# Mike McCallum

Mike McCallum (born 7 December 1956) is a Jamaican former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1997. He held world championships in three weight classes, including the WBA super welterweight title from 1984 to 1988, the WBA middleweight title from 1989 to 1991, and the WBC light heavyweight title from 1994 to 1995.
A slick, hard-hitting technician in the ring, McCallum was known for his exceptionally durable chin and toughness, and was never stopped in any of his five losses. He earned his nickname of "The Bodysnatcher" due to his ability to land vicious body punches in fights. McCallum was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2011, The Ring magazine ranked him as eighth on their list of the "10 best middleweight title holders of the last 50 years."

## Amateur career

Claimed an amateur record of 240–10
* 1974 - Competed as a welterweight in the World Championships in Havana, losing by a 3rd-round TKO to Clint Jackson of the United States.
* 1974 - Won welterweight silver medal at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games.
* 1975 - Represented Jamaica at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City.
* 1976 - Represented Jamaica as a welterweight at Montreal Olympic Games. Results were:
** Defeated Damdinjavyn Bandi (Mongolia) points
** Defeated Robert Dauer (Australia) points
** Lost to Reinhard Skricek (West Germany) points
* 1977 - National AAU Welterweight Champion, defeating Marlon Starling in semifinals and Roger Leonard of the Air Force in the final.
* 1977 - National Golden Gloves Welterweight Champion
* 1978 - Won welterweight gold medal at the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games.
* 1978 - Welterweight Gold Medalist at Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada.
* 1978 - Won welterweight gold medal at the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games.
* 1979 - National Golden Gloves Welterweight Champion, defeating Doug DeWitt and Robbie Sims.
* 1979 - Welterweight Silver Medalist at Pan-American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Results were:
** Defeated Claudio Pereira (Brazil)
** Defeated Edward Green (United States) TKO 2
** Defeated Javier Colin (Mexico) TKO
** Lost to Andrés Aldama (Cuba) KO by 2
* 1979 - National Golden Gloves Welterweight Champion.
* 1980 - Lost to Alex Ramos in New York Golden Gloves.

## Professional career
### Light middleweight

Mike McCallum turned professional in 1981. As a professional, he fought almost exclusively in the USA. He first became a world champion in 1984 by defeating Sean Mannion to win the vacant WBA super welterweight title. McCallum would defend that title six times, winning all six fights by knock out.
His first prominent opponent was future two-weight world champion and future fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame member Julian Jackson, whom McCallum fought in his third title defense. McCallum survived some punishment in the first round and came back to stop the undefeated Jackson in the second round.
McCallum really came to prominence when he knocked out former WBC welterweight title-holder Milton McCrory and former undisputed world welterweight champion, another future International Boxing Hall of Fame member, Donald Curry in 1987. Curry was ahead on all three scorecards going into the fifth round when McCallum knocked him out with what some have called a "perfect" left hook.

### Middleweight

In 1988, he moved up to middleweight, suffering his first defeat, a clear unanimous decision, in an attempt to win the WBA middleweight championship from Sumbu Kalambay. In 1989, McCallum defeated Herol Graham by a split decision to win the then-vacant WBA middleweight title (which had been stripped from Kalambay for signing to face IBF champion Michael Nunn). He defended the title three times, defeating Steve Collins, Michael Watson, and Kalambay in a rematch.
McCallum fought IBF middleweight champion James Toney in 1991. McCallum was stripped of the WBA title before the bout. The fight ended in a draw, and McCallum lost the second fight by a controversial majority decision the following year. Some felt that McCallum won both fights.

### Light heavyweight

McCallum then moved up two weight divisions and won the WBC interim light heavyweight title against Randall Yonker, then won the full WBC title by outpointing Jeff Harding in 1994. Being in his late thirties, he did not hold the crown long, losing the title to Fabrice Tiozzo. At 40 years of age, he attempted to regain the vacant Interim WBC title against Roy Jones Jr. in December 1996, but lost by a wide decision.
In his last fight, McCallum lost a rubber match to James Toney via a unanimous decision in a cruiserweight bout.
McCallum had a professional record of 49-5-1 (36 knockouts). He was never knocked out as a professional. After McCallum retired, he moved to Las Vegas and became a trainer. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.

## Professional boxing record

| 55 fights | 49 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 36 | 0 |
| By decision | 13 | 5 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 55 | Loss | 49–5–1 | James Toney | UD | 12 | 22 Feb 1997 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, US | For vacant WBU cruiserweight title |
| 54 | Loss | 49–4–1 | Roy Jones Jr. | UD | 12 | 22 Nov 1996 | Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida, US | For vacant WBC interim light heavyweight title |
| 53 | Win | 49–3–1 | Ali Saidi | UD | 10 | 22 Jun 1996 | Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany | |
| 52 | Loss | 48–3–1 | Fabrice Tiozzo | UD | 12 | 16 Jun 1995 | Palais des Sports de Gerland, Lyon, France | Lost WBC light heavyweight title |
| 51 | Win | 48–2–1 | Carl Jones | TKO | 7 (12), 1:17 | 25 Feb 1995 | London Arena, London, England | Retained WBC light heavyweight title |
| 50 | Win | 47–2–1 | Jeff Harding | UD | 12 | 23 Jul 1994 | Civic Center, Bismarck, North Dakota, US | Won WBC light heavyweight title |
| 49 | Win | 46–2–1 | Randall Yonker | TKO | 5 (12), 2:55 | 4 Mar 1994 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US | Won vacant WBC interim light heavyweight title |
| 48 | Win | 45–2–1 | Glenn Thomas | PTS | 10 | 14 Aug 1993 | Labatt's Apollo, London, England | |
| 47 | Win | 44–2–1 | Ramzi Hassan | UD | 10 | 25 Mar 1993 | Amiens, France | |
| 46 | Loss | 43–2–1 | James Toney | MD | 12 | 29 Aug 1992 | Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, US | For IBF middleweight title |
| 45 | Win | 43–1–1 | Fermin Chirino | UD | 10 | 21 May 1992 | Bally's Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
| 44 | Draw | 42–1–1 | James Toney | SD | 12 | 13 Dec 1991 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | For IBF middleweight title |
| 43 | Win | 42–1 | Nicky Walker | RTD | 5 (10), 3:00 | 10 Oct 1991 | Bally's Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
| 42 | Win | 41–1 | Carlos Cruzat | UD | 10 | 29 Aug 1991 | Eldorado Resort Casino, Reno, Nevada, US | |
| 41 | Win | 40–1 | Sumbu Kalambay | SD | 12 | 1 Apr 1991 | Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monaco | Retained WBA middleweight title |
| 40 | Win | 39–1 | Frank Minton | TKO | 4 (10), 1:21 | 19 Feb 1991 | Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri, US | |
| 39 | Win | 38–1 | Michael Watson | KO | 11 (12), 2:22 | 14 Apr 1990 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | Retained WBA middleweight title |
| 38 | Win | 37–1 | Steve Collins | UD | 12 | 3 Feb 1990 | Hynes Convention Center, Boston, Massachusetts, US | Retained WBA middleweight title |
| 37 | Win | 36–1 | Herol Graham | SD | 12 | 10 May 1989 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | Won vacant WBA middleweight title |
| 36 | Win | 35–1 | Ralph Moncrief | TKO | 5 | 9 Jan 1989 | Nogent-le-Phaye, France | |
| 35 | Win | 34–1 | Randy Smith | UD | 10 | 22 Dec 1988 | Vincennes, France | |
| 34 | Win | 33–1 | David McCluskey | TKO | 2 (10), 2:24 | 27 Jun 1988 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 33 | Loss | 32–1 | Sumbu Kalambay | UD | 12 | 5 Mar 1988 | Palazzo dello Sport, Pesaro, Italy | For WBA middleweight title |
| 32 | Win | 32–0 | Donald Curry | KO | 5 (15), 1:14 | 18 Jul 1987 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, US | Retained WBA super welterweight title |
| 31 | Win | 31–0 | Milton McCrory | TKO | 10 (15), 2:20 | 19 Apr 1987 | Pointe Resort, Phoenix, Arizona, US | Retained WBA super welterweight title |
| 30 | Win | 30–0 | Leroy Hester | KO | 1 (10), 1:30 | 21 Mar 1987 | National Arena, Kingston, Jamaica | |
| 29 | Win | 29–0 | Said Skouma | TKO | 9 (15), 2:25 | 25 Oct 1986 | Le Zénith, Paris, France | Retained WBA super welterweight title |
| 28 | Win | 28–0 | Irving Hines | TKO | 4 (10) | 15 Sep 1986 | Paris, France | |
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | Julian Jackson | TKO | 2 (15), 2:03 | 23 Aug 1986 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, US | Retained WBA super welterweight title |
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Jimmy Shavers | TKO | 6 | 2 May 1986 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | David Braxton | TKO | 8 (15), 2:26 | 28 Jul 1985 | Tamiami Park Auditorium, Miami, Florida, US | Retained WBA super welterweight title |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Marcos Martinez | TKO | 2 (10) | 15 Jun 1985 | Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, US | |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Luigi Minchillo | TKO | 13 (15) | 1 Dec 1984 | Palasport di San Siro, Milan, Italy | Retained WBA super welterweight title |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Sean Mannion | UD | 15 | 19 Oct 1984 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Won vacant WBA super welterweight title |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Hasim Razzaq | KO | 1 (10), 0:48 | 10 Mar 1984 | Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Manuel Jiminez | UD | 10 | 25 Oct 1983 | Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Jose Vallejo | TKO | 6 (10) | 31 Aug 1983 | Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Tony Suero | TKO | 3 (10) | 26 Apr 1983 | Tropicana, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Ayub Kalule | RTD | 7 (10), 3:00 | 13 Nov 1982 | Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Carlos Betancourt | TKO | 3 (10) | 22 Oct 1982 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, US | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Kevin Perry | UD | 10 | 11 Jun 1982 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Reggie Ford | TKO | 4 (10) | 30 Apr 1982 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, US | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Gilberto Almonte | KO | 1 (10), 1:06 | 26 Mar 1982 | Hotel, Kingston, Jamaica | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Greg Young | TKO | 5 (10), 0:29 | 22 Jan 1982 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, US | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Jimmy Heair | TKO | 2 (10) | 8 Oct 1981 | Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida, US | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Ed Harris | KO | 1 (8) | 8 Sep 1981 | Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida, US | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Tirso Roque | KO | 3 (8) | 27 Aug 1981 | Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida, US | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Bruce Strauss | TKO | 3 | 19 Jul 1981 | Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio, US | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Freddie Creech | KO | 3 | 10 Jun 1981 | Tampa, Florida, US | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Charles Smith | KO | 3 | 30 Apr 1981 | Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida, US | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Danny Chapman | TKO | 4 (4), 2:09 | 24 Apr 1981 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, US | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Shelby Wilkerson | KO | 5 | 2 Apr 1981 | Tampa, Florida, US | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Ricky Sheppard | KO | 5 | 19 Mar 1981 | Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida, US | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Rocky Fabrizio | KO | 1 | 3 Mar 1981 | Tampa, Florida, US | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Rigoberto Lopez | KO | 4 (6) | 14 Jan 1981 | Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, US | |

## Titles in boxing
### Major world titles

* WBA light middleweight champion (154 lbs)
* WBA middleweight champion (160 lbs)
* WBC light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)

### Interim world titles

* WBC interim light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)