Oliver McCall returns with a win at 59, calls out Jake Paul

Former WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall returned from a five-year hibernation to knock out Stacy Frazier in two rounds at age 59.

Chicago’s McCall, 60-14 (39 KOs), made history as the oldest fighter to compete and win after a second round TKO victory saw him dispatch little-known 54-year-old veteran Frazier of Louisiana at the Texas Troubadour Theatre in Nashvile, Tennessee on Tuesday night.

Frazier, 16-23 (15 KOs), started well in the first round, landing clean shots to the body of McCall – who used his jab more. When McCall attacked, his big right hand sent Frazier to the canvas.

In the second round, McCall went at Frazier and landed another right hand which recorded the second knockdown. When Frazier came back on his feet, he was made to eat a right hook that wobbled him. Mccall chased and landed combinations on his opponent who failed to beat the count this time around.

An ecstatic McCall described his feat as a blessing when asked about beating Mike Tyson’s record of fighting at age 58.

“Well, in actuality, it’s a bigger record because I’m the first guy who ever knocked down the youngest heavyweight champion of the world, which is Mike Tyson. And now I’m the oldest guy to fight and win,” said McCall after the fight.

McCall’s return was a quick response to Mike Tyson’s return against YouTuber-turned boxer Jake Paul last Friday in Texas. The legendary Tyson lost a unanimous decision to 27-year-old Paul in a sold-out event at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

McCall became a WBC heavyweight titleholder in September 1994, when he stopped then champion Lennox Lewis in two rounds. He successfully defended the title once against Larry Holmes before losing it to Frank Bruno a year later.

Having last fought and won against Hugo Lomeli in 2019, McCall believes he still has what it takes to continue fighting and called out Jake Paul and his brother Logan Paul.

“Well, next fight, I’m gonna be about 10 pounds lighter so you’re gonna have a lot more technique. And I can punch. I could definitely punch. My defense is pretty decent. What about if I lose about 10 more pounds, I’m ready for anybody.

“I’ll  knock Jake Paul out. Bring on Jake Paul and I wanna get revenge for Nate Robinson and then Mike Tyson. That would be awesome.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].