(November 4th) They say heavyweight punchers are born, not made, and that certain qualities in boxing simply cannot be taught. Timing, experience, ring cunning and the ability to make an opponent pay for a mistake are among them. At 61, former WBC heavyweight champion Oliver “The Atomic Bull” McCall demonstrated that the old heavyweight artillery has not entirely been put away, stopping Jeremiah Williams in the fifth round of their scheduled six-round heavyweight contest Tuesday night at Plaza Mariachi in Nashville, Tennessee.

The victory came at Country Box 45, part of the distinctive “Where Music Meets Boxing” series. Country Box is the event brand, with Jimmy Adams Promotions associated with the promotion. A right hand from McCall opened a cut on Williams, and the resulting damage brought the contest to a halt in the fifth round. The published post-fight report confirms the stoppage, although the exact elapsed time and formal commission designation have not been independently established.

This was not McCall’s first appearance since returning to professional boxing. After an extended absence, the Chicago-born heavyweight resumed his career in November 2024, at 59, and quickly reminded observers that the right hand which once shook the heavyweight establishment had not become entirely ornamental. He stopped Stacy Frazier in two rounds on November 19, 2024, followed by a first-round stoppage of Gary Cobia on February 4, 2025. His six-round contest with Carlos Reyes on June 3, 2025, ended in a draw. The Williams victory now adds another successful result to an ongoing comeback.

McCall’s place in heavyweight history was secured on September 24, 1994, when he produced one of the division’s great championship upsets against Lennox Lewis at Wembley Arena in London. Lewis, the reigning WBC heavyweight champion, was making his first title defence and was a substantial favourite. McCall had other ideas. A thunderous right hand sent Lewis to the canvas in the second round. Although the champion managed to rise, referee Guadalupe Garcia judged him unable to continue. The official result was a second-round technical knockout, and McCall was heavyweight champion of the world.

It was no lucky punch detached from an otherwise unremarkable résumé. McCall successfully defended his WBC championship against legendary former heavyweight king Larry Holmes on April 8, 1995, winning a 12-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas. Holmes was 45, but remained a formidable technician, armed with the jab, experience and ring intelligence that had made him one of the finest heavyweights of his generation. McCall subsequently lost the championship to Britain’s Frank Bruno by unanimous decision on September 2, 1995, at Wembley. His reign had lasted less than a year, but his name was firmly established among the heavyweight elite.

There is another chapter in the McCall-Lewis story, and it remains one of the most difficult episodes of McCall’s career. On February 7, 1997, the two met again in Las Vegas, with the vacant WBC championship at stake. What followed was among the strangest episodes in a major heavyweight title fight. McCall became visibly distressed, repeatedly failed to engage and broke down emotionally between rounds. Referee Mills Lane eventually stopped the contest 55 seconds into the fifth round, awarding Lewis the victory. It was a difficult moment in McCall’s life and career, one that deserves to be remembered with sensitivity rather than reduced to a punchline. Nearly three decades later, McCall was again involved in a fifth-round stoppage, but this time he was the man celebrating the victory.

The "Atomic Bull’s" reputation had been built long before his night of glory against Lewis. Born Oliver William McCall in Chicago, he developed his boxing foundations through the Catholic Youth Organization, Chicago Park District competition and the Chicago Golden Gloves, which he won twice. An orthodox heavyweight standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, with a reported 82-inch reach, he became known for his durability, strength and heavy-handed counterpunching.

Early in his professional career, McCall also sparred with Mike Tyson. According to the account recorded in his BoxRec profile, McCall claimed to have sparred more than 300 rounds with Tyson without being knocked down, while also recalling that he had once put Tyson on the canvas himself. It is the kind of gym folklore that has long surrounded heavyweight boxing, and it speaks to the reputation McCall carried into the professional ranks.

His résumé extends well beyond Lewis, Holmes and Bruno. BoxRec’s historical profile records victories over notable heavyweight names including Bruce Seldon, Francesco Damiani, Oleg Maskaev and Henry Akinwande. McCall also collected a series of regional and international titles, among them the WBC FECARBOX heavyweight championship in 2006, the WBC International title in 2007, the IBA Continental title in 2009, the IBF Inter-Continental title in 2010 and the WBF Intercontinental title in 2011. He was never simply a one-night heavyweight sensation; he spent decades competing against serious opposition across several generations of the division.

McCall’s Nashville appearance also brought together two names from different parts of the boxing business with a shared history. Country Box is the Nashville-based boxing and country-music event series built around its “Where Music Meets Boxing” identity, while Jimmy Adams Promotions is the promotional operation associated with veteran boxing manager and promoter Jimmy Adams. The event took place at Plaza Mariachi, 3955 Nolensville Pike, where professional boxing and live musical entertainment combine to create a distinctive fight-night atmosphere.

Adams brings decades of experience to the sport and has been associated with heavyweight names including Earnie Shavers, Greg Page, Tony Tucker, Riddick Bowe and McCall. His longstanding connection with McCall adds a personal dimension to the former champion’s latest appearance. Country Box debuted in 2023 and expanded its profile in 2026 through a partnership with Mayweather Promotions, giving emerging fighters another platform while introducing the Nashville series to a wider boxing audience.

So what comes next for The Atomic Bull? McCall has demonstrated that he can still be dangerous, but a fifth-round stoppage at 61 must be viewed in its proper context. It does not automatically place him back in world-title contention, nor does it diminish the considerable physical demands and risks associated with heavyweight boxing at his age. Any further appearances should be approached with appropriate medical oversight and carefully matched opposition. Nevertheless, the victory gives McCall another successful chapter to add to a professional journey that began in November 1985.

For boxing romantics, there is something irresistible about the continued presence of The Atomic Bull. He competed during the era when Mike Tyson ruled the heavyweight landscape, challenged and conquered Lennox Lewis, shared the ring with Larry Holmes and experienced both the highest prize in boxing and the personal difficulties that followed. More than four decades after turning professional, he is still finding ways to make his presence felt.

His Nashville victory will not rewrite the heavyweight record books, but it provides another reminder of the man who once knocked Lennox Lewis from his throne. At 61, Oliver McCall is still swinging and Jeremiah Williams discovered that the hard way.