A former WBC heavyweight champion who defeated Lennox Lewis in a shock upset has secured the second victory of his comeback trail.
‘The Atomic Bull’ Oliver McCall faced Lewis back in September 1994, with many writing the American off before he had even entered the ring. In just the 2nd-round of their bout, McCall pulled off an incredible upset and knocked ‘The Lion’ out to capture the WBC title and secure the biggest win of his career.
McCall made one defence of his title against Larry Holmes 7 months later, defeating ‘The Easton Assassin’ via unanimous decision at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He went on to lose his title to Frank Bruno in September 1995 in what was the British heavyweight legend’s crowning moment at Wembley Stadium. Lewis would later avenge the loss in a rematch when McCall had a breakdown in the ring.
Now at 59-years-old, he has returned to the ring for the 77th time as a professional, defeating Gary Cobia in the 1st round of their contest on February 4 at the Texas Troubadour Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee. It is his second outing in 3-months after he defeated Stacy Frazier in the 2nd-round of their meeting in November.
There were concerns that Cobia would not be granted a professional license in time, but the Tennessee Commission granted it at the last minute which allowed the 52-year-old to make his first ring appearance in 10-years.
McCall has now been an active professional fighter for almost 40-years, after making his debut back in 1985. He has tasted defeat on 14 occasions during that time, although he has not lost since 2014 when he was outpointed by Marcin Rekowski in Poland.
