Jamal Woods pulled out of a fight with Oliver McCall on Saturday putting an end to a contest scheduled against the 53 year-old former WBC champion.
Once a heavyweight force who defeated the likes of Lennox Lewis and was heralded as one of the top heavyweights of the golden era in the 1990’s, McCall shockingly decided to get back in the ring when approaching his mid-50’s.
‘The Atomic Bull’ last fought in 2014 when most fans breathed a sigh of relief following McCall’s retirement at 49 following a rematch defeat to Marcin Rekowski but somehow the American is back.
Due to face a man half his age in Woods, 28, McCall agreed to return on the ‘Battle of the Bay III’ card in Texas this Saturday night despite looking happy in retirement.
On the scales prior to the fight (pictured), it was a despairing sight to see McCall as he looked a shadow of his former self.
It was another sad situation when a fighter was sanctioned to enter a ring when clearly he should be told to stay retired.
McCall has a 57-14 record in the pro ranks, having suffered seven of those losses since stepping away from the sport the first time around in 2001 following a KO reverse to Henry Akinwande. Five defeats have come in the last eight years.
Famous for his firstly knocking out Lennox Lewis before refusing to fight during their rematch, McCall has shared the ring with the likes of Frank Bruno, James ‘Buster’ Douglas and Larry Holmes during a 33-year career.
Thankfully, Woods – who is 17-42-7 as a pro, didn’t go through with the fight.
