Paul Barker
08.08 - It's the wave of the future. Whether we're talking baseball, football, hockey, or lawn darts (ha ha), the trend is toward bigger, stronger - but not necessarily more skilled - athletes. Heavyweight boxing is already teeming with giants, several of whom would have towered over Primo Carnera. For a comparative "little guy" to survive as a heavyweight, he must overcompensate in some other area (speed, strength, technique, etc.)
One nightmare-inducing opponent for smaller fighters has to be Jameel McCline. He is a 6'6", 260-pound mountain of muscle, whose convincing wins over Shannon Briggs, GooFi Whitaker and Michael Grant have rocketed him pretty close to the top of the heap. His record stands at 28-2-3, and he has not lost since his fifth bout.
Of his 28 victories, 16 have come by knockout. An impressive enough statistic, but it's the QUALITY of McCline's stoppages that rightly commands attention. In January 2001, 6'5" King Ipitan (19-2-1) was flattened within a round by a humongous McCline combination; in July of that same year, Michael Grant fared even worse. The highly regarded Grant was caught by McCline's very first punch - a left hook David Tua would have envied - and collapsed backwards onto the canvas, severely injuring his ankle. He attempted to continue, pathetically hopping about on one leg until the referee took pity on him and called a halt to the bout at the 43-second mark.
McCline is yet another example of "redemption-thru-boxing." His very decision to become a fighter was made in prison, where he was winding up a five-year term for gun running. Upon release, the twenty-five-year-old plunged straightaway into the pro ranks, debuting against Brian Nix, scoring a TKO in the first round.
His second fight was much like his first - in reverse. The as-yet-undefeated Gary Bell destroyed him within a round. After five fights, Jameel's record stood at 2-2-1. His shaky start was attributed to his utter lack of amateur experience.
He found extensive work as a "sparring partner to the stars," learning much from the likes of Lennox Lewis, Kirk Johnson, Ray Mercer, and Larry Holmes. He incorporated yoga into his training regimen and found it dramatically improved his mobility, breathing, and mental focus. To further hone the latter (and to eradicate some of his boxing-related fears), he even began consulting a hypnotist on a regular basis.
The result of this colossal effort? He never lost again. He knocked down and otherwise outpointed former cruiserweight champ Alfred Cole. He was dominant in his clash with "GooFi" Whitaker. Against the more polished Shannon Briggs (that poster boy for unrealized potential), his inner toughness and resolve were all he needed. Jameel McCline now finds himself in the hallowed upper tier of the heavyweight division, and we can only speculate, as of this writing, who his next opponent may be.
I could see him in there with Kirk Johnson, Hasim Rahman, or even Vitali Klitschko. I'm not saying he'd win these contests, necessarily, but I do believe he'd make fights out of them. He seems particularly effective against lethargic opponents, so if he catches Lennox on an off night… who knows?
What's not to like about "Big Time" McCline? He's 6'6", 260 pounds, with no appreciable body fat. For a man of these dimensions, he moves exceptionally well. He is hungry, focused, and trains his ass off in the gym. He draws upon his years of adversity for inspiration.
His successful navigation through the murky waters of his past has empowered him to a degree few of us will ever understand.
If there's a chink in the armor of Jameel McCline, it's his age. He's thirty-two - three years older than the veteran David Tua. If he's gonna tear ass in this division, the time is now!
Then again, Grandma Moses didn't get around to painting till she was damn near eighty…
