I've always said Hearns, and I always will say Hearns. My opinion will never change on this one. McCallum lacked the killer instinct and dynamism that Leonard and Hagler had. Those two were willing to go all out to get to Tommy. I think Mike was too methodical for all that. Don't get me wrong, Mike was versatile, but he didn't have those extra gears to tap into that Hagler and SRL had. Moreover, McCallum had a semi-tough fight with McCrory, the pathetic imitation of Hearns. I see Hearns taming McCallum and outboxing him a clear UD. I've never faulted anyone for saying McCallum, but I see Tommy as the favorite here.
The key in this fight would be the jab. Whoever wins that battle wins the fight. Tommy would be very thoughtful and conservative with his right hand: Mike would be looking for it and a central part of his game was drawing the right hand. He would get to the body with either hand when his opponent threw a right. Also, it would surprise me to see Tommy hang around enough to hook to the body. That give McCallum opportunity to hook with him or go to Tommy's body. I don't think that Tommy wants those exchanges. He will win his share but I am dubious of his ability to outlast Mike in that manner. So Tommy needs to jab and step. If Mike can jab with him, it is a 8-10 round fight. Tommy can only win a decision but Mike can knock him out.
I’m in agreement that Hearns can outbox McCallum using his superior jab, much like what Kalambay did. McCallums only way to win is to get in close and use his superior infighting skills to slowly break down Hearns’ body. Hearns can outbox his way to a decision, but I can also see McCallum stopping Hearns, perhaps while behind on scorecards. I’ll favor Hearns to beat McCallum more so.
