Jamaicanboxing legend Mike McCallum, who was a three-weight world champion during the 1980s and 1990s, has died at the age of 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.
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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.”
