by James Slater – A reasonably intriguing heavyweight match-up pairing two heavyweight veterans is set to take place on October 23rd, in Las Vegas, according to FightNews.com. Former WBC heavyweight champion and current holder of the IBA bauble Oliver McCall will meet Lance “Mount” Whitaker in a clash of punchers.
McCall, now aged 44, has won his last two bouts, in a comeback that followed a nineteen month layoff after “The Atomic Bull’s” points loss to Juan Carlos Gomez.. Whitaker, now aged 37, has also won his last two, in a ring return that followed a fifteen month layoff that came after he was out-pointed by Jason Estrada. Now, while still hoping for a final shot at a major title before they finally call it quits, the two ageing warriors collide in what is a must-win fight for both men.
Whitaker, a huge man at 6’8″ and approx 250-pounds, is currently 34-5-1(28), and it could be argued he is the bigger puncher of the two fighters. McCall, now 53-9(37) can also bang, of course, and his chin has never once been dented. Though the older man, the man who held the WBC crown from September of 1994 to September of 1995 will likely start favourite. Whitaker remains a dangerous man, though, and he will know how a win over McCall will help him on his latest comeback.
The man once known as “Goofi” will have a big edge in height over McCall, as he has over most fighters he meets, and the 37-year-old has a decent shot at winning on points. McCall struggled a bit last time out, when he out-pointed Franklin Lawrence over ten rounds in a fairly close one. Was this performance a sign that the former champ is getting old and tired? Of course, we don’t know how much Whitaker has left. His recent wins, over Danny Batchelder and then Matthew Ellis, didn’t prove too much, apart from to let us know Whitaker has got himself in good physical shape.
Whitaker has spoken of his desire to get a shot at one of the Klitschkos, and he has also said that, because of his height and reach, he is the only guy around who can topple the giants. In truth, Whitaker’s chances of landing a fight with either Wladimir or Vitali are slim, but you can’t blame the 37-year-old for aiming as high as he can. A win over McCall, though far from a title earning victory, would get some people talking about Whitaker and his comeback.
A loss for either man will likely force retirement, and as a result both guys will enter the ring in shape and ready to rumble. As old as he is, it’s tough to imagine McCall getting stopped, but on the other hand McCall could stop Whitaker. I think the old warhorse from Chicago will pull out a close points win instead.