Former WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall will turn 60 on April 21st of this year, yet “The Atomic Bull” is currently in the middle of a wholly bizarre comeback. Back in November, McCall wiped out a guy named Stacy Frazier, while McCall then stopped Gary Cobia in February, also in quick fashion. Nobody knows how far McCall can possibly go in his comeback, as nobody knows how far McCall himself thinks he can possibly go, but on the comeback will roll.
Next up, again in Nashville, at The Troubadour Theatre, McCall, 61-14(40) will face an unbeaten fighter named James Tanksley. The fact that Tanksley is an unbeaten fighter might give some fans the idea that this fight will be a genuinely dangerous one for McCall. However, Tanksley is 52 years of age and he does not hold one win over a fighter with a winning record. At 7-0 with 4 KO’s, Tanksley looks to have a decent enough record. However, a look at the numbers his opponents were sporting when they entered a ring with him tells the story. One guy was 1-22, another fighter who lost to Tanksley was 3-20, while Tanksley from Jacksonville, Florida has also beaten a couple of guys who were making their pro debut against him.
Okay, McCall, at his age, is not going to be put in the ring with a legit heavyweight contender or anything close to it (we hope not, anyway), and McCall by keeping active and working in the gym, is doing something positive with his life. McCall has already made a little bit of boxing history, this by becoming the oldest former heavyweight champion to have boxed a sanctioned bout. And McCall is looking to go 3-0(3) in his comeback.
Tanksley, who went pro in 2014, vanished for eight years, with him returning to the ring in 2022. But can Tanksley, who boxed as recently as January, actually fight? We just don’t know. If Tanksley cannot fight, McCall, even at the age of 60, will likely take him out fast.
McCall will have been a pro fighter for a full four decades come this November. Might McCall still be fighting after he’s turned 60???
