| Cleveland Williams | |
| Nickname: | Big Cat |
| Weight: | Heavyweight |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in |
| Reach: | 80 in |
| Birth Date: | 30 June 1933 |
| Birth Place: | Griffin, Georgia, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Total: | 97 |
| Wins: | 82 |
| Losses: | 13 |
| Draws: | 2 |
| Ko: | 62 |
Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams (June 30, 1933 – September 10, 1999) was an American professional boxer. A poll in The Ring magazine rated him as one of the finest boxers never to win a title.
Born in Griffin, Georgia, Williams started working at a pulpwood mill at the age of 13, and began his professional boxing career in his home state just a year later. He reported winning four of his first six fights, but was barred from competing until he turned 18 after an official learned of his age.
Williams turned professional in 1951 and fought many of the best heavyweights of his era. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the 6 ft 2 in[1] Williams was a top-rated heavyweight. His quest to obtain a title fight, however, was consistently derailed. First he was knocked out by Sonny Liston on April 15, 1959.[2] Williams recovered from the Liston fight to score more wins, but was again stopped by Liston in two rounds in their rematch on March 21, 1960. His quest for the title was later stalled when he was held to a draw by Eddie Machen on July 10, 1962, and when he dropped a split decision on March 13, 1963, to Ernie Terrell, a fighter he had previously knocked out in seven rounds in 1962. During this time frame, he defeated Billy Daniels.
On the evening of November 29, 1964, during the height of the civil unrest of the American Civil Rights Movement, a car driven by Williams was stopped near Houston, Texas, by highway Patrolman Dale Witten, who stated afterwards Williams was speeding. According to the police report Williams resisted arrest, and the officer's .357 magnum revolver went off during an ensuing struggle, hitting Williams in the stomach and lodging in his right hip. Williams underwent four operations over the subsequent seven months to address injuries to his colon and right kidney. The right kidney ultimately had to be removed in June 1965. Doctors could not extract the bullet, which had broken his right hip joint and caused partial paralysis of some of the hip's muscles, over 10feet of his small intestine had to be removed, and nerve damage affected his left leg above the knee and caused it to atrophy as a result.[3] Hugh Benbow, his manager, and Sonny Liston, former world champion, visited Cleveland Williams in the hospital. After his partial recovery Williams was fined $50 and briefly jailed after pleading no contest to charges arising from the incident. (Patrolman Witten visited Williams to wish him luck the day before his 1966 fight with Muhammad Ali, with both men saying they had "no hard feelings" toward the other).[4]
The injury, surgeries and subsequent convalescence caused Williams to lose over 60 pounds (27kg), and over 17 months of his career. He regained his weight and strength by tossing 80-pound (36kg) bales of hay daily on a cattle ranch till he had regained his fighting weight and physique. On February 8, 1966, Williams received a standing ovation from the Houston crowd as he returned to the ring, and knocked out Ben Black in the first round.[5]
Williams competed for the heavyweight championship against Muhammad Ali on November 14, 1966, but was badly outclassed, and was knocked down twice in the third round ending the match. Williams retired from boxing after the 1966 Championship defeat, but later made a comeback. Although able to defeat journeymen fighters, he suffered several knockout losses before retiring permanently in 1972.
The Ring in the 1980s reported he worked as a forklift truck driver in his later years.
On September 3, 1999, Williams was knocked down by a car in a hit and run accident while walking across a street in Houston, Texas; he died of his injuries at Ben Taub Hospital on September 10, 1999,at the age of 66.[6] Williams was buried in Paradise North Cemetery in Houston.
He ended his career with a record of 82 wins (62 KOs), 13 losses and 2 draws. During an interview after his retirement, George Foreman described Williams as having one of the three hardest punches he had experienced professionally, also stating that he and Williams had been sparring partners early in their careers. George Chuvalo also said Williams was one of the hardest punchers he had faced in his own professional career. Williams, aged 38, lost by decision to veteran Chuvalo over 10 rounds at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, in November 1971.[7] Sonny Liston stated Williams was the hardest puncher he'd ever been in the ring with.
In 2003 Williams was ranked 49th in The Rings list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Age | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | Win | 82–13–2 | Roberto Davila | UD | 10 | Oct 28, 1973 | |||
| 96 | Win | 81–13–2 | Bob Mashburn | KO | 9 (10), | Jul 10, 1972 | |||
| 95 | Win | 80–13–2 | Terry Daniels | UD | 12 | May 11, 1972 | |||
| 94 | Loss | 79–13–2 | George Chuvalo | UD | 10 | Nov 17, 1971 | |||
| 93 | Loss | 79–12–2 | Jack O'Halloran | SD | 10 | Sep 21, 1971 | |||
| 92 | Win | 79–11–2 | Ted Gullick | MD | 10 | Apr 28, 1971 | |||
| 91 | Loss | 78–11–2 | Alvin Lewis | TKO | 4 (10), | Oct 21, 1970 | |||
| 90 | Win | 78–10–2 | Roberto Davila | UD | 10 | May 26, 1970 | |||
| 89 | Win | 77–10–2 | Eddie Brooks | TKO | 1 (12), | Apr 14, 1970 | |||
| 88 | Win | 76–10–2 | Leroy Caldwell | TKO | 10 (10) | Dec 9, 1969 | |||
| 87 | Loss | 75–10–2 | Mac Foster | TKO | 3 (10), | Nov 18, 1969 | |||
| 86 | Loss | 75–9–2 | Mac Foster | TKO | 5 (10), | Sep 13, 1969 | |||
| 85 | Loss | 75–8–2 | Al Jones | TKO | 8 (10), | May 20, 1969 | |||
| 84 | Win | 75–7–2 | Charley Polite | UD | 10 | Mar 18, 1969 | |||
| 83 | Loss | 74–7–2 | Bob Cleroux | UD | 10 | Nov 21, 1968 | |||
| 82 | Win | 74–6–2 | Moses Harrell | TKO | 7 (10), | Oct 7, 1968 | |||
| 81 | Win | 73–6–2 | Jean Roy | UD | 10 | Aug 6, 1968 | |||
| 80 | Win | 72–6–2 | Leslie Borden | KO | 1 (10) | Jun 25, 1968 | |||
| 79 | Win | 71–6–2 | Mike Bruce | KO | 1 (10), | Jun 11, 1968 | |||
| 78 | Win | 70–6–2 | Roy Crear | KO | 1 (10) | May 21, 1968 | |||
| 77 | Loss | 69–6–2 | Muhammad Ali | TKO | 3 (15), | Nov 14, 1966 | |||
| 76 | Win | 69–5–2 | Tod Herring | TKO | 3 (10), | Jun 28, 1966 | |||
| 75 | Win | 68–5–2 | Sonny Moore | UD | 10 | Apr 19, 1966 | |||
| 74 | Win | 67–5–2 | Mel Turnbow | UD | 10 | Mar 22, 1966 | |||
| 73 | Win | 66–5–2 | Ben Black | KO | 1 (10) | Feb 8, 1966 | |||
| 72 | Win | 65–5–2 | Billy Daniels | UD | 10 | Sep 30, 1964 | |||
| 71 | Win | 64–5–2 | Sonny Banks | TKO | 6 (10) | Jul 21, 1964 | |||
| 70 | Win | 63–5–2 | Tommy Fields | UD | 10 | Apr 7, 1964 | |||
| 69 | Win | 62–5–2 | Roger Rischer | KO | 3 (10) | Oct 8, 1963 | |||
| 68 | Win | 61–5–2 | Kirk Barrow | KO | 3 (10), | Aug 13, 1963 | |||
| 67 | Loss | 60–5–2 | Ernie Terrell | SD | 10 | Apr 13, 1963 | |||
| 66 | Win | 60–4–2 | Young Jack Johnson | TKO | 10 (10) | Apr 2, 1963 | |||
| 65 | Win | 59–4–2 | Billy Daniels | UD | 10 | Mar 9, 1963 | |||
| 64 | Win | 58–4–2 | Dave Bailey | KO | 5 (10), | Oct 23, 1962 | |||
| 63 | Draw | 57–4–2 | Eddie Machen | PTS | 10 | Jul 10, 1962 | |||
| 62 | Win | 57–4–1 | Alonzo Johnson | KO | 1 (10) | May 15, 1962 | |||
| 61 | Win | 56–4–1 | Ernie Terrell | TKO | 7 (10), | Apr 3, 1962 | |||
| 60 | Win | 55–4–1 | James Wiley | KO | 1 (10) | Dec 19, 1961 | |||
| 59 | Win | 54–4–1 | Alex Miteff | TKO | 5 (10), | May 16, 1961 | |||
| 58 | Win | 53–4–1 | Wayne Bethea | UD | 10 | Feb 7, 1961 | |||
| 57 | Win | 52–4–1 | Johnny Hayden | KO | 2 (10) | Dec 7, 1960 | |||
| 56 | Win | 51–4–1 | George Moore | KO | 4 (10) | Nov 1, 1960 | |||
| 55 | Win | 50–4–1 | Ben Marshall | KO | 2 (10) | Oct 24, 1960 | |||
| 54 | Loss | 49–4–1 | Sonny Liston | TKO | 2 (10), | Mar 21, 1960 | |||
| 53 | Win | 49–3–1 | Curley Lee | KO | 10 (10), | Oct 14, 1959 | |||
| 52 | Win | 48–3–1 | Ernie Cab | KO | 8 (10), | May 26, 1959 | |||
| 51 | Loss | 47–3–1 | Sonny Liston | TKO | 3 (10), | Apr 15, 1959 | |||
| 50 | Win | 47–2–1 | Ollie Wilson | KO | 3 (10) | Jan 13, 1959 | |||
| 49 | Win | 46–2–1 | Howie Turner | PTS | 10 | Dec 9, 1958 | |||
| 48 | Win | 45–2–1 | Frankie Daniels | UD | 10 | Jun 3, 1958 | |||
| 47 | Win | 44–2–1 | Dick Richardson | DQ | 4 (10) | Mar 25, 1958 | |||
| 46 | Win | 43–2–1 | Gene White | TKO | 1 (10), | Feb 4, 1958 | |||
| 45 | Win | 42–2–1 | Frankie Daniels | UD | 10 | Dec 3, 1957 | |||
| 44 | Win | 41–2–1 | John Holman | KO | 7 (10) | Oct 15, 1957 | |||
| 43 | Win | 40–2–1 | Bob Albright | KO | 7 (10) | Sep 17, 1957 | |||
| 42 | Win | 39–2–1 | Clifford Gray | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 23, 1957 | |||
| 41 | Win | 38–2–1 | J.D. Marshall | TKO | 2 (10), | Jul 15, 1957 | |||
| 40 | Win | 37–2–1 | Johnny Mason | KO | 1 (10) | Jun 11, 1957 | |||
| 39 | Win | 36–2–1 | Johnny Hollins | TKO | 3 (10) | Aug 6, 1956 | |||
| 38 | Loss | 35–2–1 | Bob Satterfield | KO | 3 (10), | Jun 22, 1954 | |||
| 37 | Win | 35–1–1 | Sylvester Jones | KO | 6 (10) | Jun 8, 1954 | |||
| 36 | Win | 34–1–1 | Jimmy Walls | TKO | 1 (10), | Mar 9, 1954 | |||
| 35 | Win | 33–1–1 | Jack Walsh | KO | 8 (10) | Nov 10, 1953 | |||
| 34 | Win | 32–1–1 | Bo Willis | KO | 2 (10) | Oct 20, 1953 | |||
| 33 | Win | 31–1–1 | Claude Rolfe | KO | 3 (10), | Oct 1, 1953 | |||
| 32 | Loss | 30–1–1 | Sylvester Jones | PTS | 4 | Sep 24, 1953 | |||
| 31 | Win | 30–0–1 | Keene Simmons | UD | 10 | Sep 1, 1953 | |||
| 30 | Win | 29–0–1 | Omelio Agramonte | UD | 10 | May 12, 1953 | |||
| 29 | Win | 28–0–1 | Bob Garner | KO | 7 (10) | Mar 31, 1953 | |||
| 28 | Win | 27–0–1 | Ponce de Leon | KO | 2 (10) | Mar 24, 1953 | |||
| 27 | Win | 26–0–1 | Terry O'Connor | TKO | 3 (8) | Mar 12, 1953 | |||
| 26 | Win | 25–0–1 | Ponce de Leon | PTS | 8 | Mar 4, 1953 | |||
| 25 | Win | 24–0–1 | Abie Gibson | KO | 1 (10), | Jan 13, 1953 | |||
| 24 | Win | 23–0–1 | Graveyard Walters | KO | 2 (10) | Dec 8, 1952 | |||
| 23 | Win | 22–0–1 | Claude Rolfe | KO | 9 (10), | Nov 25, 1952 | |||
| 22 | Win | 21–0–1 | Johnny Hollins | KO | 1 (10), | Oct 3, 1952 | |||
| 21 | Win | 20–0–1 | Joe McFadden | TKO | 3 (6), | Sep 23, 1952 | |||
| 20 | Win | 19–0–1 | Art Henri | TKO | 8 (10), | Sep 16, 1952 | |||
| 19 | Win | 18–0–1 | Roosevelt Holmes | KO | 1 (10), | Sep 12, 1952 | |||
| 18 | Win | 17–0–1 | Baby Booze | KO | 1 (6) | Sep 2, 1952 | |||
| 17 | Win | 16–0–1 | Candy McDaniels | KO | 2 (10) | Aug 12, 1952 | |||
| 16 | Win | 15–0–1 | Sam Harold | KO | 4 (6) | Jul 25, 1952 | |||
| 15 | Win | 14–0–1 | Lee Raymond | TKO | 5 (10) | Jul 22, 1952 | |||
| 14 | Win | 13–0–1 | Jimmy Felton | KO | 3 (8) | Jul 8, 1952 | |||
| 13 | Win | 12–0–1 | Eddie Joe Williams | KO | 1 (8) | Jun 24, 1952 | |||
| 12 | Win | 11–0–1 | Harry Turner | KO | 1 (8) | Jun 17, 1952 | |||
| 11 | Win | 10–0–1 | Paul Favorite | KO | 4 (10) | Jun 10, 1952 | |||
| 10 | Win | 9–0–1 | Ray Brown | KO | 3 (6) | May 28, 1952 | |||
| 9 | Win | 8–0–1 | Johnny Fowler | KO | 5 (6) | Apr 15, 1952 | |||
| 8 | Win | 7–0–1 | Ray Banks | KO | 1 (6) | Mar 28, 1952 | |||
| 7 | Win | 6–0–1 | Roosevelt Holmes | UD | 6 | Feb 29, 1952 | |||
| 6 | Win | 5–0–1 | Rudolph Wood | KO | 2 (4) | Feb 26, 1952 | |||
| 5 | Win | 4–0–1 | Ray Banks | TKO | 1 (6) | Feb 15, 1952 | |||
| 4 | Win | 3–0–1 | Lee Hunt | KO | 2 (4) | Dec 11, 1951 | |||
| 3 | Draw | 2–0–1 | Dan Bolston | PTS | 4 | Nov 16, 1949 | |||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Phillip Nelson | TKO | 3 (4) | Jun 30, 1949 | |||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Al Williams | TKO | 2 (4) | Mar 25, 1949 | |||