Famed Boxer Mike McCallum Dead at 68

The boxing world has lost one of its most notable athletes.

Mike McCallum, a.k.a. The Bodysnatcher, has reportedly passed away at the age of 68. TMZ reported the news that the Kingston, Jamaica-born athlete died on Saturday while driving to the gym in Las Vegas.

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According to multiple reports, McCallum pulled his vehicle over to the side of the road when he became ill while driving to the gym. When police discovered his vehicle, the champion boxer was already deceased. A cause of death has yet to be announced.

McCallum earned his “Bodysnatcher” nickname as the result of his astonishing left hook, which he often used to land body shots on his opponents—knocking out more than a few of them in the process.

According to TMZ, over the span of his nearly 20-year career, McCallum notched a spectacular 49-5 record; of those 49 wins, 36 of them—or 80 percent—we won with a KO. At different points in his career, McCallum held three top titles with the World Boxing Association: the super welterweight belt, the middleweight belt, and the light heavyweight belt.

Rest in peace to my former trainer - the great Mike McCallum ???????? pic.twitter.com/YEo7H4lcqW

— Chris Eubank Jr (@ChrisEubankJr) June 1, 2025

In addition to being Jamaica’s first global boxing champion, The Bodysnatcher also competed as a welterweight at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. 

Many key figures in the boxing world took to social media to express their sadness over McCallum’s death, including International Boxing Organization Middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr., who posted a photo of McCallum to X with the caption: “Rest in peace to my former trainer—the great Mike McCallum.”