Do you not feel Crawford is wasting his prime years with Arum? I feel he’s the most unbeatable boxer in the sport right now, incredible skills and just too versatile.
The RedCafe Boxing Thread
- Thread starter CLK_FPC
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
Cheers for that but no chance I’ll still be awake at 3-4 in the morning UK time after a pub crawl.
If the card was on Sky/Bt I would have watched it “as live” but am stuck with YT where the thumbnail often gives away the result
How long do you think Loma has left in him before he becomes mortal? Lopez and Haney will be watching with interest.
Yep, he needs to get something moving quickly or his legacy will be a bit meh.
He could be. I'm almost certain he'll never get the Spence fight. Wilder-Fury has proven that they CAN world together, but my guess is that Wilder was pretty willing whereas I know Spence has absolutely no interest in it. Maybe Crawford will get a Porter fight, or a PBC fighter without a belt but none of their title holders want to fight him.
I do think we will see Crawford vs. perhaps two of Taylor/Prograis/Ramirez and IMO outside of Spence, they perhaps carry as much (more in the case of Taylor and Ramirez if he stays unbeaten) cache as the PBC guys not named Spence. Taylor vs. Ramirez winner vs. Crawford sounds great to me but I think Top Rank may try to keep it in house and go Crawford vs. Ramirez first.
He's already showed some signs from what I considered the unbeatable fighter we saw vs. Walters. He's a lot smaller than the other guys at lightweight but I do think he has some potential opponents that will spark interest and are good matches for him. I think Haney is going to move up already (he was smart to "call out" Loma without any realistic expectation of fighting him), whereas I like Lopez and Davis are very, very easy matches for him. Lopez loads up his shots and doesn't defend well, same for Davis who's got unproven power vs. fighters over 126 and has very short arms, not much length with slow feet and is one-dimensional. That will look like Loma-Rigo IMO. Berchelt would be coming up and I think would make an entertaining fight but not a massive threat to win and I think Stevenson is gaining some momentum but would also be coming up. The style to beat him is a bigger, swarming type who gets doesn't give him space and time. I don't think that type is at 135 or below and I don't think he'll go any higher.Cheers for that but no chance I’ll still be awake at 3-4 in the morning UK time after a pub crawl.
If the card was on Sky/Bt I would have watched it “as live” but am stuck with YT where the thumbnail often gives away the result
How long do you think Loma has left in him before he becomes mortal? Lopez and Haney will be watching with interest.
I think we'll see a dominant Loma for two more years and then I honestly expect him to retire before too long.
He's trying but that "other side of the street" talk from the PBC is pathetic. Unfortunately the masses may miss out on appreciating him properly because he doesn't have a fight that transcends the sport. Sad.
Did you see the interview with Arum where he states that Spence is pretty much finished? Sad news if true for boxing in general and Crawford in particular.
He’s putting forward Porter and Josh Taylor as alternative opponents down the road.
Cheers for your well reasoned response.
My own (relatively uninformed) opinion is that Loma has 2/3 more fights in him where you would favour him over virtually anyone in his weight range but then in 2021 it’s all up for grabs.
The miles on the clock from the long amateur career must start to tell eventually.
Surely?
From The Ring magazine. Mike McCallum: Greatest Hits by Anson Wainwright
WITH SKILLS THAT GARNERED TITLES IN THREE WEIGHT CLASSES, IT’S NO WONDER ‘THE BODYSNATCHER’ WAS AVOIDED BY SO MANY FIGHTERS OF HIS TIME
Mike McCallum fought his way out of obscurity in Jamaica to the top of the boxing world. However, for much of his career, the highly skilled boxer-puncher was deemed too much risk versus not enough reward and was one of the most avoided fighters of his era.
McCallum was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on December 7, 1956. He was an only child and enjoyed life on the island before finding boxing at 15 years old.
“I went to church every Sunday with my mom and dad,” McCallum told The Ring about his early years. “I went to school and I came home, played around with the other kids.
“I got into a few fights, and one time I went to a boxing club in the neighborhood that was well-known in Jamaica. I started throwing punches. I didn’t know anything about boxing. One guy said, ‘Mike, do you see that? You’re natural.’”
McCallum went on to become a decorated amateur. He represented his country at the 1974 World Championships and 1976 Olympics and won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 1978. He hoped to go the 1980 Olympics, but those aspirations were cut short due to appendicitis. He posted an impressive 240-10 amateur record before turning professional in early 1981.
The legendary duo of George Benton and Eddie Futch helped fine-tune McCallum from there. “They were both geniuses,” he said.
McCallum marched to 21 straight wins before meeting Sean Mannion for the vacant WBA junior middleweight title on the undercard of Marvin Hagler-Mustafa Hamsho in the fall of 1984. McCallum boxed superbly and won a unanimous decision. He would defend the title six times against the likes of David Braxton (TKO 8), Julian Jackson (TKO 2) and Donald Curry (KO 5).
“The Bodysnatcher” hoped he could lure one of the Fab Four (Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran) into facing him, but to no avail.
“I don’t think; I know,” he said when asked if he felt he was avoided. “I made a big mistake. I went to train with Emanuel Steward, Thomas Hearns, Milton McCrory and all them guys. I fought Braxton, McCrory and sparred Thomas Hearns. They knew how good I was and didn’t want to fight me or spar me (afterward).”
McCallum abdicated his throne and stepped up to middleweight, heading straight to Italy to face Sumbu Kalambay for the WBA crown in March 1988. Although McCallum was the pre-fight betting favorite, he was unable to get a handle on Kalambay, a stick-and-move specialist, and lost for the first time.
Undeterred, McCallum got back to winning while waiting for his next opportunity. It came when Kalambay was stripped for facing Michael Nunn over mandatory challenger Herol Graham, who instead faced McCallum for the vacant title. McCallum won a hard-fought split decision to become a two-weight titleholder. He then bested Steve Collins (UD 12) and knocked out Michael Watson before exacting revenge on Kalambay via split decision.
Attempting to gain the IBF middleweight title, McCallum fought rising star James Toney twice in the early 1990s, and although both fights were close, the 35-year-old veteran drew and lost a majority decision. McCallum became a three-weight titleholder when he edged Jeff Harding for the WBC light heavyweight belt in the summer of 1994 and made one successful defense before losing his title to Fabrice Tiozzo.
In his two final bouts, McCallum lost a unanimous decision to a prime Roy Jones Jr. as well as the rubber match against Toney before retiring at the age of 40. He walked away with a record of 49-5-1 (36 KOs). He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.
McCallum, now 62, lives in Las Vegas, where he is a key figure in the training camp of rising lightweight star Devin Haney. Here’s what he had to say about six of his most memorable nights in the ring:
SEAN MANNION
October 19, 1984, Madison Square Garden, New York • Titles: WBA junior middleweight
“I keep asking myself why (Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran) didn’t fight me. I have no answer. If they had fought me, it would have been the Fab Five. It was very frustrating. I was mad at everybody. I didn’t want to see nobody. I didn’t want to talk to anybody. Why didn’t they want to fight me? I couldn’t answer the question. Thomas Hearns didn’t want to fight me. Leonard was the one I really wanted to fight, but he was a lighter weight class than me. With Duran, I was the number one contender – he should definitely have fought me, but he gave away the belt (to fight Thomas Hearns for the WBC title). I don’t know why Hagler didn’t want to fight me. I know those fights would be great fights.
“I was upset I didn’t fight Duran, but now I’ve got to take care of business with Mannion. He didn’t look like much, but he was game. When I hit him with some good shots, he came right back; he tried his best to win, but I had too much stuff going on. I did everything in my power to win the title. Mannion was a good fighter. I tried to knock him out and I couldn’t. I controlled most of the fight and won most of the rounds. I would have been happy if I’d knocked him out, but I just wanted to win the title.
“You can’t imagine (what it was like to be) the first Jamaican world champion. That means everything to me. That was the best feeling to know that you are the first world champion boxer in Jamaica. We had some great fighters from Jamaica back in the day – Bunny Grant, Percy Hayles, Roy Goss – a lot of good fighters. I celebrated. I went all over Jamaica in a car – everybody was coming out, everybody wanted to see me. It was something else.”
Result: McCallum UD 15
JULIAN JACKSON
August 23, 1986, Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida • Titles: WBA junior middleweight
“I didn’t know what to think. I knew he was a big puncher, but you don’t feel a punch like that. I wasn’t worried about his power; I was concerned about it – I didn’t want to get hit by it at all. I felt his power. ‘Oh yeah,’ I thought, ‘I have to get him before he gets me.’ So I hit him first. He hit me with a shot, and I felt it: ‘This boy can hit.’ When I hit him with a shot, he went down. I said, ‘You hit me so hard and you can’t take a shot? I’m going to get you now.’ He could give it, but he couldn’t take it. It was all over.”
Result: McCallum TKO 2
DONALD CURRY
July 18, 1987, Caesars Palace Sports Pavilion, Las Vegas • Titles: WBA junior middleweight
“I think (my best weight class was) junior middleweight. It was a great fight. Donald Curry was the kind of guy … you sit and watch and you have your own vision; you talk to yourself: How could I beat him? What would I have to do to beat him? George Benton was a great trainer; he put it all together and told me what to do to win. Curry was a very sharp fighter. He punches sharp and crisp. He’s a very dangerous guy. He thinks a lot. He sets things up nicely. And I said, ‘I’ve got to beat him at his own game.’ He tries to set me up and I’m gonna set him up too. That was one of the best knockouts I ever had – it was a great knockout, a great fighter and a great fight. The last week of the workout, George Benton came to me and said, ‘He’s going to try to set you up with the right hand and jab; you’ve got to look out for them. He’s very quick and very accurate. You’ve got to do it this way and come back on top.’ I went over it one or two times, same combination. He said, ‘Remember, Mike, you’ve got to be alert because he’s very quick and accurate and he’s dangerous.’ So I slipped the jab and slipped his right hand, and I countered with a right uppercut and hook. That’s all it takes. That’s all I needed. I felt it in my hand.”
Result: McCallum KO 5
HEROL GRAHAM
May 10, 1989, Royal Albert Hall, London • Titles: WBA middleweight
“England is a rough place to fight, especially when you’re fighting their man. They’re singing songs; they expect their man to win. I knew he was a very awkward fighter, a southpaw and gives all kinds of movement, so I hit him to the body to slow him down. (Graham was) not easy to fight at all. He was very good; he dodged punches good, very slick. Herol Graham was something else. He was hard to hit because he moves very well. He was unorthodox. It was a tough fight for me. I had to catch up with him, but I did catch up with him and I beat him.”
Result: McCallum SD 12
JAMES TONEY
December 13, 1991, Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey • Titles: IBF middleweight
“The WBA wanted $30,000 plus a $35,000 exemption fee for fighting Toney. My lawyer, Milton Chwasky, was going to go along with that, but then they came back and demanded we give (Steve) Collins another $50,000 to step aside, and we said no. They wanted too much money. I didn’t know exactly what was going on. (Note: McCallum was stripped of the title.) I think I did enough to win the fight. It was a good fight, an old-school fight, very tough. I got off to a good start and he came back, and we went back and forth. The first fight was a close fight. He was young and strong and got better the second fight. He was a good fighter – three good fights. I think I won at least one or two fights. He was a throwback.”
Result: Draw
JEFF HARDING
July 23, 1994, Civic Center, Bismarck, North Dakota • Titles: WBC light heavyweight
“That fight was a great fight. I knew Jeff was a very hard fight to win – he keeps coming and he keeps punching. He’s got good stamina, very strong, so I knew it was gonna be a hell of a fight. I’ve got to box him. I can’t fight with him inside, ’cause he throws a lot of punches; he doesn’t stop punching. I can’t outwork him because he doesn’t stop punching. I asked myself, ‘How am I going to win this fight?’ I’ve got to do both: I’ve got to box him sometimes, I’ve got to work inside sometimes. I’ve got to turn him and counterpunch him. So that’s what I did. It meant everything to me – three-weight world champion. I was very happy about that. I worked hard. I trained hard for fights and I tried hard to win fights. I don’t like to lose. I work hard all the time for fights, especially the championship fights. Those ones mean everything to me.”
Result: McCallum UD 12
WITH SKILLS THAT GARNERED TITLES IN THREE WEIGHT CLASSES, IT’S NO WONDER ‘THE BODYSNATCHER’ WAS AVOIDED BY SO MANY FIGHTERS OF HIS TIME
Mike McCallum fought his way out of obscurity in Jamaica to the top of the boxing world. However, for much of his career, the highly skilled boxer-puncher was deemed too much risk versus not enough reward and was one of the most avoided fighters of his era.
McCallum was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on December 7, 1956. He was an only child and enjoyed life on the island before finding boxing at 15 years old.
“I went to church every Sunday with my mom and dad,” McCallum told The Ring about his early years. “I went to school and I came home, played around with the other kids.
“I got into a few fights, and one time I went to a boxing club in the neighborhood that was well-known in Jamaica. I started throwing punches. I didn’t know anything about boxing. One guy said, ‘Mike, do you see that? You’re natural.’”
McCallum went on to become a decorated amateur. He represented his country at the 1974 World Championships and 1976 Olympics and won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 1978. He hoped to go the 1980 Olympics, but those aspirations were cut short due to appendicitis. He posted an impressive 240-10 amateur record before turning professional in early 1981.
The legendary duo of George Benton and Eddie Futch helped fine-tune McCallum from there. “They were both geniuses,” he said.
McCallum marched to 21 straight wins before meeting Sean Mannion for the vacant WBA junior middleweight title on the undercard of Marvin Hagler-Mustafa Hamsho in the fall of 1984. McCallum boxed superbly and won a unanimous decision. He would defend the title six times against the likes of David Braxton (TKO 8), Julian Jackson (TKO 2) and Donald Curry (KO 5).
“The Bodysnatcher” hoped he could lure one of the Fab Four (Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran) into facing him, but to no avail.
“I don’t think; I know,” he said when asked if he felt he was avoided. “I made a big mistake. I went to train with Emanuel Steward, Thomas Hearns, Milton McCrory and all them guys. I fought Braxton, McCrory and sparred Thomas Hearns. They knew how good I was and didn’t want to fight me or spar me (afterward).”
McCallum abdicated his throne and stepped up to middleweight, heading straight to Italy to face Sumbu Kalambay for the WBA crown in March 1988. Although McCallum was the pre-fight betting favorite, he was unable to get a handle on Kalambay, a stick-and-move specialist, and lost for the first time.
Undeterred, McCallum got back to winning while waiting for his next opportunity. It came when Kalambay was stripped for facing Michael Nunn over mandatory challenger Herol Graham, who instead faced McCallum for the vacant title. McCallum won a hard-fought split decision to become a two-weight titleholder. He then bested Steve Collins (UD 12) and knocked out Michael Watson before exacting revenge on Kalambay via split decision.
Attempting to gain the IBF middleweight title, McCallum fought rising star James Toney twice in the early 1990s, and although both fights were close, the 35-year-old veteran drew and lost a majority decision. McCallum became a three-weight titleholder when he edged Jeff Harding for the WBC light heavyweight belt in the summer of 1994 and made one successful defense before losing his title to Fabrice Tiozzo.
In his two final bouts, McCallum lost a unanimous decision to a prime Roy Jones Jr. as well as the rubber match against Toney before retiring at the age of 40. He walked away with a record of 49-5-1 (36 KOs). He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.
McCallum, now 62, lives in Las Vegas, where he is a key figure in the training camp of rising lightweight star Devin Haney. Here’s what he had to say about six of his most memorable nights in the ring:
SEAN MANNION
October 19, 1984, Madison Square Garden, New York • Titles: WBA junior middleweight
“I keep asking myself why (Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran) didn’t fight me. I have no answer. If they had fought me, it would have been the Fab Five. It was very frustrating. I was mad at everybody. I didn’t want to see nobody. I didn’t want to talk to anybody. Why didn’t they want to fight me? I couldn’t answer the question. Thomas Hearns didn’t want to fight me. Leonard was the one I really wanted to fight, but he was a lighter weight class than me. With Duran, I was the number one contender – he should definitely have fought me, but he gave away the belt (to fight Thomas Hearns for the WBC title). I don’t know why Hagler didn’t want to fight me. I know those fights would be great fights.
“I was upset I didn’t fight Duran, but now I’ve got to take care of business with Mannion. He didn’t look like much, but he was game. When I hit him with some good shots, he came right back; he tried his best to win, but I had too much stuff going on. I did everything in my power to win the title. Mannion was a good fighter. I tried to knock him out and I couldn’t. I controlled most of the fight and won most of the rounds. I would have been happy if I’d knocked him out, but I just wanted to win the title.
“You can’t imagine (what it was like to be) the first Jamaican world champion. That means everything to me. That was the best feeling to know that you are the first world champion boxer in Jamaica. We had some great fighters from Jamaica back in the day – Bunny Grant, Percy Hayles, Roy Goss – a lot of good fighters. I celebrated. I went all over Jamaica in a car – everybody was coming out, everybody wanted to see me. It was something else.”
Result: McCallum UD 15
JULIAN JACKSON
August 23, 1986, Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida • Titles: WBA junior middleweight
“I didn’t know what to think. I knew he was a big puncher, but you don’t feel a punch like that. I wasn’t worried about his power; I was concerned about it – I didn’t want to get hit by it at all. I felt his power. ‘Oh yeah,’ I thought, ‘I have to get him before he gets me.’ So I hit him first. He hit me with a shot, and I felt it: ‘This boy can hit.’ When I hit him with a shot, he went down. I said, ‘You hit me so hard and you can’t take a shot? I’m going to get you now.’ He could give it, but he couldn’t take it. It was all over.”
Result: McCallum TKO 2
DONALD CURRY
July 18, 1987, Caesars Palace Sports Pavilion, Las Vegas • Titles: WBA junior middleweight
“I think (my best weight class was) junior middleweight. It was a great fight. Donald Curry was the kind of guy … you sit and watch and you have your own vision; you talk to yourself: How could I beat him? What would I have to do to beat him? George Benton was a great trainer; he put it all together and told me what to do to win. Curry was a very sharp fighter. He punches sharp and crisp. He’s a very dangerous guy. He thinks a lot. He sets things up nicely. And I said, ‘I’ve got to beat him at his own game.’ He tries to set me up and I’m gonna set him up too. That was one of the best knockouts I ever had – it was a great knockout, a great fighter and a great fight. The last week of the workout, George Benton came to me and said, ‘He’s going to try to set you up with the right hand and jab; you’ve got to look out for them. He’s very quick and very accurate. You’ve got to do it this way and come back on top.’ I went over it one or two times, same combination. He said, ‘Remember, Mike, you’ve got to be alert because he’s very quick and accurate and he’s dangerous.’ So I slipped the jab and slipped his right hand, and I countered with a right uppercut and hook. That’s all it takes. That’s all I needed. I felt it in my hand.”
Result: McCallum KO 5
HEROL GRAHAM
May 10, 1989, Royal Albert Hall, London • Titles: WBA middleweight
“England is a rough place to fight, especially when you’re fighting their man. They’re singing songs; they expect their man to win. I knew he was a very awkward fighter, a southpaw and gives all kinds of movement, so I hit him to the body to slow him down. (Graham was) not easy to fight at all. He was very good; he dodged punches good, very slick. Herol Graham was something else. He was hard to hit because he moves very well. He was unorthodox. It was a tough fight for me. I had to catch up with him, but I did catch up with him and I beat him.”
Result: McCallum SD 12
JAMES TONEY
December 13, 1991, Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey • Titles: IBF middleweight
“The WBA wanted $30,000 plus a $35,000 exemption fee for fighting Toney. My lawyer, Milton Chwasky, was going to go along with that, but then they came back and demanded we give (Steve) Collins another $50,000 to step aside, and we said no. They wanted too much money. I didn’t know exactly what was going on. (Note: McCallum was stripped of the title.) I think I did enough to win the fight. It was a good fight, an old-school fight, very tough. I got off to a good start and he came back, and we went back and forth. The first fight was a close fight. He was young and strong and got better the second fight. He was a good fighter – three good fights. I think I won at least one or two fights. He was a throwback.”
Result: Draw
JEFF HARDING
July 23, 1994, Civic Center, Bismarck, North Dakota • Titles: WBC light heavyweight
“That fight was a great fight. I knew Jeff was a very hard fight to win – he keeps coming and he keeps punching. He’s got good stamina, very strong, so I knew it was gonna be a hell of a fight. I’ve got to box him. I can’t fight with him inside, ’cause he throws a lot of punches; he doesn’t stop punching. I can’t outwork him because he doesn’t stop punching. I asked myself, ‘How am I going to win this fight?’ I’ve got to do both: I’ve got to box him sometimes, I’ve got to work inside sometimes. I’ve got to turn him and counterpunch him. So that’s what I did. It meant everything to me – three-weight world champion. I was very happy about that. I worked hard. I trained hard for fights and I tried hard to win fights. I don’t like to lose. I work hard all the time for fights, especially the championship fights. Those ones mean everything to me.”
Result: McCallum UD 12
Yeah, 397 fights, plus all those tournaments, all that traveling since such a young age equals a lot of wear and tear. I just hope his next 2-3 fights are Lopez (or Commey), Berchelt, Davis. I won't hold my breath on Daviz though. I don't think he's a serious fighter nor are his team serious about him fighting elite guys.Cheers for your well reasoned response.
My own (relatively uninformed) opinion is that Loma has 2/3 more fights in him where you would favour him over virtually anyone in his weight range but then in 2021 it’s all up for grabs.
The miles on the clock from the long amateur career must start to tell eventually.
Surely?
Yeah, I saw that last night. Arum has been known to fabricate things before but something like this? I doubt unless he had something very reliable from inside he'd have said anything.
I just hope the right thing happens and we get Taylor vs. Ramirez, maybe in the summer (would love it in Vegas) for all the belts and then the winner leapfrogs all the PBC guys anyway and Crawford vs. the winner is the fight.
@Inter Yer Nan. Thanks for the interesting remind of McCallum’s career. He was totally fearless and a great warrior in his day.
Some of the names in the article remind me of why I detested the Eubank Snr. circus in the 80’s/90’s.
His promoter (Barry Hearn) had absolutely no intention of matching Eubank up with McCallum/Nunn/Toney who likely would have wiped the floor with him. His son now has fluked a WC belt too.
Some of the names in the article remind me of why I detested the Eubank Snr. circus in the 80’s/90’s.
His promoter (Barry Hearn) had absolutely no intention of matching Eubank up with McCallum/Nunn/Toney who likely would have wiped the floor with him. His son now has fluked a WC belt too.
His comments were indefensible and I do not deny the act he does when he is trying to sell fights is embarrassing, but I'd definitely separate Wilder the boxer from Wilder the person. Whenever I've seen him not in fight-selling mode he comes across as decent and humble, plus the whole reason he got into boxing to fund his daughter's care is inspiring and commendable.
Stuff he’s done away from the cameras like assault Brezeale in front of his family and choke up and beat up women is also indefensible. The guy is a total shit head.
Have you posted the answers yet? I look forward to it.
Terence Crawford doing what he does.
Teofimo gets his title and now targets Lomachenko.
Not yet. Should have them up next week. Meeting Zarate around Christmas so that will probably be around new year I post those up.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
- Who was your trainer and how were you able to develop your elite skills?
- Became the Flyweight champion at 19years old with the guidance of my trainer Yoshihiro Sasaki whom was also my nephew.
- Do you like to watch your old fights on film?
- I love to watch old films of my fights. I’m impressed with the amount of punches I throw during the fight.
- How did you feel when you were inducted into the international boxing hall of fame in New York?
- Even though I was fighting in the unpopular smaller division, I was happy to be recognized in the US to receive the HOF. Maybe it was because I fought toe-to-toe, traded punches a lot that made people happy to watch.
- When do you feel you were at your absolute peak as a fighter?
- My peak as a boxer was probably when I first won the flyweight title at 19 years old.
- What do you feel were your greatest attributes as a boxer? What set you apart?
- People remember me because I won the title against a globally known champions like Eder Jofre, who was undefeated at the time.
- How does it make you feel when you hear people say you were the best boxer from Japan and one of the greatest boxers of all-time pound for pound?
- Again, I was fortunate to had fought great champions like Jofre to get attention from around the world.
- What type of diet did you keep when you were in training and was it much different when you were not training?
- I ran a lot to lose weight and gain stamina. I didn’t eat, had little sips of soup.
- In your time you stayed busy in the time between your title fights with non-title fights. What were the main reasons for this? Was it mainly to stay sharp and keep the weight down?
- Back in the days, It was common to fight multiple times in a month. So it was normal to fight and train continuously and keep the weight. The greatest enemy was inside yourself to stay disciplined.
- What was the reason that you went to Thailand for a re-match with Kingpetch? You destroyed him in Japan and became the champion. Do you regret going to Thailand? They stole that title from you.
- I don’t regret going to Thailand for the rematch.
- When you fought Eder Jofre the first time how was the preparation and your impression of him as a champion? Did you train any differently for these fights and change strategies compared to other opponents?
- Nothing special that I trained for Jofre. I did what I could and worked on my stamina. I didn’t change the way I boxed depending on opponent. I trained to do what I do best.
12. What was your impression of those fights? Did you feel you deserved the victory in each fight?
I won against a great champion Jofre. It couldn’t get any better.
13. Would you have taken a fight with him in Brazil?
I would of taken a fight if it was in Brazil. Jofre was also a great person.
14. Which Eder Jofre fight do you feel was harder and why?
Both fights were tough. Which made both fights great.
15. Does it upset you after all these years still knowing that they robbed you in Australia for your third title? Who do you feel was better between Famechon and Rose?
Rose was the better fighter
16. How would you describe the qualities of Jose Medel as a fighter?
Jose was also a good fighter, Jose, Jofre are opponents that I remember the most . I was lucky to have faced great fighters as those two.
17. How do you feel about the quality of Naoya Inoue? Do you think he would have been a good champion in your era?
Inoue is still young. He will become better
18. Do you like to keep up to date with the boxing scene in Japan and worldwide currently?
I do follow boxing a little, but I would like to train young fighters.
19. How did it make you feel to be such a popular figure in Japan who so many people say on television?
I had my time, now is the time for fighters in this generation. I hope them to work hard to make a name for them selves for the next generation.
Wasn’t this the trainer that was widely endorsed for getting him back into shape and competitive?
It's a nonsense fight boxing is dead you have people winning world championships and still don't take on a real fight over and over and it's not just Joshua it's all of them .
Yup it was but he was heavily criticised by Fury's dad after the last fight "If he keeps hold of that team, that whole team, they will cost him his career. Ben Davidson and everyone." He said a lot more about the camp being poor etc. Maybe Tyson still listens to his old dad
Tyson is going to be a great fighter regardless of the trainer he has in his corner. That ring iq is largely self-made.
Seems bizarre, seeing as Tyson himself nearly cost himself his career. Even if all his trainer does is keep the fecker in shape and focused, then he’s probably doing what’s necessary
Charlo!
How sad was it seeing Chavez Snr upset like that, watching his son quit in the ring.
Daniël Dubois looks a seriously talented boxer. Maybe the best heavyweight of them all? His technique looks very solid and yet he punches soooo ferociously. Even his jab is lethal. I honestly think he’s already good enough to knock out all the heavyweights out there incl. Wilder, Fury and Joshua. Britain is very blessed to have so many top class heavyweights at the moment, a Golden Era for British boxing.
Before the fight Frank Warren thought DDD has a chance v AJ but didn't fancy Fury at this stage.
Another 12/18 months of good progress will see him right up there but needs a couple of gatekeeper fights first.
I wouldn't go that far quite yet. Would like to see how he copes when things aren't going all his way. At the moment he can just step through most opponents punches. He won't be able to do that against the top brass. Love his jab though, that thing is a freight train.
Didn’t get to watch the fight last night, anyone care to summarise?
Nevermind, just realised its on BT YouTube. Managed to watch the full fight since that post 
Impressive but a real mismatch
Impressive but a real mismatch
Had the privilege of having dinner with the legendary Carlos Zarate tonight. Got to try on his Hall of fame ring too.
@Inter Yer Nan what were your scores before the finsh in the Harrison-Charlo 2 fight?
I had Harrison winning 6-4 (not including the 2nd KD - so 5 in effect).
I had Harrison winning 6-4 (not including the 2nd KD - so 5 in effect).
I had Harrison up 7-3 in rounds so 3 points but Charlo evened it up with two knockdowns. I could see a round closer. I think Harrison fought a great fight he just lacks a good chin.
He got cocky as well. It was a really enjoyable fight for me. I wouldn't mind seeing the decider.
Right. Tank v Gamboa on the weekend - plus Pascal v Jack.
Up yours UK broadcasters!
Is there any boxing on this Boxing Day?
Harrison always struggles with stamina. It's been his nemesis in the pro ranks and it caught up with him again. I had quite a bit of money on Charlo to win by stoppage in rounds 8-12.
Davis looked sluggish in his fight with Gamboa as well but crucially got the KO. There's no doubt the kid can punch but whether he's technical and clever enough to take on Loma, I'm not so sure. He should step up another level in his next fight before facing Loma.
Davis will never be in Lomas class. Or Lopez’, Haney’s or Berchelt’s for that matter. He’s just a basic, solid fighter for me with a lot of weaknesses that would be exploited if he steps up and that’s the reason he’s the most protected boxer in the sport.