Las Vegas, Nevada — Mike McCallum, the Jamaican middleweight boxer who held titles in three divisions, died here on May 31 at age 68.
Jamaican media reports that McCallum fell ill while driving to the gym where he worked. He pulled off the road and was later found unresponsive by police.
Known as The Bodysnatcher because of his devastating punches to the body, he was WBA and WBC champion in the super welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions. He excelled as a middleweight during the 1980s. During this time, he defeated highly-touted Americans Milt McCrory and Donald Currie.
Leroy Brown used to be the president of the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control. He thinks McCallum is one of the top 10 middleweights in boxing history.
“There’s no ifs or buts about it, anyone willing to fight Mike he beat them. In his prime, he could beat anybody,” Brown told South Florida Caribbean News.
Olympic Appearance
Born in Kingston, McCallum fought as a welterweight for Jamaica at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. There, he reached the quarter-finals. Injury prevented him from fighting in the Moscow Olympics four years later, and he turned professional in 1981.
In October, 1984, he defeated Ireland’s Sean Mannion for the WBA super welterweight title at Madison Square Garden.
McCallum was at his peak during the 1980s when the middleweight division was dominated by marquee fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, and Roberto Duran. His trainers included high-profile conditioners Lou Duva and Emmanuel Steward.
Final Bout
After losing to James Toney in 1997, McCallum retired from boxing with a record of 49 wins, five losses, and one draw. Six years later, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
