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February 22nd, 1997. James “Lights Out” Toney and Mike McCallum aka “Bodysnatcher” collided for the 3rd and final time with the vacant WBU (1995-2004) Cruiserweight Championship on the line. This rubber match took place about 4 and half years after their 2nd meeting.

Prefight records; Toney 53(35)-3-2, McCallum 49(36)-4-1.

They fought in December 1991 and August 1992 where Toney successfully defended his IBF Middleweight Title both times via D12 and MD12 respectively. Dazzling tactical skills and ring intelligence were in full display in their previous 24 rounds of pugilistic beauty.

Going into the fight, the 40 year old McCallum had won world titles in 3 weight divisions; Light Middleweight, Middleweight & Light Heavyweight where he had victories over the likes of Sean Mannion, Julian Jackson, Milton McCrory, Luigi Minchillo, Jeff Harding, Michael Watson, Ayub Kalule, Donald Curry, Steve Collins & Sumbu Kalambay throughout his seasoned 16 year career.

On the other hand, 28 year old Toney was world champion in 2 weight classes; Middleweight & Super Middleweight with notable wins over Glenn Wolfe, Francesco Dell'Aquila, Prince Charles Williams, Doug DeWitt, Tony Thornton, Tim Littles, Merqui Sosa, Mike McCallum, Reggie Johnson & Michael Nunn.

Just as in their 2 previous bouts, Toney and McCallum exhibited elite-level boxing skills and ring acumen but as a whole Toney connected with power shots (particularly his patented counter right hand) more accurately and at a higher rate. His 12 year age advantage was evident, as he displayed much better hand speed and reflexes against the battle scarred veteran.

The majority of the rounds were very closely contested, but Toney was clearly more effective despite having short periods of inactivity; he landed 434 punches out of 952 thrown against the Bodysnatcher who connected with 270 punches out of 749 punches thrown.

After 12 rounds, James Toney became the new WBU (1995-2004) Cruiserweight Champion via UD12 to close the chapter of their vastly underrated trilogy of fights.

The 3 judges scored it 117-111 & 115-113 (2x) for Toney.

Overall, it was a tactically competitive affair (just as in their previous meetings) for 36 minutes of brilliant tactical action with a number of close rounds but Toney had apparently did better against the game McCallum, who showed tremendous determination to win although he was past his best at 40 years of age.

It is also worth nothing that this was the heaviest weight the Bodysnatcher fought in, at 181 pounds.

The James Toney vs Mike McCallum rivalry is perhaps one of the most skillfully fought 36 rounds of boxing despite the fact that it is one of the least mentioned, most underrated series of fights in the history of the sport.

After this defeat, Mike MCCallum’s record fell to 49(36)-5-1 and he proceeded to retire from the sport.

On the other hand, Toney remarkably continued fighting for another 20 years before ending his career at 48 years of age with a final record of 77(47)-10-3.

Hope you guys enjoy my highlights of the final fight between 2 superbly skilled fighters, and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE!

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