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Mike McCallum defends his IBF Jr Middleweight Title against former Welterweight Champion Donald Curry on HBO Boxing
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00:00The sky is aglow here in Las Vegas. It's a hot night for a hot fight in this neon desert.
00:06For HBO Sports presents the WBA Junior Middleweight Championship.
00:11Champion Mike McCallum defends his title against former welterweight champion Donald Curry.
00:16Some like it hot, but you can't tell how hot till you try.
00:23Some like it hot, so let's turn up the heat till we fly.
00:30They call him the body snatcher.
00:32Three years ago, Mike McCallum destroyed the body of Sean Mannion as he captured the WBA's vacated junior middleweight crown.
00:39Undefeated in 31 fights, he has the burning desire and ability to be one of boxing's best.
00:45Yet to many, he could be labeled the unknown champion.
00:49Well, as a person, I think I'm a beautiful person.
00:53As a fighter, I think I'm rounded. I'm the best fighter today.
00:58In our pre-fight profile, we'll introduce you to Jamaica's first world champion as we look at his struggles in and out of the ring.
01:07Some like it hot and some sweat when the heat is on.
01:15Some feel the heat and decide that they can't go on.
01:19They call him the Cobra.
01:2319 months ago, Donald Curry had hardly broken a sweat when he struck Milton McQuarrie in only two rounds to become the undisputed welterweight champion.
01:33But could he go on after facing his first defeat from an accidental butt two fights later?
01:39Since that night, the problems have only continued to mount.
01:43I knew the problems that I had.
01:47That's why, psychologically, I feel that I can't come back even much stronger.
01:53Because I knew that that wasn't me.
01:57Can he really come back?
01:59We'll see as we examine the problems and solutions of Donald Curry since his fall from champion of the world.
02:07So let's turn up the heat as champion Mike McCallum fights for the recognition he's so much desired.
02:13While former champion Donald Curry fights to overcome all his problems by winning a new title.
02:19We're scheduled for 15 rounds of what has the makings of a hot affair.
02:23So let's get hot.
02:29In the great scheme of the sport of boxing, this is not the fight of the century.
02:55Not one for the ages, not even one to bring the high rollers pouring into Las Vegas.
03:00The setting isn't grand, but rather intimate.
03:03The prize not millions, but thousands.
03:05What we do have tonight is two champions at the very top of their game.
03:09Each with something to prove at the other's expense.
03:12And that makes for a great night of boxing.
03:14And one will have the bonus of wearing a junior middleweight championship belt.
03:18As live from Las Vegas, HBO Sports presents a scheduled 15-round battle for the WBA Junior Middleweight Championship.
03:27Between the champion Mike McCallum and the challenger Donald Curry.
03:31Well, there's something that can be said for this fight that can't often be said for us as commentators and you out there at home and the 3,000 or so fans who are here at Caesars Palace.
03:41And that is that, honestly, you really don't have a clue as to who's going to win the fight.
03:46Potentially, this could be a very, very good boxing match.
03:50Hello, everybody.
03:51I'm Barry Tompkins, along with Sugar Ray Leonard and Larry Merchant.
03:54And, Ray, let's talk first about Donald Curry.
03:56He's a guy who lost a big fight.
03:58He lost after people were saying, this guy's terrific, this guy's great, this guy, pound for pound, is the best boxer ever.
04:03What happens to a fighter when he loses a fight like Curry lost to Hunnigan?
04:07Barry, I can relate to that very easily because of the personal experience.
04:11My career was going so strong until I faced Roberto Duran in Montreal in 1980.
04:15I lost that fight on a mistake because I selected to fight him a different way.
04:19It can be quite devastating.
04:21For Donald Curry, it was because of distractions, the weight, managerial problems, and other factors.
04:28I think here it affects the guy's level of confidence.
04:31So, Donald Curry, this is a very important fight psychologically, mentally, far more than physically.
04:35Does it seem strange to you like it does to me that we're talking so much about Curry and he's the challenger?
04:41Mike McCallum is the champion.
04:43I think quite naturally the talk is on Donald Curry because, again, he was considered a guy to be the shining star.
04:48So, all the focus, all the eyes are on Donald Curry's performance tonight.
04:52Larry Merchant, let's address that fight with Lloyd Hunnigan that Donald Curry lost.
04:56How did you see that fight?
04:57Did you see a fatal flaw in Donald Curry?
05:00Well, that's what a lot of people are asking, and that's why the shine is off his belt, as they say, out west.
05:06Whether there was just a fatal flaw, whether Hunnigan exposed something in Curry we hadn't seen before, that is, that he couldn't deal with a real aggressive, tough, pressure kind of fight, or whether it was just one of those nights when you lose a fight and that's all and you go on because even the greatest fighters have lost fights.
05:23To his credit, in the last ten months, Curry hasn't gone into hiding.
05:27He's fought two respectable junior middleweights coming out of the welterweight division, and now he's fighting the very best junior middleweight in the world.
05:36So that tells me something that Curry wants to put the shine back on the belt.
05:41Well, what Donald Curry did do in that fight with Lloyd Hunnigan was that he set a lot of exclamations into a lot of questions, and the one that will be answered tonight is he's still pound-for-pound the best.
05:57When you used to be called the best fighter pound-for-pound in boxing and lose that title, who could blame you for running?
06:04But Donald Curry isn't running.
06:05He's standing tall and facing his problems head-on.
06:09Last September, Curry stepped into the ring as the undefeated, undisputed welterweight champion against Lloyd Hunnigan.
06:15It was in Atlantic City that the walls came tumbling down on the, quote, best fighter in boxing.
06:20There was numbers of distractions that I was going through leading up to the fight.
06:27The weight problems, the manager problems, and the loss of one of my family members.
06:34It took his toll on me leading up to the fight, and all that probably it happened to me within a week of the fight.
06:45It didn't help matters that Curry was badly head-butted by Hunnigan, causing a cut that led to a sudden end to the fight.
06:52And new, undisputed welterweight champion of the world from London, England, Lloyd Hunnigan.
07:01To regain his status in boxing, Donald Curry was forced to acknowledge the three main factors which led to a sudden decline.
07:11Problems with head-butts.
07:13Weight problems.
07:15Managerial problems.
07:17First, the head-butts.
07:20The butt that Hunnigan gave Curry was the first in a bizarre series.
07:23In Curry's next fight, former sparring partner Tony Montgomery gave Curry a few bumps himself.
07:29Apparently desperate after losing the first four rounds, Montgomery intentionally butted Curry and was disqualified.
07:36Furious, Curry retaliated after the fight.
07:39Next was former IBF welterweight champion Carlos Santos.
07:42After a fierce battle, he too butted Curry.
07:45I guess Montgomery, even Santos, went back and seen the Hunnigan fight and he viewed the Montgomery fight and seen that, you know, that Montgomery was doing that.
07:56And unconsciously, he didn't go in the ring plan to do that.
08:00He went in the ring plan to win when he didn't see that he was going to win and he was taking the type of punishment that he did.
08:07He retaliated with the head-butts.
08:08With his trainer, Paul Reyes, Curry is now devising a new strategy which involves more head movement and less fighting flat-footed in the middle of the ring.
08:21Curry's second problem was his weight.
08:23Struggling to make the 147-pound limit against Hunnigan, Curry had to lose 11 pounds the week before the fight.
08:30He did, but lost precious energy.
08:32Also, Curry's weight difficulties could be tied to his budding problems.
08:36In moving up to 154 pounds to fight Montgomery and Santos, it's possible Curry lost some punching power.
08:42And instead of being knocked out, his opponents were able to resort to desperate measures.
08:47I'll look the box now because as a junior middleweight, I'm hitting a bigger guy and I'm putting on extra pounds.
08:54So I can't do the same type of things that I did as a welterweight.
08:58I can't do the same thing with the junior middleweight because I was hitting welterweights and they were falling and I'm hitting the junior middleweight and they're still there.
09:07The third problem Curry has worked on is who will handle his affairs.
09:10Dave Gorman managed Donald his whole career.
09:13But after the Hunnigan fight, Curry, feeling restricted by Gorman's matchmaking, signed former top-ranked promoter Akbar Mohammed to become his business manager.
09:21I didn't feel comfortable with the people that I had with me because we all had come up together.
09:30They knew, they didn't know that much about the professional game and I felt like I could trust Agbar.
09:37It's more than just a business relationship.
09:41Me and Agbar are good friends.
09:43My concern is more so beyond what the normal manager does.
09:48I don't see myself being in boxing once Donald retires.
09:52So my sole interest is just Donald Curry.
09:55Another managerial affair Mohammed is handling is Curry's pending lawsuit against Sugar Ray Leonard and his lawyer, Mike Traynor.
10:02Curry claims that in the time before he hired Mohammed, he talked to Leonard and Traynor about his future.
10:07They suggested Curry stay a welterweight, temporarily, and not set up fights with either Mike McCallum or Marvelous Marvin Hagler until Curry had cleared his obligations to promoter Bob Arum.
10:19When Sugar Ray announced his fight against Hagler only weeks later, Curry felt slighted.
10:23He now claims Leonard and Traynor purposely let him away from Hagler, leaving the door open for themselves.
10:31Did you look very seriously at any other fight?
10:34I thought about Donald Curry, but that was from a personal matter.
10:42I definitely have a score to settle with Ray also.
10:46That's why this fight is so important to me, because I definitely want to get to Ray.
10:53Because for the things that he done to me, I definitely want to score to get revenge in the ring.
11:01One of the things you don't expect to see in this sporting life is an athlete suing a broadcaster.
11:09But Donald Curry, a boy named Sue, is indeed suing a broadcaster named Ray, Ray Leonard.
11:17Well, you don't have to be a cynic to suggest that this is just a device to goad Ray Leonard into a big bucks battle down the line.
11:27It does present a bit of an awkward situation for us, because after all, Ray Leonard is supposed to offer objective, nonpartisan testimony to this fight tonight.
11:36And that's why Ray is with me.
11:38So first, Ray, let me ask you this.
11:40Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about Donald Curry, even though in your heart of hearts you might like to pour castor oil into his water bottle?
11:49Well, I tell you, that's not my make-up.
11:51I'm a professional first, and I would be very objective with Donald Curry's performance tonight.
11:56And secondly, do you think the ploy can work?
11:59Do you think that down the road, if he wins impressively tonight, if he becomes a dominant figure in the middleweight division, that you and he might settle your differences in the ring instead of in court?
12:10Well, I'll tell you, to be realistic, I prefer to settle it in court.
12:13But again, if he should perform well tonight, it would be an immense pleasure to...
12:18And you're from the black spaces.
12:20Okay, we'll fill in those.
12:22But I'm telling you, I'm going to keep tabs on you as well as on Curry tonight.
12:26All of this, of course, may be academic if he doesn't win the fight, and it's by no means a sure thing.
12:31The odds are only 7 to 5 in his favor, and they'd be less if people knew more about the champion.
12:38And if you don't know about the champion, shame on you.
12:40He can fight.
12:44For Mike McCallum, there just might be a bright side to a sometimes gloomy picture.
12:49Throughout his career, he's longed for the respect and recognition that goes with being champion.
12:53But outside Jamaica, he is unknown and misunderstood.
13:00I've got to fight my way from the bottom to come to the top, to the rough road, you know.
13:04I was concerned at one time not being recognized as most champions are.
13:10But I could watch myself growing gradually.
13:19Every year, at the end of the year, I'd find myself one step ahead, most of those steps.
13:26And I would say to myself, well, Mike, at least you are improving.
13:32You are achieving things.
13:35But his road to the top wasn't without his chuck holes.
13:38Born and raised in Jamaica, a country known more for its picturesque scenery than its history of boxing,
13:43McCallum learned his craft at a young age and represented Jamaica in the 76 Olympics.
13:47He moved to the States and turned pro in 81.
13:51Labeled unmanageable, he tossed managers and trainers as frequently as jabs.
13:56That hurt him when it came to getting the big fight.
14:00Earlier on in my career, it was great.
14:02As a matter of fact, I fought 11 times in 11 months.
14:06So it was very, very, you know, it was brisk, bam, bam, bam, at the beginning.
14:13But in terms of getting the big fights, the major fights, to let people see and know who Mike McCallum really is, it was very slow.
14:22But McCallum persevered.
14:24And in 1984, fighting out of the Cronk Gym under Emanuel Stewart,
14:28Mike became next in line to fight for either Thomas Hearns or Roberto Duran's title.
14:32Because Hearns was also fighting for the Cronk Gym,
14:34Stewart assured McCallum he would get his title shot against Duran.
14:39I think at the time, Roberto Duran was ready for taking.
14:42I was young, up and coming.
14:43I had to go to Duran.
14:46Which I wanted to go to Duran, because at the time, Duran was a much bigger name than Thomas Hearns.
14:51And I said to myself, well, Mike, the dream has come true.
14:55This is what you've been wanting all along, so long.
14:57This is what you fight for.
14:59His center stage debut never took place.
15:01Emanuel Stewart, realizing a much bigger attraction, ingeniously arranged for Hearns to fight Duran, leaving McCallum in the cold.
15:09The only consolation to this was that Duran was forced to relinquish his title to step in with the hitman,
15:14making way for McCallum and Irishman Sean Mannion to fight for the vacant title.
15:19Emanuel Stewart was now gone, and so was his money.
15:22Then, the biggest setback in his life occurred.
15:25His common-law wife of 15 years, Yvonne, died unexpectedly while he was in training camp,
15:30leaving him alone with a baby and a title to fight for.
15:34And she said to me, Mike, you don't have to worry about me.
15:38I'm going into the hospital.
15:40I'll take care of the sickness, and everything will be okay.
15:42I said, well, fine.
15:43That's a good move.
15:44So she went in the hospital, and she never came back out of life.
15:50Yvonne wanted for me so badly for me to win a championship.
15:54I feel that at the time, she would be there in my presence, and she would be my strength and my guide,
16:00with all the obstacles against me.
16:03And I went in the ring.
16:06I prayed very hard before I went in the ring, and I take it very seriously.
16:10I take $30,000 because I wanted to win this title so badly, and I did it.
16:15For the winner, by unanimous decision, Mike, the body snatcher, McComber.
16:23It hasn't taken Mike long to realize that notoriety and glitter don't always go hand-in-hand with winning the title,
16:29especially when you fight as many anonymous opponents as he has,
16:32in addition to fighting abroad much of the time.
16:34Only this past April, after TKO-ing Milton McCrory,
16:38has the boxing world stood up and taken notice of the undefeated champion and his skills.
16:43McCallum understands that he'll never be the celebrity he is in the West Indies,
16:47but what he does hope for is that after tonight,
16:49he'll receive the respect and just do of a true champion.
16:54I'm very happy where I'm at right now.
16:56Very pleased with my success and my career.
16:59And I'm going to be going on to greater things, and they better believe it.
17:03So I'm sure as the sun will shine, I'm going to get my cheer now, what's mine.
17:13And then the harder they come, the harder they fall, what I know.
17:22Well, you had a look at the champion.
17:24Here is a look at the challenger, Donald Curry.
17:26And there's been an interesting thing, Ray, in his last three fights,
17:29the outcome in large part, and in fact in two of them, has been decided by headbutts.
17:34Now, of course, you always think it's the opponent when there's a disqualification,
17:37but three times in a row seems to me, at least, to be a little bit too much of a coincidence.
17:41Well, at times, styles have a tendency to make these things inevitable, headbutts.
17:46And, like here, with Lloyd Hunnigan, I think the fact that both fighters lay with their heads,
17:52it was almost inevitable.
17:54Donald Curry, he's better when he boxes his opponent.
17:57With Montgomery here, quite naturally, this is intentional.
18:00That was dirty tactics on Montgomery Park.
18:02But Donald Curry has to start boxing his opponent.
18:05Again, with Santos, you notice Donald Curry and Santos both went in with their heads,
18:11and again, you have the headbutt.
18:12Now, what about today, fighting a guy like Mike McCallum?
18:16Mike McCallum seems, to me at least, to be much more of a straight-up-and-down guy.
18:19I don't foresee that taking place tonight.
18:21I don't think there's going to be any headbutts,
18:23because Mike McCallum is much more of a boxer,
18:26and Donald Curry should prove to be the boxer that he used to be.
18:28There is the record of Donald Curry.
18:30Oddly enough, in his 28 fights, the one that people talk about more than any other,
18:34is the one loss.
18:34That's Lloyd Hunnigan.
18:36He has 19 knockouts along the way.
18:38Of course, he has stepped up now into the junior middleweight division.
18:41That's the title he's fighting for tonight.
18:42He feels that he's stronger, but he also said when we talked to him
18:45that he throws just as hard a punch as he did as a welterweight,
18:49but people don't fall like they did.
18:51You're familiar with that, of course.
18:52You fought at both weights.
18:53Well, a lot of times, guys have natural weight,
18:55but I think with Donald Curry, he's a young man,
18:57and he's to be strong, so he shouldn't be a factor here.
19:00So this is very much of a pivotal point for Donald Curry.
19:04At this point, of course, in every fight, you talk about keys.
19:07What are the keys to victory for both men?
19:10Ray, let's look at your tip of the night.
19:12How do you see this?
19:13Well, tonight, Barry, I prefer to give a positive and a negative.
19:16The positive for Donald Curry is the right hand.
19:19It proved to be the bread and butter here with Milton McCoy.
19:22You watch here as he set his man up with the jab,
19:24and he comes across with a beautiful right hand.
19:27I think the negative that he makes is the fact he drops that left hand.
19:31Here with Lloyd Hunnigan, he drops the left hand.
19:33He takes a right hand.
19:35One thing about it, McCullough and Donald Curry,
19:37they have that in common.
19:39Here we see Mike McCullough, a relentless body puncher,
19:42just going to work, taking advantage,
19:44and he did a fine job against Julian Jackson.
19:47Mistake he makes also,
19:48Barry is dropping his left hand.
19:50Here against Sean Mannion.
19:51You see he has Mannion in trouble.
19:53Pow!
19:53The left hand comes through.
19:54Now, we talked to a number of people who saw him in training
19:58and have said that he was dropping his left hand in training too
20:01and being hit by sparring partners.
20:02Do you put anything into that?
20:03Well, I'm sure both guys will be conscious of dropping the left hand tonight.
20:08And here is the champion, Mike McCallum, looking very calm.
20:12Mike McCallum figures this is his moment in the sun.
20:15When we talked to him yesterday, he said,
20:17you know, he said, I walked by Caesar's Palace.
20:19I saw my name up in lights.
20:20He said, I've been waiting for that opportunity for a long time.
20:22In fact, he said, I watch your fights on HBO all the time.
20:26I know that my chance is going to come on HBO.
20:28And he really feels this is his time.
20:31This fight means a lot to Mike McCallum,
20:33mainly because he wants that notoriety, Burr.
20:35He wants to see his name up in lights on those huge marquees.
20:39I think the most important question I can ask you, Ray,
20:42is how good is Mike McCallum?
20:45Well, it depends on his opposition.
20:47Best mistake with the Mike Tyson, you know, Mike is so good,
20:49he has not found the guy that gives him a tough fight.
20:52Well, Mike McCallum, I think this is yet,
20:55we prove to be his toughest fight yet.
20:57I think maybe that's what makes this fight as interesting
20:59and as potentially as good a fight as it can be.
21:01It's just the fact that this is such an important fight
21:03for both of these fighters.
21:06And for both of them,
21:07they may be facing the best fighter they've faced before,
21:09which gives you the unknown factor.
21:11Without a doubt,
21:12Curry is the best fighter McCallum has ever fought.
21:14You don't know how he's going to respond to Curry's quickness.
21:17By the same token,
21:19McCallum and Hunnigan are the best fighters,
21:22surely, that Curry has ever fought.
21:23And now he's fighting a big, good man.
21:27Larry, let me ask you,
21:28when we were in Donald Curry's room the other day,
21:31he has a lot of signs up around his room.
21:33He's got a sign that says,
21:34we've got to have it.
21:35He's got a sign saying,
21:36mighty Mike will fall.
21:37And I remember you sort of expressing surprise about that.
21:40Well, you don't expect a fighter of his quality
21:43to need that kind of hype from the outside.
21:47It has to come from the inside.
21:49But I think that he wants to remind himself
21:52of how he has to get back
21:55to doing the things he did earlier in his career
21:57and to get to the place he was earlier in his career.
22:00And, of course, a big question also,
22:02how do you figure a guy whose record is 31-0
22:05is a 2-1 underdog in this fight?
22:07Well, I think one thing I want to add to those numbers.
22:11Tonight, these guys are getting in the ring
22:13for approximately, between them, the 700th time.
22:17They fought a phenomenal amount of amateur fights each.
22:21250 or so for McCallum, 400 or so for Curry.
22:25And what that means is that you have two schooled craftsmen.
22:29And it will be exciting to see
22:31whether they can break each other down,
22:33whether they can probe for weaknesses
22:35and assert their own strengths.
22:37I know myself as a fight fan,
22:39I couldn't be more excited about seeing
22:41two real professional fighters.
22:44Let's take a look at some of the numbers in this fight.
22:46And, again, they really aren't particularly significant.
22:49McCallum is 30 years old.
22:51Some say he's older than 30 years.
22:52But there's at least a five-year age difference.
22:55So that could be kind of a factor.
22:57They both came in just about at the limit
22:59of the junior middleweight.
23:00It's 154.
23:01McCallum's a quarter of a pound less.
23:02So the common opponents of these two, again,
23:05you can forget about Rigoberto Lopez.
23:07They both fought him early in their careers.
23:08But Milton McCrory could be something of a barometer.
23:11But they both knocked him out.
23:12It took McCallum a little bit longer than it did Curry.
23:15Let's look at some other numbers, Larry.
23:16This is our punch stat numbers
23:18to give you a statistical profile of how they fight.
23:21McCrory throws a lot of punches.
23:23Many of them are just probing punches.
23:26Curry is more economical and lands a higher percentage.
23:30And that same thing is reflected in the number of jabs.
23:34Many of the jabs that McCrory throws
23:35are not punches, are not designed to hurt his opponents.
23:41And we'll take a look at the rules.
23:42The 10-point must system is in effect.
23:44There will not be a standing eight count.
23:45Three judges score the fight, not the referee.
23:47A fighter could be saved with a belt only in the last round.
23:49And the only one that is significant at all,
23:51the three-knockdown rule, is in effect.
23:53Now, let's get on with it.
23:54We'll go to the ring announcer, Michael Buffer,
23:56and we'll get the pre-fight indications.
23:58Michael.
23:59Ladies and gentlemen, this next belt
24:01is a presentation of Top Rank Incorporated
24:03in association with main events promotion,
24:05Caesars Palace, and the King of Beers, Budweiser.
24:09Representing the WBA, the World Boxing Association,
24:12at ringside is Mary Sleep.
24:13This belt is sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
24:16The chairman is Dwayne Ford.
24:18The commissioners are Sam Macias,
24:20Sid Rogic, Herb Santos, and Freddie Little.
24:22And the executive director is Harold Buck.
24:25The three judges for this world title belt will be
24:28Ove Overson of Denmark,
24:30Guy Jutras of Canada,
24:32and Charlie Roth of the United States.
24:35The timekeeper is Charlie Roth,
24:37and counting for the knockdown seconds
24:39is Mike Morabito.
24:40The physicians at ringside are
24:42doctors Donald Romeo, James Game,
24:46and Elias Gunnam.
24:47And now, ladies and gentlemen,
24:51from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada,
24:55let's get ready to rumble 15 rounds
24:59for the Junior Middleweight Championship of the World.
25:05The referee for this bout is Richard Steele.
25:10Introducing first, in the red corner,
25:13he's wearing the black trunks with gold trim
25:16and weighs 154 pounds even as a professional.
25:21He's 27-1, 20 by KO.
25:25He currently holds the Junior Middleweight title
25:27under the USDA.
25:29From Fort Worth, Texas,
25:31the former undisputed welterweight champion of the world,
25:36the Lone Star Culvera,
25:38Donald Curry!
25:41And in the blue corner,
25:49wearing the gold trunks with black and green trim,
25:53weighing in this morning at 153 3.25 pounds,
25:57he is undefeated as a professional,
26:0031 in a row, 28 by knockout.
26:03He's held a world title longer than any active champion today.
26:08This is his sixth defense.
26:09Ladies and gentlemen,
26:11the Junior Middleweight Champion of the World,
26:14Mike, the body snatcher, McPaula!
26:28All right, Mike and Donald,
26:30I gave both of you instruction in the dressing room.
26:32I want to caution again,
26:33obey my commands at all times.
26:36If there's no question, shake hands, good luck.
26:39Let's go.
26:40The word from the McCallum camp is that they want to try to jump on Curry
26:45because they're not sure Curry can stand the pressure,
26:48but that would be out of character for McCallum to do.
26:52Let's see how that works out.
26:54Hunnigan, of course, brawled Donald Curry, Ray,
26:57and it was always said that that's the kind of guy that really bothers Donald Curry.
27:00McCallum is not, as Larry Merchant said, that kind of guy.
27:03Well, I disagree.
27:04I think sometimes a boxer can bother Donald Curry.
27:06You've got to break his rhythm.
27:08Donald Curry is a technician.
27:09Good hands.
27:11He waits.
27:12He sets his man up.
27:13Again, and against Bill McCallum, who was moving,
27:15Donald threw a pitch of perfect left tilt.
27:18I think here with Mike McCallum, he has to be careful, has to be cautious at all times.
27:22That wasn't a bad short right hand by Curry.
27:25And again, we mentioned earlier in Ray's tip of the night that McCallum,
27:29perhaps even more than Curry, drops his left hand.
27:32Let's watch for him.
27:33I think a punch that probably would work against Mike McCallum is the left hook of Donald Curry.
27:38It's a short and very powerful punch.
27:42And I think Mike McCallum has to be very careful about dropping that right hand.
27:46Stay right there.
27:48Stay right there.
27:49Let's go.
27:51Let's go.
27:52Let's go.
27:54George Benton, who is the trainer of Mike McCallum,
28:13said his man is an excellent defensive fighter.
28:15There was a good left hand by Curry.
28:16Heal him up.
28:17Heal him up.
28:19Let that down go.
28:20Let that down go, baby.
28:24Donald Curry seems to be quite relaxing, very, very comfortable.
28:28There was talk that he had problems making weight.
28:32But at the present time, there's no indication of that.
28:42We need to see more jazz by Mike McCallum.
28:45And what I mean more jazz, I mean up and down.
28:50And McCallum draws a warning from Richard Steele to keep his punches up.
28:54He is a body puncher, ergo the name of the body snatcher.
29:01He really hammered Julian Jackson to the body before putting him away in the second round.
29:05Short left hand by McCallum.
29:06Both fighters still a little cold here.
29:28They're not as fluent as they want to be.
29:32Again, you see what happens here.
29:40Both fighters again start to lead with the head.
29:47Let it go, let it go.
29:51And to prevent those head, but when you move down, you move left and right.
29:54You move the head to side to side.
29:55And Curry has not done that in his last three fights.
29:59Again, a warning from Richard Steele.
30:00That was a feel-out round.
30:09I felt that Curry was trying to throw the bigger stuff.
30:12You know what I mean?
30:12Right on.
30:13Now look.
30:14You feel the pressure there.
30:15He feels that pressure.
30:16You understand?
30:17Now keep that pressure right on him.
30:19Then he can't get off as quick because you got him moving, right?
30:22Now look.
30:23There you saw McCallum going to the body, but neither punch landing clearly, but the left
30:29hook that followed up did.
30:33In and out, babe.
30:34Going in, you score three or four shots.
30:36Move out on angle.
30:37In and out on angle.
30:39Moving good, in and out.
30:42Looks like y'all been working.
30:47In and out.
30:49No more foot movement.
30:50What you're seeing again is two craftsmen.
30:52You don't have a Mike Tyson or an Arnold Schwarzenegger in here.
30:58You just got two fellas who really know what this game is about.
31:03And they're trying to figure out which one of them has advantages and disadvantages.
31:08And probing for weaknesses at this point.
31:10And again, we can't talk enough about the fact that in Curry's last three fights, Butts
31:15were a deciding factor in his loss to Huntington and in his two wins over Montgomery and Santos.
31:21And in the first round today, Ray, he is doing the same thing.
31:24Well, I didn't expect that, but again, we have seen, we have witnessed it in the first round
31:29that Donald Curry is coming in with his head.
31:32McCallum also does the same thing here, but it's also inadvertently.
31:40The left hook that Mike McCullum landed on Donald Curry was a good punch.
31:46Everything was that effective, but the replay justified it.
31:49That left hook rocked Donald Curry.
31:52Curry got a right hand in during that exchange.
31:54What I like about Donald Curry, he doesn't waste anything.
32:08The way to beat Donald is to make him miss and then capitalize on it.
32:27You can't stand the record for the Donald.
32:28And of course, McCallum's style historically is to be right in front of his man.
32:34Exactly.
32:35He's getting a lot of head movement.
32:37Don't hold him.
32:38You know, the other thing is that both of these fighters have made their careers on being good,
32:43solid counterpunchers.
32:45And when you get two counterpunchers in the ring, somebody's got to go another way.
32:49Oh, for sure.
32:49But I think here, we find that both guys have been quite tactical
32:52and waiting for the other guy to make a mistake.
32:58Donald wants to feel, they both fighters, wants to get their left hook off.
33:02They're not concentrating so much on their right hand.
33:04It's been with the right hand there by McCallum, but it's been the left hook.
33:08Both have been affected.
33:10An accommodation by McCallum.
33:12And an uppercut by McCallum.
33:19Donald's trying to ride with the left hook, but his time is off.
33:23He's not really riding with it.
33:25Don't pull it.
33:27You see, inside Mike is really a master.
33:30Oh, a big right hand by Curry.
33:33That was a solid right hand.
33:35And it buckled the knees on Mike McCallum.
33:38McCallum has never been down.
33:42McCallum is still not steady.
33:46Donald needs to take advantage of this.
33:47Although, time is affecting you.
33:50Less than 10 seconds.
33:52He's a solid right hand, Barry.
34:07Stay right on top of me.
34:08Great guys from the globe, Benny.
34:09All right, now look.
34:10Stay right on top.
34:11Just there?
34:12Yeah.
34:12Now you feel all right?
34:13Yeah.
34:14Good.
34:14All right.
34:15Now you're going to be all right now.
34:16Just stay right on top of me.
34:17You got this guy going now.
34:18Keep that jab going.
34:19You understand?
34:19Okay.
34:20Mike, are you working anymore?
34:22Let's take a look and see how Curry set this up.
34:26A good right hand.
34:27And McCallum had to do everything he could to keep himself off the canvas.
34:31One thing that's pretty obvious here is that Curry has become the aggressor, although there are two counter punches, as Barry pointed out before.
34:41It's Curry who is trying to make something happen.
34:43And watch the left hand drop of Mike McCullum.
34:46Unfortunately for Curry, Ray, that was about the only thing he did in that whole round.
34:53And he never did capitalize on it.
34:55We may see a different thing this third round here.
34:57Oh, Ray, the thing that you pointed out, the left hand of McCallum's that has dropped throughout his career cost him, at least cost him that one punch and a near knockdown.
35:10And there was another right hand.
35:12I'm surprised it's the corner of Mike McCallum's intent to bring that left hand up.
35:16Bring it back to its place.
35:21Just keep an eye on McCallum's left hand.
35:23Watch where he keeps it.
35:24See, Donald is plotting.
35:29He's getting in closer.
35:30It's like a peep show.
35:31He gets in, looks for an open, and then he drops the right hand.
35:37He got a left hand in there, but he took a left hand and returned by Curry.
35:40Curry now scoring heavily with the left as well as with that right hand.
35:55It's interesting, Ray, isn't it, that Curry is also going to the body a lot in this fight.
36:11Well, I think that he found out that to bring the hands down of Mike McCallum, those body shots proved to be effective.
36:18Another right hand over the left of McCallum.
36:22Curry's punch is a lot smoother, more fluid, whereas that Mike McCallum, I don't know.
36:28He just seems to be more lethargic.
36:32I don't see the snap behind his punches.
36:36Oh, great.
36:37Stop that clean.
36:38Don't spin him.
36:38Don't spin him.
36:39Good uppercut by Curry and a left hand behind it.
37:03See, Donald doesn't need to wait.
37:04Curry does not need to wait.
37:05Curry got McCallum's attention with that left hand counter punch as well.
37:11He can take, Curry can take control of this fight if he just continues to throw punches.
37:17A lot of times, Curry puts himself in a very unfortunate position by standing side too long.
37:24Another right hand by Curry.
37:26Curry does a fighter just start to get in bad habits like McCallum's dropping at left and just not change them.
37:40I tell you, I believe in power rhythm sometimes.
37:42Sometimes you just don't feel up to it.
37:44It's like the Monday morning blues.
37:47But you just can't have those things in boxing.
37:49I think a double left hook to the back of the hand would be the job.
38:02Curry in that round was starting to beat McCallum to the punch.
38:05He is the faster-handed puncher and seems to be solving the riddle.
38:13Give me that ass left.
38:14You got to be first.
38:23You got to be first.
38:24And there is our punch stat.
38:27Look at the fight.
38:28This has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the punches.
38:33That is how hard they are.
38:34It does tell you the percentage of punches thrown and landed.
38:38And you can see that McCallum has thrown a lot more punches and landed less.
38:45About a half of the punches that Curry throws land, about a third of McCallum's.
38:51Move that shot.
38:52Move that shot.
38:52Move that shot.
38:52We're into a shot.
38:53And punch coming up.
38:54Come on.
38:54You don't come up.
38:59One thing that could be a factor.
39:01There is some swelling over the left eye of Donald Curry.
39:04And there was a little bit of a but there, too.
39:10There needs to be more punches thrown by Mike McCallum.
39:13He's being out hustled.
39:15Donald Curry gets inside.
39:16Donald Curry throws more punches.
39:18And Donald Curry, that's the last round, controlled the fight, pretty much.
39:23Another right hand by Curry and a left behind it.
39:26He's beaten Mike McCallum to the punch.
39:28That's what's happening.
39:28And a left hand by Curry.
39:34Donald now just picking his shots.
39:37And with more authority, too.
39:46The right hand of Mike has dropped.
39:48McCallum has dropped.
39:50Donald needs to go left hook.
39:51A left hand again by Curry.
40:04Mike McCallum almost seems confused by Curry.
40:06Well, as long as Donald Curry is finishing on the left hook with some other punch, he's going to lay.
40:11Bad mistake on Donald Curry's draw.
40:25He puts both feet together.
40:26He can get knocked down.
40:28Here's a good example of it.
40:30Both feet are together.
40:31He's off balance here.
40:32All McCallum has to do is push him backwards.
40:34All right, Brett, step back.
40:42Don't hit.
40:43Don't hit.
40:44They're holding him.
40:52Look at the left hand of Mike McCallum.
40:54Again is down.
40:55And there, I tell you about it, there is no zap.
40:58Get out.
40:59And Mike McCallum punches.
41:00Hunter, get out.
41:04Come on.
41:05Come on, you guys.
41:05Let's go.
41:12He does a puff in his own left eye on top of the left eye of Donald Curry.
41:16Yeah, that seems to be getting a little bit worse, too.
41:18We saw it between rounds last time.
41:20Between the last two rounds.
41:22There was a good right hand by McCallum.
41:23That would definitely turn the tables around.
41:25I tell you.
41:27Because he can poop be a handicap.
41:28As the rounds go by, that eye will close, and there will be a handicap.
41:32I'm sure the corner of Mike McCallum will pull that out.
41:41Come on.
41:41Punch it out.
41:42Don't hold him, Donald.
41:43Brett, step back, clean.
41:49They call to get worse, though.
41:51Right hand a little short by McCallum.
41:53Punch it out.
41:54Don't hold him.
41:55Punch it out.
41:56I think that's going to turn the tables around.
42:03Four good, tough, hard rounds by two good, tough fighters.
42:08Let's put them together now.
42:10Take a look at that eye and how they're treating it.
42:14Let's put them together, Don.
42:15Let's put them together.
42:16Let him work with that.
42:18They got it, Don.
42:19They got it.
42:19They got it.
42:20They got it.
42:20They got it.
42:21They got it.
42:21They're moving around, moving around.
42:24Let them make them miss, and then make them pay for it, okay?
42:26All right.
42:27Relax, baby.
42:28Start putting your speed together off those angles, all right?
42:31We'll just do anything.
42:32There you see Curry throwing the left hand, and as you can see, he's more creative than
42:40McCallum.
42:41McCallum is tough and strong.
42:44Curry is the quicker and more creative of the two of them, and here's my scorecard up
42:48to this moment.
42:49I have Curry ahead by one point in rounds.
42:52That's two, one, and one.
42:57Should mention here that Harold Lederman, who's usually our unofficial judge here at HBO,
43:02not with us this evening, so Larry Merchant wearing two hats.
43:06We come to the fifth round.
43:10And we will watch closely the swelling over the left eye of Donald Curry, which got worse
43:15in that fourth round.
43:16McCallum, even though he's taken more punishment, is unmarked.
43:23There's a great deal of resiliency in Mike McCullum.
43:26He comes back.
43:30Left hand by McCallum.
43:31Counterpunch.
43:33Dollar was throwing some beautiful combinations here.
43:42There was the right again.
43:44Right up over the top.
43:45McCullum is standing directly in front of Donald.
43:47That's why he's being hit.
43:49He needs to get some hand movement.
43:50Left and right.
43:51Side to side.
43:53He's not giving angles at all.
43:54He's directly in front of Donald.
43:56And there is a left hand by Mike McCallum that came out of the blue and to Donald Curry
44:02on his back.
44:04Two.
44:05Nine.
44:07Eight.
44:09Nine.
44:10Ten.
44:10It's all over and Mike McCallum is the champion.
44:14A classic one-punch knockout.
44:16Whoa.
44:17That was a beautiful punch.
44:20A beautiful left hook.
44:23The stronger man won is all you can say.
44:27It just appeared...
44:28At that point, Curry seemed to be dominating the fight.
44:31It seemed to be going his way.
44:34A one-punch knockout is the last thing we expected to see because that's not what McCallum
44:38is famous for.
44:40You wonder if some real witness had been exposed in Donald Curry.
44:45Donald, at an earlier stage, he seemed to be controlling the fight.
44:48Had things going his way, except for the swelling over his left eye.
44:51But then all of a sudden, out of the clear blue sky, Mike McCallum released a beautiful
44:56left hook.
44:58That is as classic a one-punch knockout as I've seen.
45:07Here's another look at it.
45:09Let's take a look, Ray.
45:10Where Donald Curry, here, again, looks like he's controlling the fight.
45:14And the left hook there.
45:15And I tell you, here it is.
45:17I saw it in the replay that Donald Curry's hands were down.
45:19Actually, he was moving backwards.
45:21I didn't think he was going to get up at this point here, Ray.
45:24He was on his back until the count of eight.
45:27Here's another look.
45:28Just as clean a shot as a fighter can have.
45:31Also, I noticed, if we get another shot of it, we see that Mike McCallum was not going
45:36straight down.
45:36This time, he was moving his head left and right.
45:38Here, we have the shot of him.
45:39You see, he's not going straight back.
45:41That's right.
45:43That took a beautiful shot.
45:45Took a step to his left, just exactly as you were saying a moment ago he should be doing.
45:49Exactly.
45:50And it paid off.
45:52That was a tremendous shot by McCallum.
45:55And you pointed out, correctly, that in the last round, the tempo of this fight started
46:01to change.
46:02Well, because of the swelling, because Donald Curry was indeed becoming handicapped with
46:07his vision.
46:08And I also noticed throughout Mike McCallum's career, he has resilience.
46:12He comes back strong.
46:13But I don't think no one expected it to be a one-punch knockout.
46:23No one can describe the feeling that's going through his man's mind now, Mike McCallum.
46:27He is so thrilled, so ecstatic.
46:30And we will take a look at the final numbers in this fight from our punch set statistics.
46:39But there's really only one number that's really important.
46:42In fact, only one punch that's really important.
46:44McCallum threw 282 punches, landed only 31 percent to Curry's 50 percent.
46:49But in the end, it was only the 282nd punch that McCallum threw that really mattered at all.
46:56Right now, let's go up to the ring announcer, Michael Buffer.
46:59We will get the official decision.
47:01Michael?
47:02Ladies and gentlemen, here is the official time.
47:05One minute, 14 seconds of the fifth round.
47:09The winner of his sixth straight title defense, still junior middleweight champion of the world,
47:15Mike McCallum.
47:26And we will get up to the ring now, where Larry Merchant trying to get himself into position
47:35with the champion, Mike McCallum.
47:38I'll hold it here until I know Larry is with Mike McCallum.
47:40Let's go up.
47:41Larry Merchant with Mike McCallum.
47:43Larry Merchant.
47:43Okay, Mike, you're now, you're still a junior middleweight champion, but I think a junior
47:50middleweight champion with a little bit more recognition, junior middleweight champion.
47:55Mike, tell us, it was a hard fight for you up until the last moment, wasn't it?
47:59Very, very hard.
48:00I expected that because Donald Curry, the very, very great champion.
48:05You know it, I do.
48:07I mean, he seemed quicker.
48:08He was landing some good punches.
48:09Were you befuddled at that point by the fourth round?
48:11The speed, in the first, earlier on, the speed was very, I didn't expect him to be that
48:16fast.
48:17I know he was a very sharp puncher, quick puncher, but I didn't expect him to be that
48:21fast.
48:22I didn't underestimate him no time at all because I know Curry, the great, great fighter.
48:27And he really buckled you and hurt you early on.
48:30Yes, he did.
48:31I mean, it was about as near to the canvas as you've ever been, isn't it?
48:34The nearest to the canvas.
48:36Okay, then what happened?
48:37How did the knockout happen from your point of view?
48:40Setting him up.
48:41I set him up beautifully.
48:42I see every time I try to get next to him, he'd be in and out.
48:46Yeah.
48:47In and out.
48:47He tried to steal me and then back out.
48:49Something similar to what McCoy was doing the last fight.
48:52Describe it here.
48:53Can you describe what you're seeing?
48:54You're seeing...
48:55Dropping his right hand.
48:56Dropping his right hand.
48:57Yeah.
48:57And moving back.
48:59Are you saying that he was in a kind of rhythm, that there was a rhythm to his movement out and
49:04in and you were timing the rhythm?
49:05Right.
49:06Timed it in.
49:07I show him the right uppercut.
49:09Show it to him because I come real slow with it.
49:11Show it to him to see it.
49:12And he was backing up and I was moving in at the same time.
49:14So he didn't know exactly what I was doing.
49:16He think I was moving to try hooking to the body.
49:19But I changed him right on top.
49:20Because every time I hop to the body, he was covering up very good inside because he knows
49:24about my body punches to the body.
49:26So I noticed he was covering up in the body very, very well.
49:31So I said, I'm going to shift to the body.
49:33Hack it if I'm going to the body.
49:34Then put it to the top.
49:36It was all over.
49:38Tell us then that had you seen something from your point of view coming into the fight that
49:43told you that you didn't think Curry could really handle someone of your natural, bigger strength.
49:49Definitely.
49:50I saw him fight twice with two junior miller weights.
49:54And he won by a headbutt disqualification.
49:59And I saw the tape with Hunnigan.
50:01And I realized he was vulnerable for a right hand and a left hook.
50:05I know he chose right hand and looked very well.
50:07So I said to myself, I won't beat him in the same punch.
50:10What now for you?
50:12Do you want to go up into the middleweight division where there's a Tommy Hearns, a Mike
50:17Elijah Day, where there might be bigger money?
50:19Is that your goal now?
50:20Definitely.
50:21Thomas Hearns, Marvin Agler, anybody's there.
50:24Moving up into middleweight, I'm going to win.
50:27It's the same way.
50:28I'm much stronger.
50:30I was very strong today.
50:31Curry got me a good left hook.
50:33And I didn't go to the canvas because I was closest to the canvas so far.
50:38Very, very good left hook.
50:39He was a great fighter.
50:41But I knew, sooner or later, because I see when I hinted about it, it was slowing down.
50:47Slowing down, gradually.
50:49And I know we had 15 rounds.
50:51I knew I'd catch up with him sooner or later.
50:52Are you going to give up your junior middleweight title to go after the middleweight,
50:56or are you just going to wait until it happens and the opportunity presents itself?
51:00Well, I'm going to talk with my angler.
51:02I think they can talk better about that than I can.
51:03But I want to say this.
51:05My country has its 25th anniversary.
51:09And I want it so badly to give them this fight for their anniversary.
51:15Happy anniversary, Jamaica.
51:17Happy anniversary, Jamaicans.
51:19I'm very happy I did it for you all.
51:21I think I did it in fine style.
51:23Couldn't be better.
51:24I hope you all enjoy it.
51:25And have a great anniversary.
51:27Thank you very much.
51:27My mom is next door to me here.
51:30I love her very much.
51:32And of course, she was here to cheer me on in the big fight.
51:35We know full of well that Donald Curry was a great, great, legendary challenger.
51:41And we know well it's going to be a tough fight.
51:43But mom prayed for me, and she believed in me, and I win this fight.
51:46And the left hook helped a little bit, too.
51:48Okay, thank you, Mike.
51:49And back to the ringside.
51:50Thank you very much.
51:53All right, thanks very much, Larry Merchant.
51:55And, you know, Mike McCallum, I found him to be really a very, very nice guy.
51:58That's about the best way I can think of to describe him.
52:00He's just a very good guy.
52:01He's a very unpretentious guy.
52:02And when we were sitting and talking with him the other day, he said something,
52:06and I don't think he said it in a braggadocious kind of way,
52:08but he just said very quietly, I think Donald Curry is overrated.
52:13And I think he went out and proved that tonight.
52:15Well, I think justice prevails here.
52:18Tonight, Mike McCallum was a judge, and he gave the final verdict that he was indeed champion.
52:23I'm very happy for Mike McCallum, because now he'll be recognized as truly a good champion.
52:29Speaking of judges and final verdicts, do you settle a case out of court here?
52:34Well, I'll tell you one thing about this.
52:36That fight had a lot to do with everything.
52:39It was self-explanatory tonight.
52:41All right, let's get back up to the ring now.
52:42Larry Merchant is with Donald Curry.
52:44Larry, Donald, you seemed to be taking control of the fight when you got hit with the left hook.
52:51What happened?
52:53I don't know.
52:54I just got careful, and Mike McCallum with the left hook.
52:58Do you remember that you were beating him to the punch, that you almost knocked him down in the second round?
53:04Yeah, I remember a lot, but I don't know what happened, really.
53:09Is there something missing, Donald?
53:11Did you have to work too hard to make weight?
53:13Do you feel that there's something gone from you after the Huntington loss?
53:17Oh, no, not really.
53:18I just, I really don't know.
53:21He just caught up with me.
53:22I don't, I really don't know.
53:24Are you going to stay with it, go back to welterweight?
53:26Oh, I'm just going to evaluate this and then go back.
53:31You're in a bit of shock now.
53:33You fought a good fight up until that moment.
53:35I'm sure we'll see you again.
53:37Donald?
53:38Larry?
53:39Okay, thanks, Larry.
53:40Tough loss for Donald Curry.
53:42Big win for Mike McCallum, who answered the question, who?
53:47Well, you know, two weeks from tonight, we're going to be bringing you the culmination of the HBO Heavyweight Unification Series.
53:52That's a series, of course, that began 16 months ago with three different heavyweight champions.
53:58It's been a long road to where we are, and let's take a quick look from beginning to end.
54:04...to prove itself by going through a process of elimination, a series of events, which we call the Heavyweight World Series,
54:10to bring one champion, two to four, by the merits of his talent and ability.
54:16It all started with Pinklin Thomas taking on Trevor Burbick, with much of the talk centering around the fact that Thomas was a bona fide candidate to win the whole thing.
54:25End of conjecture.
54:26When the dust of this one had cleared, Trevor Burbick was wearing the belt emblematic of the WBC champion.
54:32Meanwhile, Michael Spinks had already beaten Larry Holmes once, but still had to prove himself to a rather skeptical public.
54:40But the second time around, it was even more clear-cut.
54:44Spinks was a winner, and it was out with the old, in with the new.
54:48Michael Spinks was now the public choice.
54:53For the winner, by a split decision, and still, the ICF.
54:58While all the bickering was going on, Mike Tyson was already being talked about as the best of the lot.
55:06When he fought Trevor Burbick for the WBC title, Mike Tyson made it clear he was taking no prisoners.
55:13Tyson fought often.
55:15He fought effectively.
55:16And he wanted it all.
55:17So, if not Thomas and not Burbick, then who was the best of the rest?
55:24Tim Witherspoon spoke up when he beat Frank Bruno, but was silenced in one round by the athlete named Bonecrusher Smith.
55:30Smith's reign as champion was short-lived.
55:32He lost the 12-round hugging match with Tyson, and that brought the aforementioned Pinkman Thomas back into the spotlight.
55:39For a short time, Tyson dropped him in six.
55:41On the same car, Tony Tucker, who had toiled in anonymity throughout his career, took on Buster Douglas for the IBF title that was vacated by Michael Spinks when he opted for Jerry Cooney in that non-championship championship fight.
55:55Tucker won in ten to set up the battle for it all.
55:58On August 1st, Mike Tyson and Tony Tucker teed up for the IBF, WBC, and WBA heavyweight championship.
56:06Well, Ray Leonard, we speculated that this could be a very good fight, as we remind you that we will be with you again on August 1st at 9.30 Eastern, 6.30 Pacific, for the Tyson-Tucker fight.
56:18That one for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
56:20But to talk a little bit further about the match that we saw tonight, we said it might be a good fight, and it really was a good fight for as far as it went.
56:27Well, I tell you, a lot of people felt that Mike McCullen could not hold his own against Donald Kerr.
56:32But they had to understand that Mike McCullen was a determined champion, or is a determined champion, of resiliency, and the guy wanted to win.
56:40I mean, there was a lot, a lot of motivation there.
56:42It was a very good victory for him, and it was a case, I think, one of the few cases of nice guys finishing first.
56:48And we'll remind you to stay tuned immediately following HBO's World Championship boxing coverage for Ray Bradbury Theatre, the town where no one got off.
56:56That will be followed by Running Scared.
56:58And be sure to join us two weeks from tonight, when on August 1st, boxing will have a unified heavyweight champion for the first time since 1978.
57:06As the WBA and WBC champion Mike Tyson meets the IBF champion Tony Tucker in the final fight of HBO's heavyweight unification series.
57:15So, for Larry Merchant and Sugar Ray Leonard, I'm Barry Tompkins saying so long from Las Vegas.
57:20The executive producer of HBO Sports is Ross Greenberg, running the ship for the first time, and congratulations to Rick Bernstein.
57:30The show was directed by Mark Payton.
57:32The feature producers are Mike Whalen and Dave Harmon.
57:35The associate producer, Steve Salvatore.
57:38The assistant to the producer, Brian McDonald.
57:40And the production manager, Ralph Cohen.
57:43The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:13The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:43The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:44The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:45The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:46The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:47The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:48The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:49The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:50The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:51The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:52The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:53The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:54The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:55The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:56The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:57The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:58The show was directed by Mark Payton.
58:59The show was directed by Mark Payton.
59:00The show was directed by Mark Payton.
59:01The show was directed by Mark Payton.
59:02The show was directed by Mark Payton.
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