FUNDAMENTALS Essential tools for the boxing deep dive By Tom Gray
LOST FIGHT: Sonny Liston KO 3 Zora Folley » July 18, 1960, The Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado In the early 1960s, Liston was the No. 1-rated heavyweight contender, according to The Ring, and legitimately feared. Folley, The Ring’s No. 2 contender, was arguably the best pure boxer in the sport’s glamour division and, like Liston, he wanted his first shot at becoming champion. However, despite the bout’s significance, there is not a shred of footage available from Liston vs. Folley as it approaches its 65th anniversary. The story goes that Archie Moore was set to take on former
MUST-READ: Muhammad Ali: His Life & Times » By Thomas Hauser (Simon & Schuster, 1991)
FORGOTTEN CLASSIC: Sumbu Kalambay UD 12 Mike McCallum » March 5, 1988, Palazzo Dello Sport, Pesaro, Italy
posting six defenses of the WBA junior middleweight crown. His fifth-round, one-punch knockout over Curry sent shockwaves through the sport and led to him being installed as the favorite to unseat Kalambay, who had recently claimed the vacant WBA middleweight crown at the expense of Iran Barkley. The oddsmakers were wrong. Kalambay took control early, doubling and tripling an eyeblink-quick left jab into the face of the challenger. By controlling distance so perfectly with his feet, he
The life and career of Muhammad Ali have been recounted innumerable times over the decades. We’ve had books, magazines, documentaries, repeated long-form interviews and two feature-length biopics exploring every facet of the most celebrated career in boxing history. Muhammad Ali: His Life & Times is the
forced McCallum to overreach and then took advantage with a varied array of sharp counterpunches. McCallum wasn’t dominated and performed well, but he was a step behind against a cerebral and finely tuned champion who boxed the fight of his life. Kalambay solidified his victory in the championship rounds as his passionate home support yelled his nickname, “Patrizio,” down the stretch. The decision was unanimous for Kalambay (118-114, 116-115, 115-114), and he’d earned it. Given the quality of the opponent and the performance level that Kalambay maintained throughout, this win could very well make the short list for best boxing displays of the decade. Without exaggeration, the defending champ was brilliant. Following this epic triumph, Kalambay
German Olympian Erich Schöppner on a closed-circuit doubleheader, but when Moore withdrew, so did the financial support for the domestic telecast. If you weren’t in the arena, you didn’t see this fight.
definitive account of “The Greatest.” Its author (and Ring Magazine contributor) Thomas Hauser made the
transition from law firm associate to writer long before this book was published, but his former occupation shines through in a brilliantly researched and award- winning biography. Hauser covers Ali’s life in chronological order, from his humble beginnings in Louisville to the fights that made the world stop, as well as his rapid
What we do know from reports is that Liston had a look at Folley in Round 1 before smashing him to the canvas early in the second. Refusing to go out without a fight, Folley immediately went on the attack and backed up his fearsome foe with a sustained assault. Unfortunately, the Arizona- based contender’s success was short-lived, as he was decked again before the bell and finished off early in Round 3. Despite the lack of TV rights, the bout set a gate record in Denver with 9,252 paid fans bringing in $77,406.55. Four weeks earlier, Floyd Patterson had become the first man in boxing history to regain the heavyweight championship of the world. The unassuming peek-a-boo knockout artist had separated Swedish puncher Ingemar Johansson from his senses with a powder-keg left hook from hell at the Polo Grounds. Liston would score three more bone-crushing victories before finally securing a title shot against Patterson in September 1962.
decline and rebirth as a humanitarian. Each chapter contains first-person accounts from the individuals who were around the great former champion at specific times in his life. Contributing is Ali himself, almost every opponent he ever shared the ring with, family members and countless boxing insiders. When you reach the chapter on The Thrilla in Manila, you can almost feel the heat.
Kalambay vs. McCallum
Any longtime boxing enthusiast hears the name Mike McCallum and fondly recalls the Jamaican- born boxer-puncher as one of the finest fighters of the late ’80s and early ’90s. “The Body Snatcher” was a world titleholder in three weight classes, junior middleweight to light heavyweight, and could do it all in the ring. He prevailed in classic battles with the likes of Milton McCrory, Donald Curry, Julian Jackson and Steve Collins during his Hall of Fame career. However, McCallum’s first professional defeat came against a demure boxing savant who hailed from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and made his home in Marche, Italy. Sumbu Kalambay was far from a household name, but the former middleweight titleholder was as classy a stylist as you could ever wish to see. The 32-0 McCallum was moving up in weight after
would score impressive wins over Robbie Sims and Doug DeWitt before his infamous first-round destruction at the hands of another future Hall of Famer, Michael Nunn. But before he was finished, Kalambay would double up on a points victory over the excellent Herol Graham and outpoint Steve Collins. McCallum would avenge the loss via 12-round split decision in April 1991. The first Kalambay vs. McCallum fight was broadcast live in the U.S. by ABC in the afternoon, so it would have had a significant audience. However, the fight, much like Kalambay, who should frankly be included on the Hall of Fame ballot, seems to have been unfairly forgotten. If this fight has passed you by, then do your best to locate it on YouTube or source it from a collector. You can’t go wrong!
76 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
RINGMAGAZINE.COM 77
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs