Oliver McCall boasted a bulletproof jaw that not even Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis could blast their way through.
The Chicago puncher never touched the canvas during a 76-fight (61-14-1) professional boxing career.
GettyMcCall sparred with Tyson for 350 rounds[/caption] GettyBut Bert Cooper hit McCall harder than anyone else[/caption]However, he admits former sparring partner Bert Cooper caught his attention with a booming left hook.
“Bert Cooper. Left hook. That was the hardest punch that I ever felt and that I had to overcome,” McCall told Boxing Insider.
By the time McCall and Cooper locked horns in the gym, ‘Smokin’ Bert’ had made the transition from contender to journeyman boxer.
In his heyday, Cooper challenged for heavyweight gold three times, but by the mid-1990s, he was being used as cannon fodder for up-and-coming talents including Luis Ortiz and Chris Byrd.
He might not have had the dexterity he once possessed, but his punching power was still there, as McCall can attest to.
“It felt like a truck had hit me,” McCall added.
“I never got hit by a truck, but it felt like if a truck would have hit me.”
McCall’s praise carries a lot of weight, having shared the ring with some of the hardest punchers of his generation, including ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson.
In his prime, Tyson was flattening sparring partners left, right and centre, but McCall was able to take his best shots and keep walking forward.
McCall also boxed Lewis and was never downed in sparring or a fightGETTYAsked where Tyson ranks among the biggest punchers he has faced, McCall replied: “Tyson’s right there too.
“I guess I sparred more than 300 rounds with Tyson, and he never knocked me down once.
“But I put him down once. We had a hell of a battle every time. That’s why he paid me $2,000-a-week.”
McCall’s chin also held up under the bright lights during tussles with Frank Bruno, Larry Holmes, Buster Douglas, and Lewis (twice).
His inaugural encounter with Lewis, in 1994, saw him snatch the WBC heavyweight title away from the Brit in a shock upset after connecting with a punch from the Gods in the second round.
However, Lewis exacted his revenge in the rematch three years later when McCall had a breakdown in the ring and refused to fight.
Their sequel is a testament to McCall’s durability, as the American continually absorbed clean punches with his hands down by his sides.
It is, therefore, perhaps unsurprising that McCall doesn’t rank Lewis among the hardest punchers he has faced.
“No, Lennox wasn’t one of the hardest punchers that I [fought],” McCall continued.
“Buster Douglas hit me harder than Lennox did. Right hand. Lennox would probably be about fifth.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘Hit like a truck’ – I boxed Lennox Lewis and sparred Mike Tyson for hundreds of rounds but journeyman punched harder than both )
Also on site :