Their first meeting had ended in a draw eight months earlier. Between the two, Toney survived a heavily disputed decision against Dave Tiberi. Beating McCallum offered a chance to put a better performance beside that damaging result. At 35, the challenger still had the technique to make the younger champion work for his openings.
McCallum’s jab and body punching gave him a way to compete without matching Toney’s hand speed. Working downstairs reduced his dependence on finding a head that was constantly slipping or rolling away. His persistence also made Toney pay for stretches when he waited to counter.
Fight
