Oliver McCall has won his latest return fight at the age of 59 as his bizarre comeback trail continues.
In his prime, McCall reigned as a WBC heavyweight champion, having upset Lennox Lewis with a huge second round KO in 1994 to snatch the belt.
Country BoxMcCall returned in a second comeback fight against police sheriff Cobia[/caption]
The veteran fought for three decades before retiring in 2019 after a long and arduous career, but he has now began a new bizarre campaign as a professional.
He returned late last year in a surprising bow against Stacey Frazier, a fight he won by brutal stoppage, becoming the oldest former heavyweight champion to win a boxing match.
After the bout he called out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul for an ambitious fight, given he recently defeated heavyweight legend Mike Tyson.
But instead he returned yesterday at the Texas Troubadour Theatre against Gary Cobia.
His rival is a 52-year-old full time police sheriff as the Davis County Sheriff’s deputy, and was taking a huge plunge in boxing against an icon of the sport.
But even though McCall is decades from his prime years, the experienced heavyweight was too much for Cobia.
The fight lasted all of three minutes, and finished in the most bizarre circumstances possible.
McCall dominated in the final minute of the bout and landed some big shots which saw Cobia stumble into a clinch and desperately try to hold on until the end of the round.
But he looked okay as he trudged back to his corner and sat on the stool, with round two set to get underway.
The referee watched on and signalled to ringside as if to consider whether to halt the fight, as he was unhappy with proceedings.
CountryBoxThe fight was then bizarrely stopped after one round with Cobia injured[/caption]
After a brief gesture match with officials ringside, he decided to signal to cut off the contest and call it a day.
Cobia had returned to his feet, but ultimately he was out of his depth, and decided to retire on his stool.
It was he who got the final say, and as cameras panned closer, it was clear blood was pouring from his nose.
The pair embraced and McCall had his second victory in his frightening attempts to return as a heavyweight.
It was unclear how or why the fight was sanctioned, given it could have been a serious health risk for Cobia or McCall.
Cobia indicated to news outlets after the event that he had injured his bicep during the fight.
For McCall this remains a long-term ambition for 2025 to continue in to his 60’s.
He even suggested that he would open to Shannon Briggs and Bruce Seldon as part of his continued pursuit of a furthered boxing career.
The return of heavyweights far from their prime is a worrying topic for many fans.
Evander Holyfield faced a damaging fate when he returned in an exhibition against Vitor Belfort in 2021, being brutally knocked out.
Tyson also lost to Paul, and risked life and limb, having faced a raft of health issues before he stepped through the ropes.
