin Hagler retired in 1987 & Mike McCallum first fought at middleweight & LOST to Sumbu Kalambay in 1988. He was a nobody then compared to Hagler, so why should Hagler have fought him? If he could not even beat Kalambay, how would he have done against Hagler. McCallum was probably the greatest jr. middleweight ever, but his record at middleweight was nothing great compared to Hagler.
david lane He did when he came back and Bobby Joe Young whacked him pretty bad . Leonard MIGHT have ducked Pryor. But, no way Hearns and Hagler avoided the Hawk. HE was too small for them.
bruce lee Problem is , when you offer someone a lot less money that you know they will turn down, it's a form of ducking. No way Pryor was worth less than $3M then . The word was Pryor got the best of Leonard in their sparring sessions . And when Pryor crashed Leonard's presscon, YOU COULD TELL, Leonard did not really want to fight him . Leonard fought Finch and Bonds . Both bums . Styles make fights . Pryor's swarming offense might have been Leonard's kryptonite . Leonard was actually planning on fighting ARGUELLO had Alexis beat Aaron. It was in his Playboy interview.
Hagler,Hearns,Leonard,Duran, Benitez had each other and they didn't need Mike, and by the time Mike came into the big time after Curry. All the fab 4 or Fab 5 if you include Benitez were sort of getting older by that time in 1987. So he missed their generation and they were older.He was their age, but he came up later than them. Why isn't fighting Toney and Jones and Curry enough for him? And anyway, Hagler retired a year before Mike fought at middleweight. I love Mike, but he should have been accurate on the timeline of Marvin's retirement.
Before people start making assumptions research some of the things Mike says. Only way Duran a WW could have ducked McCullum a JMW at the time would have been if McCullum was calling out a smaller fighhter one division lower, something like GGG calling out Floyd today. After Duran moved up and Actually won the SMW title from Davie Moore, he vacated and to move up to MW & fight Marvin Hagler "5 Months later" who was regarded as fighter of the decade & perhaps the best Middleweight of all time, how the HELL is moving up 2 weight classes to fight a regarded killer like HAGLER a duck move by Duran? LMAO. So if Floyd doesnt fight Andrade & fights GGG or Ward, 20 yrs later Andrade can claim Floyd ducked him? Yea Ok!
You don't know what you are talking about. Davey Moore was a 154lb Titleist. Duran fought him and beat him for that title Mike McCallum was the number one contender for that WBA title and Hearns' WBC title. Duran was supposed to defend against Mike McCallum and he vacated the title to fight Hearns. And as we all know Hearns knocked him out in one round. So what are you talking about? You do some research.
MrNattyturna1 So Duran vacates his WBA 154 title but in the process decides to go up in weight & challenge the 160Lb King Pin Marvin Hagler 1ST? To then go back & challenge Hearns for his 154LB title? Yea that makes alot of sense.
Taking two losses in a row and still hasn't fought McCallum. He was having Jamaican nightmares after his fight with Kirkland Lang. Btw, as good as Duran was, he was a undisciplined fat ass in between fights. That's why you saw him competing way outside his weight class. He only had 2 major fights at welterweight where there was many to be had. And he did not fight Pryor @140, because he was to lazy to fight in our around his own weight class.
MrNattyturna1 Duran never "Vacated" his WBA JMW title he was stripped by the WBA for fighting Hearns fight, Vacating a title means voluntary "of free will", being forced to vacate or stripped is an entirely diffrent matter.
SanctusDeus Cruor he vacated. He was supposed to defend against Mike McCallum after the Davy Moore fight, but he got a pass and was allowed to challenge Hagler. After losing, instead of fulfilling his obligations he basically told the WBA that he did not want their title by scoffing at the McCallum mandatory and fighting Thomas Hearns.
Mike McCallum was not a solid draw, and at day's end, it's all about money. These great fighters did not need a challenge from Mike "The Body Snatcher" McCallum. There was nothing in this fight for Duran, Leonard, Hagler or Hearns. So, what did Mike accomplish on his own? Mike lost his big fights against Tony and Jones. Most fans do not remember Mike "The Body Snatcher" McCallum, and such is life.
Hagler wuda skinned you Mike,.. With respect.. Wen u got ur chance at middleweight, kalambay boxed ur ears off, (I know u avenged that loss) I fell asleep wen u fought Herol Graham.. Doubt you wernt making as much noise wen Marvin was champ.. 👍
Leonard, who was the fighter of the decade and was considered to be the best of this "golden era of boxing", has openly ducked Aaron Pryor without any kind of negotiations, he avoided Marvin Hagler for 5 damn years before any negotiations took place, Duran relinquished the title to avoid this man in the video, and the list goes on and on. But when NEGOTIATIONS between Mayweather and Pacquiao fall through, everybody blames one side for it, which is always Mayweather's side, without knowing anything about the actual negotiations, I mean when a fighter requests a drug test and the other fighters says no, this is a step back from making the fight. People hate Floyd because he's a villain that's why they don't tolerate anything he does but all them fighters from the 80s where crowd favorites and people supported them no matter what they did, same with Pacquiao.
but fight Hearns twice, Duran 3 times and Hagler.... and MacCallum is talking shit, He came a little to late...First tittle came in 1984 is all you need to know.... Floyd?..Well keep believing his non-sense...All he need to say is yes, comprende but we all know that he want no risk, so of course he is going to wait and wait for what he said is the right moment to make the fight...Prime vs Prime?.Hell no...
Floyd is getting older too, in case you don't know, Floyd is older than Pacquiao. Leonard fought Duran twice cuz he lost the first time, he knew Duran would balloon in weight after fights so he took advantage of this by making the rematch 4 months after the first time, Leonard himself admitted that this is one of the main reasons why he won the rematch, now if Floyd Mayweather did anything like this let alone admit it, the critics and the biased fans would be in his ass, but when Leonard did it people were like oh Leonard is so smart. Leonard was an addict and he needed the money during his fake retirement, that's why he came back and fought Hagler. Leonard faced good opposition, but he wasn't that warrior that would face anybody anytime like people think, he ducked some opponents in their prime, same as almost all fighters of modern Era.
HAHAHA..I know what Leonard did but look who he fought before and after... Floyd have 0 legacy fight and the only fight we ask him to do is overdue by 6 long years...My point here is that SRL. was involve in mega fights more than once vs prime, P4P fighters..Hearns vs Leonard 1 = Classic...
carlos torres It's not Floyd's fault that he came to boxing at a time where the sport wasn't as popular as it was in the 80s, his record is 24-0 in championship fights, Leonard was 10-2-1, Duran was 12-7, Hearns was 15-4-1 and Hagler was 15-1-1. Yea Hearns vs Leonard was a great matchup, but so was Mayweather vs Corrales, the one fight that Floyd can't top is Leonard vs Duran, this was a great matchup between 2 prime elite fighters, but again it's not Floyd's fault that there were no Durans in his era,
This is an EXCELLENT video!!!All the talk from Leonard, haggler, Hearns and Duran about younger generations of fighters is now null and void.How embarrassing.Mike "The Body Snatcher" McCallum gives us all the dirt behind the scenes and shows that just because those four men had each other to fight didn't make them some untouchable legends. They wouldn't even take care of business in their own era but have the nerve to criticize younger guys who broke everyone of their records. What it boils down to is that they just don't like being overshadowed and phased off of the pedestal. Funny thing is I was just arguing with some moron who claimed that these men never turned down fights or avoided anyone. Then a man like McCallum shows up and tells the WHOLE truth as opposed to the flattering account of history they'd like everyone to believe.Great interview. I really enjoyed it.
Nah man you need to go back and check the history books,McCallum came too late,when he was fighting at welter,they had all moved up divisions,Tommy was at Super middle when McCallum fought Don Curry,so this is just nonsense.
John Haigh So you'd know better than him despite him being there? The books reflect dates. He's telling you that he was in the same gym, beating Hearns up and asking for fights from these guys who wouldn't commit. That's called INSIGHT, not an erudite account of statistics. So either you're calling him a liar or you're defending a hero of yours. Things like that happen all the time in boxing. Sugar Ray Robinson did the same exact thing to Charley Burley. Its not uncommon. Many revered men were put on pedestals, but they stayed their by avoiding certain men.
not about 'knowing better than him', it's about bias. Could it be that Mike is a tad biased about his own life and career? Hagler's heart was already out of the fight game way before he fought Leonard...Leonard more or less coaxed him out of unofficial retirement. The Mugabi fight was 1986, leonard 1987 and McCallum's move up to middle was 1988. Marvin never moved off middle for ANYBODY...he never avoided anyone at middle either. No offense, but you don't know what you're talking about. This interview is nonsense
Joe Johnson McCallum isn't making suppositions. He's actually retelling conversations that he's had with those men. It would be different if he was saying that he surmised these things in his own head. Unless you have evidence of the contrary, you're basically naysaying someone who was much more a part of the scene than you ever were. Its tantamount to calling him a liar for kicks.
J Smith you don't get it....he didn't move up to middle weight until hagler was already retired. Hagler NEVER moved from middleweight to face ANYBODY There's no argument here at all for 'Hagler dodged me' ''he dodged me even tho he never moved to fight anybody and I wasn't in his division until he was retired?'' please dont be stupid
He says Hagler ducked him, but you don't see him fighting Mugabi whom Hagler beat. I don't think he would have beat Mugabi, let alone Hagler. He lost when he first went to middleweight, and I don't think he would have fared well against big middleweight punchers. Look at McCallum"s KO ratio. It dropped to 25% when he stepped up to middleweight. He did not carry his power up to that weight. Hagler took Mugabi, and Hearns best shots. McCallum did not have the power at middleweight of either of those 2 fighters, and Hagler would have beaten him down.
McCallum is dreaming. There was zero interest in a McCallum Hagler fight. When Hagler was taking the money fights at the end of his career, McCallum was regarded as a good but boring junior middleweight champion. His 3 biggest wins at that time were against 2 washed up welterweights (Curry & McCrory) and a green Jullian Jackson. And then he lost his first fight at middleweight. Plus he was a headcase and promoters didn't like dealing with him
They probably avoided him because McCallum was a high risk, low reward sort of fighter. I doubt any of them feared him outright because the big 4 were all certified badasses. Saying that I reckon MacCallum beats Duran and possibly Leonard and I give him a shot with Hearns too but no way does he beat Hagler anytime before 1986. Hagler was another level imo.
McCallum was a powerful,but not exciting fighter.He was a methodical beat down slowly type of fighter.Much respect to this great fighter,but he wouldn't beat Hagler on Hagler's worst night.Hearns would be beat by Mccallum in any fight,and Duran too,with Duran causing much more difficulty.
Mike was a gentleman, quiet and nice. He didn't have some image as a bloodthirsty killer like Duran, or a pretty boy like Leonard of an assasin like Hearns. Hagler was in the same boat for most of his career.
This may be 100% true but McCallum undermines his own story by neglecting to mention the fact that he fought James Toney 3 times and didn't win one of them. Boxing is a business and maybe Duran could get far more money fighting Hearns than McCallum? Calzaghe didn't fight Carl Froch but was that because he was sure he would lose to him or was it because where Joe was in his career he wanted the big names like Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins? Do you see my point? Sometimes there's a grey area.
Chatting shit....Marvin had 50+ fights and was Champion and wanted some big pay days before he retired....Mccy boy didn't have the power to knockout Marvin and was boring fighter but have to say a great technical fighter.....but to even suggest that Marvin would have ducked him is like saying Don King is a shy guy.
He is 1000% CORRECT. And he's talking about some of our favorite fighters of all time. The craziest thing is that Mike wiped out all the heirs to those guys thrones. McCrory, Starling, Curry, Julian Jackson - when he was past thirty years old. Back then a 30yr old fighter was "washed". But he had some of his greatest performances with James Toney (who I believe he beat that first fight) at like 35 years old. IMHO he is THE GREATEST SUPER WELTERWEIGHT/JR. MIDDLEWEIGHT fighter HANDS DOWN. ANY ERA.
Duran and Hagler never ducked him... duran was far past his prime by the time mccallum become a contender, so to Hagler, Hagler retired in 1987, just as mccallum was becoming a name... he was a pretty much a nobody when tthese two were in their prime so why would they fight him..
One could ask did Mike McCallum fight Matthew Hilton, Donny Lalonde, or Marcos Geraldo? Or did he duck them, all three were great fighters in the class of Leonard, Hearns, or Hagler and Duran. They just did not get as much press. Either of them could have beaten McCallum.
why do people pretend that every resume can not be depicted as someone ducking someone? You can critique every resume of every fighter of every generation and say they ducked at least one fighter.
Emmanuel Steward: "I signed Mike and moved him into the number-one spot, and we were supposed to fight Roberto Duran. Then Duran's people told me (they weren't) going to fight Mike McCallum. I said, 'What do you mean, we have a contract, he's the number-one contender!' Duran just had a good fight with Hagler and lost a close decision, and they wanted to make a rematch. With McCallum, they would only make $500,000, but with a rematch with Hagler, they would make $5 million. So, I made a deal that Duran would fight Tommy Hearns, but Duran would have to give up his WBA title. I allowed Duran to fight Tommy and make more money than Tommy, but the bout would only be for Tommy's title. I made him give up the belt so Mike could fight for that vacant title. So, Mike was gonna fight Sean Mannion for the title on the under card of Duran/Hearns. I was using Tommy to get him his title shot because they were not gonna let him have it. It was advertised as being a double-header with Hearns/Duran for the WBC title and McCallum/Mannion for the WBA title, and I told him that under these conditions if Duran won, he would have to give McCallum a shot.
You could make a better case the McCallum ducked Hagler. McCallum had been a welterweight for 5-6 years, & was still at welter a year after Hagler retired. Hagler was 5"7 with probably .001% body fat. There's no way he could've dropped down in weight. McCallum was 5"11½ & could have easily put on 10lbs, if he WANTED to. He didn't want any part of Hagler, or any of the Fab 4.
U r absolutely correct!!! McCallum has NEVER fought professionally as a welterweight. I was introduced 2 him n Gleason's gym n 1981by his then trainer, (r.i.p.) Rocky Davis. He started as a junior middleweight. He was managed a singer named Lee Variety. If I'm not mistaken,his early fights where in Florida. When I met him he was just 6-0. He was then, and remains now, more than 35-years later, the most sound fighter, technically, that I have ever been in the presence of!!! Great fighter!!!
@John Gates Exactly! You're spot on man. Hagler was already retired by the time McCallum came to the middle weight division. It's easy to say Hagler ducked him when he fought Mugabi now simply because time has proven that McCallum to be the far superior boxer. However, in 86' that was simply not the case. The Beast Mugabi was undefeated and the number one contender. So tell me how Hagler ducked him again? I'm a huge McCallum and feel he was a consummate boxer but I think he just threw Hagler's name in there unfairly. The Marvelous One ducked no one.
I thought hagler retired the year mcallum moved up to mw? Bit harsh to say hagler ducked him. Love the body snatcher but he lost his first mw bout didn't he? Hagler was pretty much gone. Bit harsh and weird to say marv ducked mcallum imho.
Is this guy trying to imply that Marvin ducted someone, really Marvin Hagler would beat Floyd Mayweather in his sleep, oh yeah Floyd doesn't fight anyone that good. So no one could ever know.
Mike McCallum had that special something that put him on another level. He was better than most world level fighters of his era, but because he was not huge payday material was avoided by the fab 4 none of whom fought him. However Hagler cannot be included in this discussion since mike McCallum did not fight at championship level for Middleweight until 1988, a year after Hagler retired. In fact he was a super welterweight for most of his career, which is why it is more reasonable to say that he was avoided by the other 3 Hagler feared no man, as his fight with Mugabi proved.
Ludicrous, he hadn't even fought at middleweight yet when Hagler retired, although Ray Leonard did move out of there fast when all the young 90's fighters were coming up. Duran was an old man, and Hearns well, he did duck I guess.
Hearns stfu,you know nothing.Tommy had moved up to super middle by the time McCallum had got some relevance.Simple fact is he came too late to the party.
Some people don't understand that McCallum's style would have been difficult for Hagler,'s fighting style. I do believe Hagler avoided him for that reason, feeling it was not worth the risk. It wasn't just about weight classes.
I guess he was always in a bad situation. It’s business. Everyone is looking out for themselves. If they can fight someone for more money, then fighter would rather do that. It would mean less fights they would have to fight to get where they feel comfortable financially. Mike just didn’t bring the audience to the fight, even though he was great fighter. But Mike cannot hold a grudge against them, because the other fighters had to work hard to get where they were by fighting basically for food and rent. They came out of poverty and that’s the only way they knew how to make a living. But never thought they gross that kind of an income at their middle or at the ending of their careers. They thought they can make enough money where they can retire, own a place and be comfortable. And if they lose to Mike, they lose the money they might have made. So it’s a risk.
Hagler may not have flat out ducked McCallum, but he damn sure as hell wanted no part of him. And was quiet as a fucking mouse when ever McCallum's name was mentioned. But McCallum has to understand that the big money was within the Hagler, Hearns, Ray Leonard and Duran group.
You are fucking as wrong as wrong can be. McCallum was not a feared fighter, Hagler was trying to get a Hearns fight forever, they made one, Tommy sprained his finger and the fight was off for another year. People who never have seen these guys fight and are just going off of records do not understand that McCallum, Jackson, Curry, etc were good fighters but never exciting ones, never had great opposition and were boring.
