Home Boxing News Lennox Lewis v Oliver McCall II: 21 Years Later

Lennox Lewis v Oliver McCall II: 21 Years Later

21 years ago, Las Vegas saw one of the most bizarre incidents in world heavyweight championship boxing when former Lennox Lewis conqueror, Oliver McCall suffered what looked like a mental breakdown when he was campaigning for the WBC crown against the Brit in a rematch staged at the Hilton hotel.

The fight occurred back in February 7th in 1997 with his fellow supporters mainly predicting a Lewis win despite what happened in their previous fight in 1994 when the Canadian born boxer was floored and then stopped while trying to steady himself on rubbery legs in 2 rounds. McCall started positively the second time around, charging in and putting pressure on his opponent and listened intently to his trainer, the legendary George Benton.

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The Hilton hotel in Las Vegas.

In the 3rd, things improved for Lewis when he began to find his range. He got his jab working and hammered in right hands that must have heavily disheartened McCall despite the fact that he began to showboat in front of the crowd, perhaps attempting to relay the message that whatever Lewis was equipped with he could handle. When the bell rang, he refused to go back to his corner, instead opting to pace around the ring for the entire sixty seconds. Benton, with a disgraced look on his face, shouted to McCall to come to him but his pleas were ignored.

In the 4th, the Chicago born fighter weirdly continued to calmly walk around the ring as if he was taking a calm stroll through a park. There were moments during these three minutes in which Lewis looked a little hesitant about how to proceed, but he kept his composure and continued to stick with what he knew best which was throwing out the jab and waiting patiently to see what happens. McCall repeated what he did before at the end of this round, but his meltdown must have reached it’s peak because he began to weep.

McCall

Referee, Mills Lane came over to the former world champion to see what the situation was all about, and at this point his team practically forced him to sit on his stool.Lane asked him if he wanted to continue fighting and Oliver expressed his wish to. But his mindset was still elsewhere, and it was plain to see that this man was in no fit state to be participating in a world heavyweight championship contest! Mills obviously agreed because, after giving him a little more time to prove that he could get back into the fight, he waved the bout over and led McCall back to his corner.

Lewis celebrated his win, despite wearing a little look of confusion and told in his post fight interview that he thought that it was possible that the other championship candidate was perhaps trying to lull him into a false sense of security by playing mind games. McCall did not give any interview, instead choosing to walk straight back to his changing room as soon as the fight was declared over.

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Lennox Lewis celebrates after his unusual victory.

He attended a post fight press conference the next day, telling the media that he was trying to do a “kind of rope-a-dope.” Oliver was examined by a psychiatrist by the name of Leonora Petty and she proclaimed that he actually was mentally sound. However, two months later in April of 1997, he was ordered to stay in a hospital to treat his mental demons because another practitioner said that he had actually become a danger to himself and others! McCall was still unable to pick up his $3,000,000,000 purse which had been held pending an investigation by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Before the rematch with Lewis, it had been reported that Oliver had been arrested in both Nashville and in North Carolina for drug related offences including taking cocaine. It also had not been long since he left rehabilitation related to drugs and was currently then undergoing counselling and supervision. Does this sound like somebody who was able to stay focused on fighting for one of sport’s richest prizes? No, I don’t think so either. The Nevada Commission was reluctant to authorise him to fight that February night despite passing all the required medical tests. So, they knew something was going on.

Who is to blame then? Don King? The now 86 year old promoter was heavily criticised for demanding that his boxer fight despite knowing the horrible circumstances that was then presently going on in Oliver McCall’s life.

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Don King took the brunt of the blame for allowing Oliver McCall to fight.

Eventually, the $3,000,000,000 purse for one of boxing’s most strangest and extraordinary fights was given to ‘The Atomic Bull’, although he was fined $250,000.

Happily, it can be confirmed that McCall is now clean and free of life damaging substances and appears to be in a more happier place these days. But what happened the night of February 7th, 1997 will always be looked back upon with perplexing curiosity.