Jamaican boxing great Mike McCallum, a Hall of Fame fighter who held world titles in three weight classes, has died.
McCallum died suddenly on Saturday in Las Vegas in the United States. He was 68.
According to preliminary reports, McCallum fell ill while travelling to the gym and was forced to pull off the road. He was reportedly found to be unresponsive, and was later pronounced dead.
Nicknamed the “The Bodysnatcher” due to his hard-hitting body punches, McCallum was the first Jamaican boxer to win a world title, doing so in 1984 when he defeated Irishman Sean Mannion at Madison Square Garden in New York to lift the WBA Junior Middleweight crown.
McCallum also won the WBA Middleweight and the WBC Light heavyweight titles, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.
In 2011, the respected Ring Magazine ranked McCallum eighth on its list of “10 best middleweight title holders of the last 50 years.”
He also a seven-time Jamaica Sportsman of the Year recipient.
Sport Minister Olivia Grange expressed shock and sadness at McCallum’s passing.
“It is with utter and complete sadness that I learned of the death of Jamaica’s three-time World Boxing Champion Michael McKenzie McCallum,” Grange said in a statement.
“I express my personal condolences to his mother, siblings and his children. On behalf of the Ministry of Sports I take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of this legendary Jamaican,” she added.