Cleaning out the Inbox: Passings

  Time to pay our respects to two who have recently left us in this edition of tributes.

Goodbye to Mike McCallum at the age of 68.

Arguably the most underrated boxer of the last fifty years and certainly the most avoided of his time, Mike McCallum was so good that all-time great fighters avoided him (Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran), Hall of Famers fought him only when they had to (Donald Curry, Julian Jackson, and James Toney), and champions fell at his feet like matchsticks (Milton McCrory, Steve Collins, Ayub Kalule, Sumbu Kalumbay to name a few).

McCallum, a 1976 Olympian representing Jamaica, threw combinations as smooth as a rolling conveyor belt and was the rare fighter who could fight equally off the front foot as the back.

"The Body Snatcher" fought eleven men who held world titles during his career, defeating eight of them and drawing with a ninth (James Toney), winning world championships in three divisions (junior middleweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight).

McCallum was avoided by Roberto Duran, who vacated his WBA junior middleweight title rather than meet McCallum. Thomas Hearns, who was a Kronk stablemate with McCallum but saw McCallum leave Kronk to try to land a Hearns fight that would never occur, and for Sugar Ray Leonard, McCallum was too dangerous when he could make more money against bigger names.

Still, McCallum notched many notable victories, such as his second-round knockout of Julian Jackson (who hurt McCallum in round one), his tenth-round stoppage of former WBC welterweight champion Milton McCrory and his biggest career win, his one-punch knockout of former undisputed welterweight boss Donald Curry in the fifth round of their Las Vegas match.

The left hook essentially ended Curry's career as an elite fighter and is replayed to this day as the epitome of the perfect punch.

McCallum would win the WBA middleweight title before drawing and losing a majority decision to James Toney for Toney's IBF version. I scored McCallum the winner in their first fight and scored the second a draw.

McCallum then rose to 175 pounds to upend Jeff Harding to win the WBC belt in the weight class and defended it once before losing it to Fabrice Tiozzo.

McCallum lost three of his final four career fights, accounting for three of his four career losses, and retired after decision losses to Hall of Famers Roy Jones and James Toney.

McCallum retired with a record of 49-5-1 (36 by KO) and was never stopped in his career.

Mike McCallum was enshrined in the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003, but it's fair to wonder what could have been if McCallum had been given the chance to fight the best in the sport.

Goodbye to David Greenwood at the age of 68.

Greenwood was a college standout at UCLA before his selection by the Chicago Bulls second overall in the 1979 NBA Draft behind the Lakers' choice of Magic Johnson.

Greenwood played twelve seasons in the NBA, with his best years his first six with the Bulls.

Greenwood spent most of the second half of his career with the San Antonio Spurs but won a championship as a reserve with the Detroit Pistons in 1990.

Greenwood finished his career with an average of ten points and eight rebounds.

Boxing Challenge: Catterall clashes with Eubank

      The boxing weekend was a tepid one, with two fights from Manchester, England as the main course.

Jack Catterall won a unanimous decision over Harlem Eubank when the fight was halted one second into the seventh round due to cuts to both fighters from a sixth-round head clash.

The cut suffered by Eubank was the one that officially ended the fight, but I thought Catterall's slice was the worst of the pair.

Catterall received the nod by scores of 69-65 twice and 69-66, which seemed about right.

Former IBF junior lightweight champion Joe Cordina returned for the first time since dropping his title to Anthony Cacace with a dominant unanimous decision win over tough but limited Jaret Gonzalez by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

Boxing Challenge

    Another light week in the boxing challenge as two matchups comprise the total as Matchroom/DAZN hosts the card from Manchester, England.

The main event pits Jack Catterall, in his foray into the welterweight division, against unbeaten and untested Harlem Eubank. 

Catterall lost a split decision to Arnold Barboza in February, while Eubank defeated his top foe in his most recent outing, stopping Tyrone McKenna in ten rounds.

Eubank has fought no one of note other than McKenna, so he's an unknown quantity, and I expect Catterall to outbox him on his way to a win.

The co-feature will see former IBF junior lightweight champion Joe Cordina move to lightweight for his ten-round bout against Jaret Gonzalez.

It's the first fight for Cordina since losing his title by knockout to Anthony Cacace in May 2024.

Gonzalez has lost once in eighteen fights, but his record is littered with fighters with losing records, so who knows how good Gonzalez really is?

Boxing Challenge

Welterweights, 12 Rds

Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank

Ramon Malpica:
TRS: Catterall Unanimous Decision

Vince Samano:

Lightweights 10 Rds

Joe Cordina vs Jaret Gonzalez

R.L:

TRS: Cordina KO 8

Vince Samano: 

Devils re-sign Jake Allen, add Brown and Dadonov

     The New Jersey Devils were active on the first day of free agency, adding several depth players for training camp and the AHL's Utica Comets.

The biggest moves for the parent club saw a contributor retained, and added two veteran forwards who could help the third and fourth lines in the 2025-26 season.

The flashiest move saw the Devils re-sign backup goalie Jake Allen to a five-year contract with an average payout of 1.8 million per season.

Allen turns thirty-five in August, but played well last season in his first full season in New Jersey, finishing the season 13-16-1 with four shutouts to go with a 2.66 GAA and a save percentage of .906.

Allen will continue to back up Jacob Markstrom and possibly start in the event the Devils lose Markstrom, who will be a free agent following the 25-26 campaign.

New Jersey added two forwards, each of whom could help the offense as part of the third or fourth lines.

New Jersey signed Connor Brown from the Edmonton Oilers and Evgenii Dadonov from the Dallas Stars in an attempt to bolster those lines after a season in which the Devils struggled at even strength.

A right winger, Brown signed a four-year contract at a total of twelve million, with the first two seasons paying Brown 3.5 million per year, and the final two years at 2.5 million each year.

Brown is thirty-one and played every game in 2024-25 for the Stanley Cup finalist Oilers, scoring thirteen goals with seventeen assists.

Brown is a top-notch skater and ranks among the fastest in the league, even after a knee injury that cost him all but four games of the 2022-23 season when Brown played for Washington.

Brown's skating should make him a modest upgrade over the departed Erik Haula, so I like the fit on the ice.

I do question the four-year contract to a player who turns thirty-two in January (thirty-five at the end of the contract), who has his game based around his speed, as a player can lose that elite skill very quickly, but in the last two years, Brown is making less, so if his game deteriorates the cap hit will be lighter.

New Jersey added another right wing as veteran Evgenii Dadonov signed a one-year contract.

The thirty-six-year-old Dadonov's deal with New Jersey has a base of one million dollars, but has several performance-related bonuses that would boost Dadonov's earnings.

Dadonov scored twenty goals with twenty assists in eighty games for the Dallas Stars, with five of his goals on the power play.

Dadonov is a creative passer and a talented offensive player who will be a major addition to the third line, and I could see him receiving minutes with the second power-play unit.

I am surprised to see Dadonov coming to New Jersey at such a bargain rate after a twenty-goal season, and if the Devils pay him more than his base, it's still a bargain to receive such production from a player of his age.

The only problem that I have with any of the three signings is the length of Connor Brown's deal, and that's not a huge sticking point.

A very nice first day of free agency for Tom Fitzgerald and his Devils.

Cavaliers return Larry Nance Jr to Cleveland

        The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to fine-tune the roster, and with this move, the team managed to make their fans happy by bringing back a popular player from the past.

Larry Nance. Jr is returning to Cleveland after a four-season absence to provide frontcourt depth as a possible replacement for Dean Wade, whom the team is actively shopping.

Nance has reportedly agreed to a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum, so the Cavaliers would save cap room if Cleveland could find a suitor for Dean Wade.

The thirty-two-year-old Nance played four seasons in Cleveland after the team acquired him from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, along with Jordan Clarkson, for Channing Frye, Isaiah Thomas, and Cleveland's first pick in 2018.

Nance was traded in a 2021 three-team deal with Chicago and Portland that landed the Cavaliers Lauri Markkanen, and has played for Portland, New Orleans, and Atlanta since leaving Cleveland.

Nance played in twenty-four games for the Hawks last season, averaging eight points and four rebounds, shooting fifty-one percent ( and a career-high forty-four percent from three) from the floor in nineteen minutes per game.

Nance suffered a broken femur last season, resulting in a career-low in games played.

Nance will back up Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt, and assuming he can stay healthy, Nance gives Cleveland a player they lacked last season, a rangy big man who can hit an occasional three, along with shot-blocking ability as part of the second unit.

Ty Jerome signs with Memphis

    The die was cast last weekend, but on the first day of free agency, the Cleveland Cavaliers officially lost Ty Jerome as Jerome signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Jerome agreed to a three-year contract worth twenty-eight million dollars with Memphis, and the door was opened after the Cavaliers acquired Lonzo Ball and re-signed Sam Merrill.

Jerome had his best season in 2024-25 with Cleveland, posting career-highs in games played and almost every offensive category.

Jerome played twenty minutes a game, averaging twelve points, three assists, and shot fifty-one percent from the floor, forty-three percent from three-point distance.

However, Jerome's defensive weaknesses were targeted in the Cavaliers' playoff defeat to the Indiana Pacers as Tyrese Halliburton torched him consistently. Cleveland realized that Jerome's limitations weren't going to improve.

I understand with the Cavaliers' cap situation, Jerome wasn't likely to return after his postseason play, so the trade for Lonzo Ball made sense to me.

I wasn't surprised that the Cavaliers re-signed Sam Merrill at the time, but I am mildly puzzled that Merrill (four years, thirty-eight million) was valued higher than Jerome, receiving an extra year (four to three) and almost the same compensation per year.

I like Merrill, and he has value as a shooter off the bench, but Jerome is a bit more versatile.

I wouldn't have had an issue keeping either player over the other, but it does feel as if Cleveland overpaid a bit for Merrill while Memphis may have bought a mild bargain in Jerome's contract.

Goodbye doesn't mean forever, Sunday Ticket

      David Gates sung the lyric "Goodbye doesn't mean forever" in the theme of the 1977 film "The Goodbye Girl".

Sidebar: The Goodbye Girl might be the only film ever to have a Best Actor Oscar-winning performance (Richard Dreyfuss) that wasn't even the best performance in the film as ten year old Quinn Cummings steals the film!

And after that performance, Quinn Cummings would act in ONE film (a supporting role in 1987's medicore Listen to Me) ever again! Incredible!I

I recently received an email from YouTubeTV for the upcoming renewal of the NFL Sunday Ticket package and as a subscriber of the package since 2004 in the days of Directv owning the rights, I've never thought about not renewing.

We have now reached the point of considering ending that purchase and it's a bit scary.

YouTubeTV now wishes to recieve $378.00 plus Maryland taxes (22.80) for Sunday Ticket for a total of $400.80 for the upcoming season and I'm starting to think that it's not worth it to see the Browns win four or five games.

That's a lot to watch bad football.

I've always thought that if you buy Sunday Ticket, the Amazon/Netflix/Peacock games should be included with the package, but they never will, as the streaming folks buy these games to attract the hardcore fan, not give them away for free. 

You may be wondering why it's scary.

Well, I've written about my loss of interest in baseball and without even a lousy team to care about, I could see my NFL interest sliding if I'm only watching either Baltimore or Washington games each week.

I'm not saying that it would but it could.

Just like I'm not saying that I won't cut Sunday Ticket, I'm only saying perhaps.

At a time in my life that I need more to be interested in, not less, that's a little scary.

It would also mean less Browns coverage here because I generally don't feel comfortable writing about games/teams that I'm not watching.

If I'm not watching, then I'm not adding anything original to the proverbial conversation and I wouldn't write as much.

It is similar to why I don't write often about Newcastle United, although the reason is a little different as I watch all the games but I don't know nearly enough about soccer/football to feel like I would be adding anything to that coverage.

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't about the money, that does have something to do with it but it's also about the money-grubbing NFL and about the absolute ineptness of the Cleveland Browns and my lack of faith in Andrew Berry to make any moves to change the franchise's direction.

It's getting harder to justify paying that amount of money to watch crappy football but even harder is to give it to a business that gives you back nothing but anger and despair.

But one never knows because after all, goodbye doesn't mean forever.