Latest news with #McCallum
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mike 'The Body Snatcher' McCallum, boxing hall of famer and three-time champion, dies at 68
Mike McCallum is lifted up by his ring team after he retained his World Boxing Association junior middleweight title against Julian Jackson in Miami Beach, Aug. 23, 1986. (Joe Skipper / Associated Press) Mike "The Body Snatcher" McCallum was so feared for his impeccable technique that the "four kings" of the 1980s declined to fight him. Nevertheless, McCallum won world titles at super welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003. McCallum, the first Jamaican-born champion, died Saturday in Las Vegas at 68. The Jamaica Observer reported that McCallum fell ill while driving to a gym and pulled off the road. He was found to be unresponsive, and was later pronounced dead. Advertisement Not that his inability to secure a bout with Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard or Marvin Hagler spoiled his mood. It was particularly telling that Hearns wouldn't fight McCallum, because they were longtime sparring partners before becoming champions. McCallum was disappointed but remained all smiles outside the ring, consistently carrying himself with a pleasant, if serious, disposition. In the ring, his attention to detail and faultless technique enabled him to post a 49-5-1 record. McCallum earned his nickname by repeatedly punching the body and head. More often than not, bouts ended in knockouts — he recorded 36 KOs and was never knocked out. The Ring magazine ranked him in 2011 as eighth on their list of the "10 best middleweight title holders of the last 50 years." Advertisement "None of 'The Four Kings,' wanted anything to do with that guy and I know that for a fact because I tried to make some of those fights," Hall of Fame boxer Lou DiBella told longtime boxing writer Kevin Iole. "He was the most perfect technical fighter I've ever seen, and he wasn't a pitty-pat guy." Read more: Georgia O'Connor, beloved and unbeaten British boxer, dies at 25 McCallum became the first Jamaican boxer to win a world title when he defeated Irishman Sean Mannion by unanimous decision in 1984 at Madison Square Garden for the WBA Junior Middleweight crown. Jamaican Sport Minister Olivia Grange issued a statement upon learning of McCallum's passing, saying, "It is with utter and complete sadness that I learned of the death of Jamaica's three-time World Boxing Champion Michael McKenzie McCallum. Advertisement 'I express my personal condolences to his mother, siblings and his children. On behalf of the Ministry of Sports I take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of this legendary Jamaican." Michael McKenzie McCallum was born Dec. 7, 1956, in Kingston, Jamaica, and began boxing as a teenager, racking up as many as 250 amateur bouts before turning pro in 1981. He represented Jamaica at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals. He boxed professionally until 1997, successfully defending the WBA junior middleweight crown six times, including wins over Julian Jackson, Milton McCrory and Donald Curry before moving up a weight class to middleweight. Read more: Commentary: Thirty years ago Freddie Roach didn't take sage advice, opened Wild Card Boxing Club Advertisement McCallum defeated Herol Graham in 1989 to become WBA middleweight champion and defended the belt with wins over Steve Collins, Michael Watson and Sumbu Kalambay. He won his third division title in 1994 by again stepping up in weight class and defeating Jeff Harding for the WBC light heavyweight crown. He met his match against James Toney, fighting to a draw Dec. 13, 1991, before losing to Toney twice. McCallum also dropped a 12-round decision to Roy Jones in a 1997 light heavyweight title fight. He retired shortly thereafter and became a successful trainer, taking great pride in teaching his body-punching technique to young boxers. Jones expressed sadness to Kevin Iole, saying, "Man, we lost another beautiful boxing soul. May he rest in peace.' Advertisement Jones also lamented that McCallum was unable to book fights against the four kings. 'In the junior middleweight division, everyone always went around Mike McCallum, and that says a lot about him," Jones said. "Not even Marvin [Hagler] ever talked much about fighting Mike McCallum. You don't have to listen to what they say [about him]. You watch what they do and everyone wanted to go around him for a reason.' In a post on X, the WBC said: "Rest in Peace to the legendary Mike 'The Body Snatcher' McCallum. Former WBA world champion and one of the most technically gifted fighters of his era. Thank you for the fights, the lessons, and the greatness. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Mike ‘The Body Snatcher' McCallum, boxing hall of famer and three-time champion, dies at 68
Mike 'The Body Snatcher' McCallum was so feared for his impeccable technique that the 'four kings' of the 1980s declined to fight him. Nevertheless, McCallum won world titles at super welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003. McCallum, the first Jamaican-born champion, died Saturday in Las Vegas at 68. The Jamaica Observer reported that McCallum fell ill while driving to a gym and pulled off the road. He was found to be unresponsive, and was later pronounced dead. Not that his inability to secure a bout with Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard or Marvin Hagler spoiled his mood. It was particularly telling that Hearns wouldn't fight McCallum, because they were longtime sparring partners before becoming champions. McCallum was disappointed but remained all smiles outside the ring, consistently carrying himself with a pleasant, if serious, disposition. In the ring, his attention to detail and faultless technique enabled him to post a 49-5-1 record. McCallum earned his nickname by repeatedly punching the body and head. More often than not, bouts ended in knockouts — he recorded 36 KOs and was never knocked out. The Ring magazine ranked him in 2011 as eighth on their list of the '10 best middleweight title holders of the last 50 years.' 'None of 'The Four Kings,' wanted anything to do with that guy and I know that for a fact because I tried to make some of those fights,' Hall of Fame boxer Lou DiBella told longtime boxing writer Kevin Iole. 'He was the most perfect technical fighter I've ever seen, and he wasn't a pitty-pat guy.' McCallum became the first Jamaican boxer to win a world title when he defeated Irishman Sean Mannion by unanimous decision in 1984 at Madison Square Garden for the WBA Junior Middleweight crown. Jamaican Sport Minister Olivia Grange issued a statement upon learning of McCallum's passing, saying, 'It is with utter and complete sadness that I learned of the death of Jamaica's three-time World Boxing Champion Michael McKenzie McCallum. 'I express my personal condolences to his mother, siblings and his children. On behalf of the Ministry of Sports I take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of this legendary Jamaican.' Michael McKenzie McCallum was born Dec. 7, 1956, in Kingston, Jamaica, and began boxing as a teenager, racking up as many as 250 amateur bouts before turning pro in 1981. He represented Jamaica at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals. He boxed professionally until 1997, successfully defending the WBA junior middleweight crown six times, including wins over Julian Jackson, Milton McCrory and Donald Curry before moving up a weight class to middleweight. McCallum defeated Herol Graham in 1989 to become WBA middleweight champion and defended the belt with wins over Steve Collins, Michael Watson and Sumbu Kalambay. He won his third division title in 1994 by again stepping up in weight class and defeating Jeff Harding for the WBC light heavyweight crown. He met his match against James Toney, fighting to a draw Dec. 13, 1991, before losing to Toney twice. McCallum also dropped a 12-round decision to Roy Jones in a 1997 light heavyweight title fight. He retired shortly thereafter and became a successful trainer, taking great pride in teaching his body-punching technique to young boxers. Jones expressed sadness to Kevin Iole, saying, 'Man, we lost another beautiful boxing soul. May he rest in peace.' Jones also lamented that McCallum was unable to book fights against the four kings. 'In the junior middleweight division, everyone always went around Mike McCallum, and that says a lot about him,' Jones said. 'Not even Marvin [Hagler] ever talked much about fighting Mike McCallum. You don't have to listen to what they say [about him]. You watch what they do and everyone wanted to go around him for a reason.' In a post on X, the WBC said: 'Rest in Peace to the legendary Mike 'The Body Snatcher' McCallum. Former WBA world champion and one of the most technically gifted fighters of his era. Thank you for the fights, the lessons, and the greatness.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Jamaican boxing legend Mike McCallum dies suddenly, aged 68
McCallum died suddenly near his home in Las Vegas on Saturday (31 May), with the Jamaica Observer reporting that he was on his way to the gym when he fell ill and pulled his car off the road. He was later found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. Known 'The Bodysnatcher' due to his vicious punching ability, especially to the body, McCallum was the first Jamaican to become a boxing world champion – eventually winning titles at junior middleweight, middleweight and light heavyweight between 1984 and 1995. After retiring in 1997 with 49 wins, five losses and one draw from 55 fights, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003. Jamaica's sport minister Olivia Grange wrote on Instagram: "It is with utter and complete sadness that I learned of the death of Jamaica's three-time World Boxing Champion Michael McKenzie McCallum. "I express my personal condolences to his mother, siblings and his children. On behalf of the Ministry of Sport, I take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of this legendary Jamaican. "We hope they find strength in this time of bereavement." His most famous fights came against the likes of Michael Watson, Steve Collins, James Toney and Roy Jones Jr, having turned professional in 1981 after winning welterweight gold for Jamaica at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton. McCallum became world champion when he beat Ireland's Sean Mannion at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1984, claiming the WBA junior middleweight crown, and won his first 32 fights in the paid ranks, including successful title defences against Milton McCrory and Don Curry. His first defeat came in Italy against Sumbu Kalambay in 1988 when trying to add the WBA middleweight title to his collection but he did claim that belt a year later by earning a split-decision win over Herol Graham in the Royal Albert Hall in London. Successful defences came against Collins in Boston and Watson back at the Royal Albert Hall before avenging his Kalambay defeat in Monaco. December 1991 saw the first of a trilogy of fights against Toney over the course of his remaining career – with a split-decision draw and majority-decision loss in the space of nine months twice denying him the IBF middleweight belt. He did win a world title in a third weight division as a 38-year-old in 1994 when Jeff Harding was defeated for the WBC light heavyweight title but lost it to Fabrice Tiozzo a year later. His career then ended with losses to Jones Jr and Toney, the latter at cruiserweight. McCallum was hugely technically gifted as fighter and is undoubtedly the greatest Jamaican boxer of all time, as well as one of the best of his era, who leaves a huge legacy behind. 'Rest in Peace to the legendary Mike 'The Body Snatcher' McCallum,' read a tribute from the WBA. 'Former WBA world champion and one of the most technically gifted fighters of his era. Thank you for the fights, the lessons, and the greatness."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Jamaican boxing legend Mike McCallum, "The Bodysnatcher," dies at 68
The world of boxing is in mourning following the passing of one of its all-time greats. Mike McCallum , the flourishing world champion and Hall of Fame boxer of Jamaica, died suddenly on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the age of 68 in Las Vegas . McCallum reportedly became unwell on his way to the gym, pulled over to the side of the road, and was found lifeless. He earned the nickname " The Bodysnatcher " due to his fierce body punches. McCallum became the first Jamaican to ever win a world championship title. He won the WBA Junior Middleweight belt in 1984 at Madison Square Garden from Irishman Sean Mannion. His career continued to rise from there as he went on to capture the WBA Middleweight and WBC Light Heavyweight titles, solidifying his status as a tenacious and adaptable fighter. McCallum's legacy is not in his titles alone, but in his influence on the sport. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003 and was ranked eighth by The Ring Magazine in 2011 as one of the "10 Best Middleweight Title Holders of the Last 50 Years." In Jamaica, he was a seven-time Jamaica Sportsman of the Year , inspiring generations of Caribbean athletes. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Linda Kozlowski, 67, Shows Off Her Perfect Figure In A New Photo Today's NYC Undo Jamaica's Sport Minister, Olivia Grange, spoke on the nation's sorrow: 'It is with utter and complete sadness that I learned of the death of Jamaica's three-time World Boxing Champion Michael McKenzie McCallum. I express my personal condolences to his mother, siblings and his children. On behalf of the Ministry of Sports I take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of this legendary Jamaican.' Live Events Mike McCallum's legacy as a trailblazer and world champion will never be forgotten, neither in Jamaica nor the rest of the globe. The Bodysnatcher's is a story of resilience, ability, and national pride—a source of inspiration for all.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Legendary boxer Mike ‘The Bodysnatcher' McCallum dead at 68
Legendary boxer Mike 'The Bodysnatcher' McCallum died over the weekend in Las Vegas. He was 68 years old. McCallum was driving to a Las Vegas gym Saturday, and he fell ill and had to pull over to the side of the road, The Jamaica Observer reported. Advertisement 5 Mike McCallum celebrates after winning an October 1986 fight. Reuters He was then found unresponsive before later being pronounced dead, though his official cause of death remains unknown and Las Vegas police have yet to publicly comment on the matter. In a statement to The Jamaica Observer, Sport Minister Olivia Grange expressed shock and sadness over McCallum's death. Advertisement 5 Mike McCallum is pictured working out in April 1979. Frank Empson / The Tennessean 'It is with utter and complete sadness that I learned of the death of Jamaica's three-time World Boxing Champion Michael McKenzie McCallum,' Grange said in a statement. 'I express my personal condolences to his mother, siblings and his children. On behalf of the Ministry of Sports I take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of this legendary Jamaican.' 5 Mike McCallum is pictured in August 2015. Marcel Thomas/ZUMA Wire 5 Mike McCallum was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003. AP Advertisement McCallum was revered during his time in the ring over the years, having won across three different weight classes and becoming the first Jamaican boxer to win a world title in 1984 when he defeated Sean Mannion at Madison Square Garden for the WBA Junior Middleweight title. He fought in 55 bouts throughout his career, winning 49 and losing five, while one ended in a draw. 5 Mike McCallum tries to dodge a punch during a fight against Roy Jones Jr. Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire Advertisement McCallum was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003, and in 2011, Ring Magazine included him on a list of the '10 best middleweight title holders of the last 50 years.' 'Greatly saddened by passing of Mike McCallum. Mike was lovely guy, humble guy, great champion,' Rich Marotta, the founder of the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame, wrote on X. 'He was an Inaugural year inductee of @nvbhof and, as resident of Las Vegas, always wanted to be part of the events, big or small. Had greatest nickname in boxing, 'The Bodysnatcher' RIP.'
