BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE – OLIVER MCCALL

Oliver McCall is an American heavyweight that gave 3 decades of his life to the sport of boxing. The Chicago native, known as The Atomic Bull, fought from 1985 to 2018. His record is 58-14, with 37 victories coming from knockout fashion. After retiring at the age of 49, he continued his career with a win over Larry Knight at the age of 53. The win over the 26-year-old showed his grit and hard work that once made him a champion.

McCall’s claim to fame was his upset victory over Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight title in 1994. After crying during his walk up at Wembley Arena, McCall scored a 2nd round TKO with an aggressive counter right hand. Big names were very involved in the fight, with Joe Frazier as McCall’s trainer, and Don King as his promoter.  This was King’s return to the top of the heavyweight division after Mike Tyson lost the title in 1990. Working with Don King gave Oliver the chance to spar with the likes of Mike Tyson and Bertram Cooper.

The following year, McCall defeated ex-champ Larry Holmes in Las Vegas to retain his WBC title. Many critics claimed it wasn’t an impressive victory, as all three scorecards were very close against a 45-year-old veteran. Five months later, McCall lost his title to British power-puncher  Frank Bruno in a slow-paced 12 round bout. For someone defending a heavyweight title, McCall seemed uninterested for the majority of the fight.  He came to life in the 10th round with a flurry of big punches, but it proved to be too late. The lack of urgency cost him the title and foreshadowed what was to come.

The next two years were a rollercoaster for McCall. He was able to claim two easy victories, but fell into a battle with drug addiction and law enforcement. Coming off multiple trips to rehabilitation, Don King edition, McCall landed a rematch against Lennox Lewis for the vacant WBC heavyweight title. The 1997 title fight in Las Vegas drew a crowd of 4500 fans. Lewis came into the fight as a 4 to 1 favorite, with redemption on his mind.

To start off the bizarre night, McCall sprinted to the ring during his walk in music. After 2 rounds of Lewis dominating, The Atomic Bull had what can only be described as a nervous breakdown and refused to fight back. He reluctantly walked around the ring with his hands down, shaking his head often. At the end of round 3, McCall refused to sit down in his corner. His trainer at the time, George Benton, continuously yelled, “don’t do this to yourself!” After another round of meaningless boxing, McCall broke down into tears in his corner. Referee Mills Lane approached and asked Oliver if he still wanted to fight, and regardless of a vague response, the fight continued. McCall continued his lack of urgency, sobbing and walking away from Lewis in rounds 4 and 5. 55 seconds into round 5, Mills Lane was forced to wave off the fight. Ending one of the strangest fights in boxing history.

After his freakout moment, McCall went on to rattle off 11 straight victories. He resurrected his career with a 10th round KO win over Henry Akinwande in 2001. Unfortunately, he was arrested shortly afterwards and imprisoned for over a year. He continued to bounce back from legal and mental obstacles for the next 15 years. His perseverance is something everyone should admire. On top of his own 3 decades of experience in the ring, his son Elijah McCall was also a heavyweight boxer. The 32-year-old achieved a seven-win streak before losing to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2012.

Happy 55th birthday, Oliver “The Atomic Bull” McCall. Thank you for your commitment to the boxing world.

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