McCalls post knockouts, but son gets free dinner
Oliver McCall’s return to boxing was a success, but it cost him a few bucks.
The 44-year-old former world heavyweight champion had bet his 21-year-old son Elijah that he would look better in the ring, as the two fought on a card Friday at The Orleans.
The loser had to buy dinner. And when Elijah knocked out Chad Davis 2:48 in the first round of their four-round heavyweight fight, the pressure was on Oliver, who had last fought 18 months ago.
And while McCall’s performance against Australian John Hopoate was decisive — a second-round knockout to win the IBA heavyweight continental belt — it didn’t get him off the hook. He still had to buy his kid dinner.
“We have to get some opinions on who had the better knockout,” Oliver McCall said. “But I’m more impressed with my son, so I’ll buy (dinner).”
At the outset, it appeared Oliver McCall was a shot fighter. He was laying on the ropes, absorbing punishment as Hopoate (11-3) fired away. McCall’s ring generalship skills, boxing ability and experience were nowhere to be seen.
But that quickly changed at the start of the second round. McCall started to keep the fight in the middle of the ring. He scored with his jab, then landed a vicious uppercut a minute into the round that sent Hopoate to the canvas.
He got up but was clearly in trouble, and McCall knew it. He went after the former rugby player, and a chopping right to the head dropped Hopoate a second time. This time, referee Joe Cortez didn’t bother to count, and the end came at the 1:26 mark.
“I knew that he was strong, but I had to get the feel back, and once I got warmed up, everything came back to me and my skills were there,” said McCall (52-9). “I felt great, especially in the second round.”
Elijah McCall dominated his four-round bout, using his left jab immediately and following it with vicious left and right hooks to the body.
He dropped Davis midway through the first round with a right to the body. Davis (1-3) got up, but shortly before the end of the round, a combination to the body from McCall sent Davis to the canvas again and ended the fight.
“I’ve been working on my defense and trying to counter more,” said Elijah McCall (3-0-1). “I wasn’t in a rush. I listened to my corner and followed the game plan.”
It was a good night for Team McCall. In his pro debut, junior welterweight Lawrence Hughes, who is trained by Oliver McCall, scored a third-round TKO of Joel Gonzalez.
In the semi-main event, former UNLV boxer Henry Namauu stopped cruiserweight Patrick Liles (7-2-1) with a fifth-round knockout. Namauu (4-3) bloodied Liles’ left eye in the third round, then finished him at the 1:58 mark in the fifth with a series of body and head shots.