# Sumbu Kalambay: A True Master



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Here's some fights of all-round boxing genius Sumbu Kalambay, a Congolese fighter based in Japan who claimed to have been inspired to fight after seeing Ali-Foreman in his native Zaire.

Kalambay could do it all. A brilliant counter puncher with an accurate jab, it was how Kalambay navigated the ring that was most impressive, blended with a defensive radar that allowed him to slip and evade with alarming consistency. He put on one of _the_ filmed masterclasses against fellow great technician Mike McCallum.

Here is just some to get us started, please post with your thoughts and videos about this whole era of fighters if you wish :good

*Against former middleweight champion and another underrated technician, The Great Ugandan Ayub Kalule, who had given Ray Leonard some hassle at his very best. Finally released from the shackles of making 154lbs, Kalule manages to give Kalambay some trouble here. Knockdowns (or are they?) and some hard to score action here. Controversial decision?*






*Herol 'Bomber' Graham was undefeated, but recently split from Brendan Ingle. On the brink of a title shot, the awkward and talented Graham took on the man whom Kalule had 'beaten'. Hard to score, and with a few rounds missing. Watch out for Sumbu sparking Graham clean, if only for a second, in the final round :yep*






*And so Sumbu faced off with Iran 'The Blade' Barkley for the vacant WBA title. Kalambay schooled the dangerous Barkley, who tried to put it all together here but was completely outmatched.*






*The undefeated 'Body Snatcher' would surely give Kalambay fits in the technical department? Nope, Sumbu put on an awe-inspiring performance.*





















*In a bout against a man already the no.1 middleweight in the eyes of some, Kalambay was caught cold by a well placed blow and sparked in the first round by rangy southpaw phenom Michael Nunn.*






*After finding his feet again, Kalambay had a rematch with Mike McCallum. In one of the greatest technical battles of the era and a fight that could've gone either way, these two masters of The Sweet Science engaged each other in a battle of wits and, more importantly, fists.*





















Any fans of Patrizio Ali in the house???


----------



## ScouseLeader (May 31, 2012)

I haven't seen enough of Kalambay. You know I'll be all over this thread tomorrow, those fights are getting watched!


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Remember when I suggested you watch Marcel-Arguello that time? It had a profound effect on you :yep

Watch Kalambay-McCallum my friend :good


----------



## ScouseLeader (May 31, 2012)

You know what, I will do :good


----------



## Jim Bowen (Jun 2, 2012)

Downloading both the McCallum fights as I type, gonna watch them before US card hopefully


----------



## Bajingo (May 31, 2012)

Nice post Flea, someone I've hardly seen any footage of :good


----------



## Indigo Pab (May 31, 2012)

I <3 Kalambay, as you know. Intend on watching those fights again starting from next week hopefully, as you also know.:yep


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

It's always good to know there are fighters out there of the highest quality that aren't necessarily ATGs. Is Kalambay? Probably not but a brilliant operator so worth a watch nonetheless IMO.


----------



## ScouseLeader (May 31, 2012)

Jim if you get round to watching at least the 1st one, we'll compare scorecards :yep


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

You won't need to :yep


----------



## Teeto (May 31, 2012)

he was a fine pure boxer, nice one flea man


----------



## Jim Bowen (Jun 2, 2012)

ScouseLeader said:


> Jim if you get round to watching at least the 1st one, we'll compare scorecards :yep


Just gonna watch the first now, maybe 2nd as well. How did you have it? Read on here its a bit of a masterclass from Kalambay?


----------



## Teeto (May 31, 2012)

it's such a fantastic performance


----------



## BoxingAnalyst (Jun 4, 2012)

Top thread Flea, Kalambay was indeed a master boxer.


----------



## ScouseLeader (May 31, 2012)

Jim Bowen said:


> Just gonna watch the first now, maybe 2nd as well. How did you have it? Read on here its a bit of a masterclass from Kalambay?


I posted my thoughts in the 'What fight did you watch today' thread.

Yeah, pretty much a masterclass from Sumbu.


----------



## DrMo (Jun 6, 2012)

Kalmabay was based in Italy, not Japan. Tremendous boxer, his 2 fights with McCallum are outstanding.

Good thread, I havent seen the Barkley fight before & look forward to watching it later


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Fuck knows where that came from atsch

PATRIZIO ALI is clearly from Italy, I'm more than aware, thanks for pointing that out mo :good


----------



## ScouseLeader (May 31, 2012)

Is there no full version of Kalambay/Graham anywhere on the web?


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Nope. It is out there though (I think!) but I only have ITV edits of both fights.


----------



## WelshDevilRob (Jun 3, 2012)

Kalambay is often under appreciated and overlooked. He was top class and a fine boxer. Has some great wins on the record over the likes of Graham and McCallum. Still, don't understand what went wrong in the Nunn fight seems an aberration.


----------



## natonic (Jun 13, 2012)

WelshDevilRob said:


> Kalambay is often under appreciated and overlooked. He was top class and a fine boxer. Has some great wins on the record over the likes of Graham and McCallum. Still, don't understand what went wrong in the Nunn fight seems an aberration.


While Kalambay-McCallum I is certainly the signature Kalambay effort, I certainly enjoy his efforts against come forward tough guys Barkley and Dewitt:


----------



## Vic (Jun 7, 2012)

Nice to see you here Natonic. :good


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

@natonic hope I didn't get you in any trouble. The PMs I sent have caused me to rceive a lifetime ban over on ESB.

A lot of the research for the Thai book was in PMs. Looks Like that project is dead and buried now, I'm sorry to say.


----------



## Teeto (May 31, 2012)

he was quality


----------



## DrMo (Jun 6, 2012)

Watched the Barkley fight the other day. 

Style-wise Barkley was made for a slickster like Sumbu but its still a very good performance & an enjoyable watch.


----------



## WelshDevilRob (Jun 3, 2012)

natonic said:


> While Kalambay-McCallum I is certainly the signature Kalambay effort, I certainly enjoy his efforts against come forward tough guys Barkley and Dewitt:


Agree natonic. I remember the fights at the time. Used to collect them from the ads at the back of Boxing Monthly. More and more of his fights came available over the years via downloads - uploaded a few myself aswell. Kalambay was a really well rounded fighter.


----------



## LittleRed (Jun 4, 2013)

Flea Man said:


> @natonic hope I didn't get you in any trouble. The PMs I sent have caused me to rceive a lifetime ban over on ESB.
> 
> A lot of the research for the Thai book was in PMs. Looks Like that project is dead and buried now, I'm sorry to say.


Flea.you're fucking kidding me? I was really looking forward to that, as well as you typing the words Khaosai and all time great in the same sentence.


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

LittleRed said:


> Flea.you're fucking kidding me? I was really looking forward to that, as well as you typing the words Khaosai and all time great in the same sentence.


That was ages ago  All good now. Good to see you made it here mate :good


----------



## LittleRed (Jun 4, 2013)

Flea Man said:


> That was ages ago  All good now. Good to see you made it here mate :good


That's good to hear. And i'm glad to be here. ESB seems to be trying to kill itself. You can't even quote properly.

Anyway to the subject at hand I think Kalambay and Marcel are birds of a feather in that they define the limits of all time greatness. If you're any better than Sumbu you are probably a top 100 guy. And, in a h2h sense, Sumbu is on that level.


----------



## Yiddle (Jul 10, 2012)

I am surprised there is a kalambay love-in 

no this place will be a hipsters reunion for a while


----------



## Yiddle (Jul 10, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> @natonic hope I didn't get you in any trouble. The PMs I sent have caused me to rceive a lifetime ban over on ESB.
> 
> A lot of the research for the Thai book was in PMs. Looks Like that project is dead and buried now, I'm sorry to say.


Thai book project dead NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
cry:fire


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Yiddle said:


> Thai book project dead NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
> cry:fire


That was ages ago mate! The Thai book project has never been more alive!!! :good


----------



## Yiddle (Jul 10, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> That was ages ago mate! The Thai book project has never been more alive!!! :good


thank god for that . that will teach to try to read bits of threads while getting the kids ready for school


----------



## turbotime (May 12, 2013)

Poor Snatcher. He was frustrated as fuck in that fight. What a show by SK :smoke


----------



## MAG1965 (Jun 4, 2013)

for a starting off fighter watching a style as beautiful as Sumbu Kalambay would be invaluable. Also Genero Hernandez. Two guys who were so economical with punches and moved so effortlessly. I don't understand the Nunn fight except a combination of style,southpaw, size and time difference that night when Kalambay fought in the United States.


----------



## O59 (Jul 8, 2012)

Brilliant thread, Sumbu was amazing at his best. :happy Nice to see him getting more and more recognition in the boxing fraternity.


----------



## Yiddle (Jul 10, 2012)

orriray59 said:


> Brilliant thread, Sumbu was amazing at his best. :happy Nice to see him getting more and more recognition in the boxing fraternity.


Yeah he weren't to bad


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Yiddle said:


> Yeah he was the best I've ever seen


I agree.


----------



## Yiddle (Jul 10, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> I agree.


:lol:


----------



## Bladerunner (Oct 22, 2012)

Great thread Flea glad to see the brilliant Patrizio Kalambay get some love, At his best was one of the most skilled operators i have ever seen and could hang with any Middleweight in history.


----------



## turbotime (May 12, 2013)

Bladerunner said:


> Great thread Flea glad to see the brilliant Patrizio Kalambay get some love, At his best was one of the most skilled operators i have ever seen and *could hang with any Middleweight in history*.


Besides Nunn :yep


----------



## Bladerunner (Oct 22, 2012)

turbotime said:


> Besides Nunn :yep


:fire:lol:

First round KO's sometimes are a bit of a fluke, i think thats the case in this instance.not taking credit away from him but i doubt Nunn could do that again if they fought ten more times, it was something that came out of nowhere nobody expected Kalambay to get blown up like that but it happened and its something that harms Kalambay's legacy. Its boxing where anything can happen and were the unexpected happens more often than in any other sport.


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Bladerunner said:


> :fire:lol:
> 
> First round KO's sometimes are a bit of a fluke, i think thats the case in this instance.not taking credit away from him but i doubt Nunn could do that again if they fought ten more times, it was something that came out of nowhere nobody expected Kalambay to get blown up like that but it happened and its something that harms Kalambay's legacy. Its boxing where anything can happen and were the unexpected happens more often than in any other sport.


Exactly. And whilst he was never the same again (bit shaky afterwards, Graham had him down a few times and was robbed in their rematch) he did still go on to prove himself brilliant, beating Steve Collins and putting on a display of the highest quality in the rematch with Mike McCallum, which is right up there with Conteh-Saad I and Daorung-Sahaprom for 'best mutual technical treats' I've ever seen, Kalambay-McCallum II is such a beautiful and brilliant fight to watch.


----------



## Barry Gibb's left Bollock (Jun 5, 2013)

Anyone seen or have any information in relation to his fight with Duane Thomas?


----------



## Michael (Jun 8, 2012)

Watched his fights with McCallum and Graham fairly recently, top class performances both of them. He was one of the finest jabbers ive ever seen, so accurate and sharp with it, and his defense and counter punching was top class. Made two very good operators look foolish in both of those fights. Graham is renowned for his awkwardness and craftiness, but Kalambay just shut him down, couldnt miss with the jab, and was very very close to stopping him at the end. Against McCallum he put on his best ever display thoroughly outboxing an atg good technician. Never a bad watch is Sumbu


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Sportofkings said:


> Watched his fights with McCallum and Graham fairly recently, top class performances both of them. He was one of the finest jabbers ive ever seen, so accurate and sharp with it, and his defense and counter punching was top class. Made two very good operators look foolish in both of those fights. Graham is renowned for his awkwardness and craftiness, but Kalambay just shut him down, couldnt miss with the jab, and was very very close to stopping him at the end. Against McCallum he put on his best ever display thoroughly outboxing an atg good technician. Never a bad watch is Sumbu


I uploaded the fight with Barkley to YouTube, a 15 rounder, the only one Sumbu ever fought in.

I also uploaded his fight with Kalule. If you'd do me the honour of scoring it, I promise to....meh, dunno, keep uploading decent stuff?


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Barry Gibb's left Bollock said:


> Anyone seen or have any information in relation to his fight with Duane Thomas?


lora knows about it. I'm holding my hands up, I've never looked into it. Sumbu didn't look bang in his prime against Kalule though, still figuring out quite how to apply himself.


----------



## Michael (Jun 8, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> I uploaded the fight with Barkley to YouTube, a 15 rounder, the only one Sumbu ever fought in.
> 
> I also uploaded his fight with Kalule. If you'd do me the honour of scoring it, I promise to....meh, dunno, keep uploading decent stuff?


Ive actually seen his fight with Barkley mate, more of the same from Kalambay, dominant performance from him, I think I gave Barkley two or three rounds at the most. He couldnt seem to do a thing against the Italian, who was a few levels above him in skills alone. Brave showing Barkley as usual, he just never would have had more than a punchers chance of beating someone as good as Kalambay.

yeah, ill definitely give Kalmabay's fight with Kalule a watch soon, ill add it to my to do list. Id probably watch Kalule's entire career set if you were to upload a fight or two of Antonio Esparragoza's though:yep. There's only three if his title fights of his on youtube, and both two of them were uploaded by you and McGrain haha

If you've not got any more fights of him or your not doing requests its no bother like:good


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

@Sportofkings I can deliver in that respect :yep

Remind me with a mention on here on Saturday morning/early afternoon. I'll get summat up :good


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

@Sportofkings I can deliver in that respect :yep

Remind me with a mention on here on Saturday morning/early afternoon. I'll get summat up :good


----------



## Michael (Jun 8, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> @Sportofkings I can deliver in that respect :yep
> 
> Remind me with a mention on here on Saturday morning/early afternoon. I'll get summat up :good


Cheers fella, nice one:good


----------



## Powerpuncher (May 20, 2013)

Good thread



Flea Man said:


> It's always good to know there are fighters out there of the highest quality that aren't necessarily ATGs. Is Kalambay? Probably not but a brilliant operator so worth a watch nonetheless IMO.


An ATG for me, P4P ability has to be better than allot of most people's top 30 guys. If he fought in an era where he got to fight everyone he probably gets rated in people's top 30 comfortably, that wasn't the way business was run from the 70s onwards though, especially for. If he has the backing to cherry pick like DLH or Floyd or Pacquaio again he gets talked about in the top30, but instead has little backing and was part of the 'who needs him club'.

In theory if we timetravelled Kalambay back to the 40s to be part of the Murderer's Row, we'd give him a shot at coming out on top I think. If he had golden boy appeal to get fights with faded versions of Hagler, Leonard, Hearns and Duran, then goes on to defend against Eubank, Benn, Toney.....well he'd pick up some great wins wouldn't he?

ATG is all a by word for smokes and mirrors and people's perception rather than flat out how good the boxer is.



Flea Man said:


> @natonic hope I didn't get you in any trouble. The PMs I sent have caused me to rceive a lifetime ban over on ESB.
> 
> A lot of the research for the Thai book was in PMs. Looks Like that project is dead and buried now, I'm sorry to say.


If you let me know who was on the other side of the PMs I'll PM them and see if they have them. You're a bit dick for not backing it up though :lol:


----------



## Powerpuncher (May 20, 2013)

Bladerunner said:


> :fire:lol:
> 
> First round KO's sometimes are a bit of a fluke, i think thats the case in this instance.not taking credit away from him but i doubt Nunn could do that again if they fought ten more times, it was something that came out of nowhere nobody expected Kalambay to get blown up like that but it happened and its something that harms Kalambay's legacy. Its boxing where anything can happen and were the unexpected happens more often than in any other sport.


It was a perfect left lead but I do think Kalambay was probably caught cold and would maybe have gotten up. Similar to Tarver-Jones 2 or Marquez-Pac 1 really, Marquez being the only guy getting up though :lol:


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

This was ages ago PP. Compared to the research I've done now the PMs were mainly fluff anyway. 

Lovely post nonetheless. But he'd get caught of guard now and then in every era I think. At times without flaw but overall not a completely infallible fighter.

Who you got, Sumbu or Lloyd Marshall? Intrigues me immensely this one.


----------



## Powerpuncher (May 20, 2013)

Flea Man said:


> This was ages ago PP. Compared to the research I've done now the PMs were mainly fluff anyway.
> 
> Lovely post nonetheless. But he'd get caught of guard now and then in every era I think. At times without flaw but overall not a completely infallible fighter.
> 
> Who you got, Sumbu or Lloyd Marshall? Intrigues me immensely this one.


The thing is how many times are you going to get caught cold by 6'2 super athlete of a middleweight that was probably a LHW in there? The likes of Burley gets a pass for numerous loses and still gets a top20 P4P spot for many. Archie gets knocked out a load of times but gets a pass. Still a horrible mistake by Sumbu against Nunn. For me they just had more chances to prove themselves and pad there resume with solid wins, so the times they lost get glossed over 'yes but he fought everyone, you can't win them all' reasoning but they lost to worse fighters than Nunn.

I think the logic that Kalambay beats Nunn if he gets out the first round doesn't quite hold water for me though because Nunn was taking away Kalambay's best weapon in his jab and his range. In turn Kalambay probably beats Toney prime for prime.

That's a tricky match up, we haven't really seen enough of Marshall, he's a bit like Roy Jones isn't he, but not quite as quick and taking more risks. Graham is probably the nearest style Kalambay's first but not quite the same. Marshall seemed to be a bit hit and miss, I mean he beats Charles, Lamotta, Maxim and Burley but loses to Holman, Archie and Bivins, amongst others sometimes by KO, perhaps risk taking and his fundamentals failing him. I'd edge towards Kalambay's better fundamentals edging out a decision without too much confidence.

Marshall wise this sounds like a cracker 'Moore was down three times, but won unanimously.' He was knocked out in the rematch which maybe saw the end to his contender dreams, either that one or the loses to Charles.


----------



## Powerpuncher (May 20, 2013)

Haven't fancied an opinion on my Kalambay-Robinson thread Flea?


----------



## It's Ovah (Jun 6, 2013)

Really haven't seen enough of this guy. Looks like one of those watch and rewatch boxers who reward those who are willing to study him.

Shocking how little he's talked about considering he's still quite recent.


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Teeto said:


> he was a fine pure boxer, nice one flea man


Bump.

He's got an incredible memory from any interviews I've read, able to recall exact dates, records and the scoring on all three official cards for numerous fights at the drop of a dime when asked about them.



turbotime said:


> Besides Nunn :yep





Bladerunner said:


> :fire:lol:
> 
> First round KO's sometimes are a bit of a fluke, i think thats the case in this instance.not taking credit away from him but i doubt Nunn could do that again if they fought ten more times, it was something that came out of nowhere nobody expected Kalambay to get blown up like that but it happened and its something that harms Kalambay's legacy. Its boxing where anything can happen and were the unexpected happens more often than in any other sport.


^^^ Someone UN-Ban this man at once. Thanks.

As much as it does (or did) to boost Nunn's stock, it's still sort of a regrettable result. Sumbu has no explanation or excuse for it himself, he said he even arrived in Las Vegas a full month before the bout to finish what had been an otherwise successful and hard working camp. That kind of transparency is sort of rare with fighters when it comes to losses of that sort of unexpected or unflattering nature. There's usually always 'something'.


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

@Flea Man Back in 2005, Kalambay named Iran Barkley as his toughest fight. Find that interesting/surprising? I guess McCallum was just that damn easy when he snatched his zero. :-(


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Hands of Iron said:


> @Flea Man Back in 2005, Kalambay named Iran Barkley as his toughest fight. Find that interesting/surprising? I guess McCallum was just that damn easy when he snatched his zero. :-(


Bizarre. Care to share any of the interviews you've read mate, sounds interesting.


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> Bizarre. Care to share any of the interviews you've read mate, sounds interesting.


Of course :good

Have the exact one I'm referencing in here from Sweet Science on hand. Take it you haven't seen it since the Barkley comment was a revelation so hopefully it's an enjoyable read.

http://www.thesweetscience.com/news...ay-one-of-the-best-middleweights-of-the-1980s

_Herol Graham, Iran Barkley, Mike McCallum, Robbie Sims,Doug DeWitt, Frederic Seillier and Steve Collins are the most famous fighters defeated by Sumbu Kalambay for the European or the WBA world middleweight titles. Kalambay also faced Micheal Nunn for the IBF belt and Chris Pyatt for the WBO championship, losing both times. From 1980 to 1993, the Zaire-born Kalambay built a professional record of 57 wins (33 KOs), 6 losses and 1 draw. He fought mostly in Italy, where he became an idol, was awarded citizenship and choose to live here after he hung up the gloves.

Kalambay never turned down a challenge, even if that meant going to Monte Carlo, Paris, Atlantic City, London, Toulon (France), Las Vegas and Leicester (England). He wasn't scared of partisan judges, like most of today's boxers. He competed in another era, when the WBA, WBC and IBF were the only respected sanctioning bodies and nobody cared about the newly born WBO. (In Italy, they called it World Branchini Organization, because legendary manager Umberto Branchini always seemed to get world title shots for his fighters.) Today, Kalambay works as a trainer for Paolo Vidoz. He has the utmost confidence in the European heavyweight champion and says that the sky is the limit.

*Let's talk about your career. Who was your toughest opponent?*

Iran Barkley. I knew it from the beginning because I watched the videos of his most famous matches. I noticed that he used his right jab to prepare for a big left punch. He was also comfortable in long exchanges: the more he got hit, the more he hit back. That's why I trained harder than ever before. In the ring, I found out he could deliver punishment with both hands so I never accepted the brawl; four or five consecutive punches, at best. My strategy paid off and I won the vacant WBA middleweight title, after 15 tough rounds. It happened on October 23, 1987. We were in Livorno, Central Italy.

*Who turned out to be tougher than expected?*

Robbie Simms. They said he was an easy opponent, but he turned out to be very difficult. I never underrated anybody, besides Robbie had been USBA middleweight champion and had beaten by split decision Roberto Duran. As usual, I studied his style and it paid off. I won by unanimous decision: 118-110, 117-113 and 119-113. It was June 12, 1988. The match was held in Ravenna, Northern Italy.

*What about Mike McCallum?*

The first fight was very important for my career because Mike McCallum was undefeated (32-0) and had a big reputation. He had been WBA light middleweight champion for about three years and was aiming at my WBA middleweight belt. It was my first defense and many people thought that I would lose. We fought on March 5, 1988 in Pesaro. It was a hard battle, but I came out on top: 116-115, 118-114 and 115-114. I met him again on April 1, 1991 in Monte Carlo (Principality of Monaco). The judges saw it close again: one had it 115-114 for me, according to the other officials McCallum won by 116-115 and 116-114. At that time, he was the WBA middleweight champion. He had beaten Herol Graham by split decision for the title. Graham was a great boxer and turned out to be very important for my career.

*Explain that to The Sweet Science readers.*

When I met Graham for the first time, his record was 38-0 and had won the British and European titles in two divisions: light middleweight and middleweight. Herol was born in Sheffield, but packed arenas everywhere in England. Nobody gave me a chance against him, especially because I accepted to fight him on his own turf. We fought on May 26, 1987 in London. I won on points, bringing the European middleweight crown to Italy. After that, the sceptics started to consider me a real champion. I faced Herol Graham a second time, on March 12, 1992. He came to Pesaro, but the result didn't change: I won again.

*You needed seven years to get your world title shot. Weren't you discouraged during the years of waiting?*

No, because I knew that the world title was the final stop of a long road and I had to prove myself winning the Italian and European championships. I did it and I was very proud both times. In the 1980s there were many good boxers in Italy, so wearing the national belt was a big achievement. Today, even the world title belt is no big deal considering there are so many sanctioning organizations that nobody can name them all.

*Tell us about your loss to Michael Nunn.*

There's not much to tell. He KOed me with a left hook to the jaw during the first round. You know, I prepared very hard for that fight. I spent a month in Las Vegas and trained properly. It's sad that one punch ruined it all, but that's boxing.

*You were never a big puncher.*

No, my strengths were my technique and my conditioning. I stared slowly and gave the best in the second half of every match. That's why some people underrated me. Even my friends laughed when I talked about becoming world champion. That has always been my goal, ever since I decided to become a prizefighter.

*Did you have any idols?*

I admired Marvin Hagler, Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali and Howard Davis, who won the gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in the lightweight division. He wasn't equally successful as a pro, building a record of 36 wins (14 KOs), 6 losses and 1 draw. He lost to WBC lightweight champions Jim Watt and Edwin Rosario and to IBF light welterweight king James McGirt.

*You faced many top fighters. Did you find any differences between Europeans and Americans?*

Americans were better conditioned, but that wasn't a problem for me because I was used to train very hard and fight often. When I became WBA middleweight champion, I didn't slow down a bit. I successfully defended the title three times, in 1988 against Mike McCallum (in March), Robbie Sims (three months later) and Doug DeWitt (in November). Americans also tend to be brawlers, but that could be overcome with the right strategy. Europeans, on the other hand, were more skilled technically.

*What are your plans for the future?*

I want to go on with my career as a trainer. I worked with Vincenzo Cantatore and Michele Piccirillo, and now I'm focusing on Paolo Vidoz. Despite what some critics say, Paolo goes to the gym every day and trains very hard. He will defeat easily Cengiz Koc on January 28, and retain the European heavyweight crown._


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Sumbu's All Class. Wish there was more material on him.


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Hands of Iron said:


> Sumbu's All Class. Wish there was more material on him.


I'm helping an Italian production company make a documentary about him.


----------



## jorodz (Sep 14, 2012)

Hands of Iron said:


> Of course :good
> 
> Have the exact one I'm referencing in here from Sweet Science on hand. Take it you haven't seen it since the Barkley comment was a revelation so hopefully it's an enjoyable read.
> 
> ...


thanks for posting, like you said all class. a great humble guy who really belongs in the same breath as the other stars of that era. the more i think about it, the more i think deserves consideration for IBHOF


----------



## Pedderrs (Jun 1, 2012)

I once tried to introduce a friend of mine to Boxing by showing him Corrales-Castillo I. He obviously really appreciated the toe-to-toe action and the drama, but he said to me something along the lines of "next time can you show me a fight where I'm going to be really impressed with the skill? Like, the fight was amazing, but nothing either fighter did every really struck me as being mind-blowingly impressive or skillful". I'm going back a few years now and at the time I hadn't seen Kalambay-McCallum I but if I had I would have definitely sent that fight his way because Sumbu's performance is incredible. Ridiculous. I doubt you would even have to know anything about Boxing to appreciate the timing, counter-punching, and foot work of Sumbu in that one.


----------



## jorodz (Sep 14, 2012)

Pedderrs said:


> I once tried to introduce a friend of mine to Boxing by showing him Corrales-Castillo I. He obviously really appreciated the toe-to-toe action and the drama, but he said to me something along the lines of "next time can you show me a fight where I'm going to be really impressed with the skill? Like, the fight was amazing, but nothing either fighter did every really struck me as being mind-blowingly impressive or skillful". I'm going back a few years now and at the time I hadn't seen Kalambay-McCallum I but if I had I would have definitely sent that fight his way because Sumbu's performance is incredible. Ridiculous. I doubt you would even have to know anything about Boxing to appreciate the timing, counter-punching, and foot work of Sumbu in that one.


great great example. for what it's worth i showed my wife duran-leonard 1 to give her a taste of what BOXING was, gatti-ward for a war, and mayweather-gatti for a one sided shit kicking

if i could go back, i'd do the same as you and show her kalambay-mccallum 1, then maybe pastrano-johnson and harada jofre:rofl


----------



## Bokaj (Jun 23, 2013)

That interview was top stuff. Class act. So many fighters make excuses for their losses, so it's always very refreshing when they don't. Also interesting what he said about American fighters being better conditioned, but European ones being more technically skilled.

Personally, I've never seen a fighter I'd put clearly ahead of Kalambay skill-wise, even though there are many who achieved more. The loss against Nunn really hurts his record. Too bad they never fought again. Nunn would probably be a bit of a stylistical nightmare for Sumbu, though. But I can't see it happen like that more than once in a blue moon.


----------



## Lester1583 (Jun 30, 2012)

The Fury of Kalambay - breaking legs and cashing checks:


----------



## heavy_hands (Jun 6, 2013)

i did not know that he was inspired to fight when he watched the fight ali vs foreman... ali is the fucking master man haha


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> I'm helping an Italian production company make a documentary about him.


This is fantastic.



jorodz said:


> thanks for posting, like you said all class. a great humble guy who really belongs in the same breath as the other stars of that era. the more i think about it, the more i think deserves consideration for IBHOF


Sumbu Kalambay is _one_ of the reasons I've kind of done away with traditional ATG rankings and gone with a more "who impresses me the most" approach for discussion. There really aren't a lot of fighters I'd consider better than Mike McCallum. No, I don't think so. So - stylistic foils and what not aside - Kalambay's domination over him easily qualifies for me as one of those all-time great validation type wins, especially given how much Mike still proved to have in the tank afterwards beating Toney, Watson, Collins, Graham at 160 and just edging Sumbu (imo) in the return a few years on.

Am I the only one who found McCallum-Kalambay II ridiculously difficult to score? Him mentioning in the interview that he'd always give his best in the second half of fights is really apt.


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Bokaj said:


> That interview was top stuff. Class act. So many fighters make excuses for their losses, so it's always very refreshing when they don't. Also interesting what he said about American fighters being better conditioned, but European ones being more technically skilled.
> 
> Personally, I've never seen a fighter I'd put clearly ahead of Kalambay skill-wise, even though there are many who achieved more. The loss against Nunn really hurts his record. Too bad they never fought again. Nunn would probably be a bit of a stylistical nightmare for Sumbu, though. But I can't see it happen like that more than once in a blue moon.


All of the guys who came on at 160 in the post-Hagler era are incredibly impressive to me and just too much fun to not take a keen interest in. It was something of a mini-Golden Era as far as I'm concerned  Some truly great fights, performances and shocking results were born out of these guys willingness to fight and test their abilities and skills against eachother.


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

I see-saw on McCallum-Kalambay II. Loadsa swing rounds and a truly excellent contest.


----------



## Lester1583 (Jun 30, 2012)

Hands of Iron said:


> There really aren't a lot of fighters I'd consider better than Mike McCallum.


And yet Joey Archer would embarrass McCallum's slow feet.:yep


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Lester1583 said:


> And yet Joey Archer would embarrass McCallum's slow feet.:yep


Stop trying to detract from Sumbu's incredible win! :ibutt


----------



## Lester1583 (Jun 30, 2012)

Hands of Iron said:


> Stop trying to detract from Sumbu's incredible win! :ibutt


Guess who was the Kalambay of the 60's only without one of the most embarrassing losses of all time on his resume?

I'll give you a hint - JOEY ARCHER!!!:hammer


----------



## Bokaj (Jun 23, 2013)

Hands of Iron said:


> All of the guys who came on at 160 in the post-Hagler era are incredibly impressive to me and just too much fun to not take a keen interest in. It was something of a mini-Golden Era as far as I'm concerned  Some truly great fights, performances and shocking results were born out of these guys willingness to fight and test their abilities and skills against eachother.


Might just be my favourite era in boxing, full stop.


----------



## Powerpuncher (May 20, 2013)

Hands of Iron said:


> @Flea Man Back in 2005, Kalambay named Iran Barkley as his toughest fight. Find that interesting/surprising? I guess McCallum was just that damn easy when he snatched his zero. :-(


Sometimes dominating a pressuring brawler who keeps coming and hurts you punches that graze you is tougher than winning a closer fight against another master boxer.

And also toughest fight or toughest opponent? Very different


----------



## Drew101 (Jun 30, 2012)

Hands of Iron said:


> Of course :good
> 
> Have the exact one I'm referencing in here from Sweet Science on hand. Take it you haven't seen it since the Barkley comment was a revelation so hopefully it's an enjoyable read.
> 
> ...


Awesome interview, @Hands of Iron. Thanks for the heads up! :good


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Powerpuncher said:


> Sometimes dominating a pressuring brawler who keeps coming and hurts you punches that graze you is tougher than winning a closer fight against another master boxer.
> 
> And also toughest fight or toughest opponent? Very different


Barkley was easy for Sumbu, who tagged him with counter right uppercuts all night and danced around Barkley for 14 rounds with no hassle. Maybe it being the only 15 round fight Sumbu had the last round, the only one Barkley did any work of note in, is remembered by him as particularly troublesome from a physical point of view?


----------



## Pedderrs (Jun 1, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> Barkley was easy for Sumbu, who tagged him with counter right uppercuts all night and danced around Barkley for 14 rounds with no hassle. Maybe it being the only 15 round fight Sumbu had the last round, the only one Barkley did any work of note in, is remembered by him as particularly troublesome from a physical point of view?


I thought Barkley performed quite well against Kalambay myself. He definitely came to fight and was quick enough to make it difficult for Sumbu to counter with his right hand without receiving shots in return. It wasn't a close fight by any means, but Barkley definitely put up a better fight than Sims did.


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Pedderrs said:


> I thought Barkley performed quite well against Kalambay myself. He definitely came to fight and was quick enough to make it difficult for Sumbu to counter with his right hand without receiving shots in return. It wasn't a close fight by any means, but Barkley definitely put up a better fight than Sims did.


I felt Sumbu led him into the right uppercut with regularity. He was game, but wasn't Barkley game? I gave him one *clear* round.


----------



## Yiddle (Jul 10, 2012)

haven't watched a kalambay fight for years but when I think of kalambay and how good he was it just makes me appreciate just how great Michael nunn was , also think about what a good fight kalambay and toney would of been around 1990


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Yiddle said:


> haven't watched a kalambay fight for years but when I think of kalambay and how good he was it just makes me appreciate just how great Michael nunn was , also think about what a good fight kalambay and toney would of been around 1990


Nunn could be lethargic. I would say Kalambay, Nunn result aside, was the better fighter.


----------



## Yiddle (Jul 10, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> Nunn could be lethargic. I would say Kalambay, Nunn result aside, was the better fighter.


yep nunn could be lethargic I agree and that sort of boxer does not usually win me over but I feel nunn is greatly overlooked these days and although I think the 1st round win over kalambay would not of been repeated had they fought again I do feel that nunn would of beaten kalambay 5 times out of 5 just a horrible match up for kalambay


----------



## Boro Chris (Sep 12, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> Nunn could be lethargic. I would say Kalambay, Nunn result aside, was the better fighter.


But when he was on he was really on. Remember his fight against Frank Tate. Exhilarating.


----------



## Pedderrs (Jun 1, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> I felt Sumbu led him into the right uppercut with regularity. He was game, but wasn't Barkley game? I gave him one *clear* round.


I didn't really score the fight, but I remember thinking Barkley had made a case in 2-3 rounds.

I suppose I was expecting a little bit more from Sumbu. I had saw what he had done to Mike McCallum and Robbie Sims, and Barkley just seemed like the perfect style to compliment him. Again, he won clearly, but I expected Sumbu to land with far more regularity. I prefer his performances against DeWitt, Graham, and McCallum.


----------



## Bokaj (Jun 23, 2013)

Taking apart a tough guy like DeWitt like he did, was very impressive. I'd also put his win over Collins among his better performances, considering his age at the time. Can't believe Collins thought he should have won that. He was schooled if anything.


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Bokaj said:


> Taking apart a tough guy like DeWitt like he did, was very impressive. I'd also put his win over Collins among his better performances, considering his age at the time. Can't believe Collins thought he should have won that. He was schooled if anything.


I've seen loads of people on forums give Collins ineffective work real credit in that fight. Beggars belief.


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Boro Chris said:


> But when he was on he was really on. Remember his fight against Frank Tate. Exhilarating.


Oh, he was dazzling at times.


----------



## Bokaj (Jun 23, 2013)

Flea Man said:


> I've seen loads of people on forums give Collins ineffective work real credit in that fight. Beggars belief.


They most score heavily for hitting the other guy's fist with your face.


----------



## Pedderrs (Jun 1, 2012)

I also thought Collins did well against Kalambay. Guilty as charged.


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Flea Man said:


> Oh, he was dazzling at times.


Bernstein lists him as one of the five most unbeatable fighters (at their best) he's ever seen. Didn't Al snub you at a bar somewhere? :lol: No bias I honestly thought the first few rounds of the Toney fight were the best Nunn looked since he KO'ed Kalambay. He'd sort of been going through the motions - lethargic - prior to the big homecoming dance. Still winning mind, but not as impressively as previously.


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Hands of Iron said:


> Bernstein lists him as one of the five most unbeatable fighters (at their best) he's ever seen. Didn't Al snub you at a bar somewhere? :lol: No bias I honestly thought the first few rounds of the Toney fight were the best Nunn looked since he KO'ed Kalambay. He'd sort of been going through the motions - lethargic - prior to the big homecoming dance. Still winning mind, but not as impressively as previously.


Post-fight Froch Vs Dirrell :lol:

Just after that was where I met Jean Pascal for the second time and shared my gameplan to beat Chad Dawson :yep


----------



## Bill Jincock (Jun 19, 2012)

You should have blindsided the old bastard with a massive Moon'esque overhand right Flea.


----------



## Lester1583 (Jun 30, 2012)

Bill Jincock said:


> You should have blindsided the old bastard with a massive Moon'esque overhand right Flea.


And finish him once and for all with a smooth Conteh headbutt.


----------



## fists of fury (May 24, 2013)

The problem with Kalambay is that he was stuck away in Europe, hidden away from the US sports networks, and when he got his big break, he blew it. His style is one that is more for the purist than the causal fan as well. I remember reading tons about Kalambay in the various boxing publications at the time, but was never fortunate enough to get a look at him until many years later, after he had retired. (The one fight I did get to see - against Nunn - doesn't count.) He was highly regarded by those 'in the know' but was obscure to most. 
Them's the breaks I suppose.


----------



## Flea Man (Jun 2, 2012)

Bill Jincock said:


> You should have blindsided the old bastard with a massive Moon'esque overhand right Flea.


I berated Tyson Fury and scared John Murray on the same night!
'What the fuck was going on in the McDonut fight then?!'
Fair play to Fury he said 'got summat reet proper planned for t'rematch' or summat like that.
Told Murray that Valero was overrated and he should have a crack at him. He didn't seem convinced :rofl

Ken Hirshman was lovely though. Pascal was a gent, fobbed his missus off and took me to one side to listen, maybe he thought I was handicapped or something. 
John Thaxton was happy to talk. I bigged him up for the Juan Carlos Diaz Melero kayo...said he reminded me of Julian Jackson there ;-) And told him how much I'd enjoyed the Hatton fight and that he'd be missed in retirement (Thaxton had just packed it in)

Rob McCracken was sound.

Frochy's missus smelt lovely.

And yeah Beristein completely blanked me! Have chatted to him on twitter since though and hes alright.....


----------



## the cobra (Jun 6, 2013)

Flea Man said:


> Frochy's missus smelt lovely.


:yep


----------



## LittleRed (Jun 4, 2013)

the cobra said:


> :yep


That avi. All that cultural appropriation. :hey


----------



## Boro Chris (Sep 12, 2012)

Hands of Iron said:


> Bernstein lists him as one of the five most unbeatable fighters (at their best) he's ever seen. Didn't Al snub you at a bar somewhere? :lol: No bias I honestly thought the first few rounds of the Toney fight were the best Nunn looked since he KO'ed Kalambay. He'd sort of been going through the motions - lethargic - prior to the big homecoming dance. Still winning mind, but not as impressively as previously.


Nunn of the Tate fight against Roy Jones. He probably wouldn't win but my god it would
be a dangerous night for Jones!


----------



## Pedderrs (Jun 1, 2012)

Hands of Iron said:


> Bernstein lists him as one of the five most unbeatable fighters (at their best) he's ever seen.


It was a bullshit list, let's be fair.


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Pedderrs said:


> It was a bullshit list, let's be fair.


Well alright, but being fair is a bit of a bore. :lol: Tooling the General is about as fun as barbing with you 'In The Know' fuckers - and considering there are probably only a couple thousand people on this entire planet who even remotely care about a lot of the topics discussed here, I appreciate all of you.


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Boro Chris said:


> Nunn of the Tate fight against Roy Jones. He probably wouldn't win but my god it would
> be a dangerous night for Jones!


Well supposedly Jones wasn't all that keen on even fighting a washed up Nunn. I never looked into that and considered it nonsense. Don't really care, though.


----------



## Pedderrs (Jun 1, 2012)

Jesse Reid Jr claims that Tate had a lot of problems making weight ahead of the Nunn fight, but he could just be saying that because it was his father's fighter. Who knows. It was a wonderful performance by Nunn who as I understand went into the fight as the underdog. Tate wasn't exactly a world beater though. He captured the vacant IBF Middleweight title by seeing off an old Tony Sibson.


----------



## Hands of Iron (Jun 27, 2012)

Pedderrs said:


> Jesse Reid Jr claims that Tate had a lot of problems making weight ahead of the Nunn fight, but he could just be saying that because it was his father's fighter. Who knows. It was a wonderful performance by Nunn who as I understand went into the fight as the underdog. Tate wasn't exactly a world beater though. He captured the vacant IBF Middleweight title by seeing off an old Tony Sibson.


The more I think on it, the more I tend to agree with you that Nunn likely would've gotten more love (in hindsight) had he been able to convincingly outclass Kalambay over any number of rounds rather than sparking him in the first.


----------



## the cobra (Jun 6, 2013)

LittleRed said:


> That avi. All that cultural appropriation. :hey


Plus sexiness. :hey


----------



## LittleRed (Jun 4, 2013)

the cobra said:


> Plus sexiness. :hey


If we both waggle our eyebrows it's creepy.


----------



## the cobra (Jun 6, 2013)

LittleRed said:


> If we both waggle our eyebrows it's creepy.


That reminds me of a conversation I had with @Boxed Ears about emoticon tongue diddling, and all its various forms. :hey


----------



## Bill Jincock (Jun 19, 2012)

Pedderrs said:


> Jesse Reid Jr claims that Tate had a lot of problems making weight ahead of the Nunn fight, but he could just be saying that because it was his father's fighter. Who knows. It was a wonderful performance by Nunn who as I understand went into the fight as the underdog. Tate wasn't exactly a world beater though. He captured the vacant IBF Middleweight title by seeing off an old Tony Sibson.


Tate wasn't that bad, though he was very overhyped at the time...i sort of see him in retrospect as a better schooled harder hitting jermaine Taylor.He had a fair amount of good tools and nice athleticism, but didn't seem that smart a fighter and unsure of how to develop his attributes into a coherent, consistent style.I expect he would have been favourite over McCallum had they fought instead of Nunn for instance.Pretty ridiculous looking back.

Check out Tate vs Olajide, it's a good entertaining fight with solid skills involved.Both were expected to be among the division's long term stars at the time, but it really didn't work out like that.


----------



## LittleRed (Jun 4, 2013)

the cobra said:


> That reminds me of a conversation I had with @Boxed Ears about emoticon tongue diddling, and all its various forms. :hey


So he's sexual harrassed you to? We need a support group. @jorodz


----------



## jorodz (Sep 14, 2012)

LittleRed said:


> So he's sexual harrassed you to? We need a support group. @*jorodz*


----------



## the cobra (Jun 6, 2013)

LittleRed said:


> So he's sexual harrassed you to? We need a support group. @*jorodz*


He showed me a tiny, little emoticon penis. _Multiple_ times.

:sad2



> Originally posted by *jorodz*


Dat a good movie.


----------



## LittleRed (Jun 4, 2013)

the cobra said:


> He showed me a tiny, little emoticon penis. _Multiple_ times.
> 
> :sad2


That psychedelic tragedy! He raped my ears once, sonically.


----------



## the cobra (Jun 6, 2013)

LittleRed said:


> That psychedelic tragedy! He raped my ears once, sonically.


And what he did to poor @jorodz? :-(

Thing is, there's virtually nothing any of us can do about this. I mean, it's like everyone says: "there are just some terrible, terrible, awful people in this world, and Boxed Ears is one of them."

:conf


----------



## LittleRed (Jun 4, 2013)

the cobra said:


> And what he did to poor @jorodz? :-(
> 
> Thing is, there's virtually nothing any of us can do about this. I mean, it's like everyone says: "there are just some terrible, terrible, awful people in this world, and Boxed Ears is one of them."
> 
> :conf


crycrycry


----------



## Boxed Ears (Jun 13, 2012)

That emoticon penis was perfectly proportionate to the emoticon, you bastardfaces!


----------



## LittleRed (Jun 4, 2013)

Boxed Ears said:


> That emoticon penis was perfectly proportionate to the emoticon, you bastardfaces!


That's what you noticed. cobra has a new avi and you don't even comment.


----------



## the cobra (Jun 6, 2013)

Boxed Ears said:


> That emoticon penis was perfectly proportionate to the emoticon, you bastardfaces!


No.

Here's normal and 'perfectly proportionate.'









Notice how it's practically the same size as his torso. His banana-torso. _That's_ normal.




> Originally posted by *LittleRed*
> That's what you noticed. cobra has a new avi and you don't even comment.


Yeah, fuck that. Rachael Cordingley expanding her cultural horizons, you sickly sickfacedguy.


----------



## Boxed Ears (Jun 13, 2012)

Let me tell YOU BOTH something about emoticon penai...penes...pen-...p-...Hold on. I'll be right back.


----------



## LittleRed (Jun 4, 2013)

It's penes.


----------



## the cobra (Jun 6, 2013)

Boxed Ears said:


> Let me tell YOU BOTH something about emoticon penai...penes...pen-...p-...Hold on. I'll be right back.


I won't let you do that sort of stuff anymore! You say you've changed but you haven't changed. Yeah, kinder and gentler like a FOX!


----------



## Yiddle (Jul 10, 2012)

Pedderrs said:


> Jesse Reid Jr claims that Tate had a lot of problems making weight ahead of the Nunn fight, but he could just be saying that because it was his father's fighter. Who knows. It was a wonderful performance by Nunn who as I understand went into the fight as the underdog. Tate wasn't exactly a world beater though. He captured the vacant IBF Middleweight title by seeing off an old Tony Sibson.


No the sibson fight was Tate's first defence he won the vacant title in the fight with olajide


----------



## Boxed Ears (Jun 13, 2012)

the cobra said:


> I won't let you do that sort of stuff anymore! You say you've changed but you haven't changed. Yeah, kinder and gentler like a FOX!


But-


----------



## the cobra (Jun 6, 2013)

Boxed Ears said:


> But-


Everything's fine. It's all fine.

:hey


----------



## Boxed Ears (Jun 13, 2012)

the cobra said:


> Everything's fine. It's all fine.
> 
> :hey


----------



## the cobra (Jun 6, 2013)

Boxed Ears said:


>


This one's so small you can't even _see_ it. Or is he just pulling some mayonnaise out of his pocket?


----------

