Ali VS Williams..whats up with that?

the state of williams is fair criticism. however he had run up a decent win streak after the shooting to remain a contender. it's always more ali's brilliance in that fight and not william's legitimacy as a challenger that makes this so memorable

 

Ali was absolutely bursting with surplus energy in that one, unloading four double shuffles in less than three rounds of action. We didn't see that kind of hyped up behavior in his matches with Terrell and Folley, although he drew tremendous incentive from Ernie calling him "Clay." For the Big Cat, he just happened to be more in the zone than in any other match during the 1960s.

 

Williams had no business being in ring at that time.

 

I have always thought this.

 

That combination is really amazing...but yes, I have to agree with the TS here......

 

Everyone in Texas Boxing knew Williams shouldn't have been fighting Ali.

(He had lost over 50 pounds after being gut shot.....and was having depression problems at that time.)

Williams had been inactive the entire year of 1965 while recovering from gunshot wounds he suffered at the hands of a police officer arising out of a traffic stop. Boxing reporter Jerry Izenberg adds "...shot for no apparent reason." Williams was shot with a .357 Magnum in the abdomen, barely survived, and suffered permanent kidney damage, a loss of over ten feet of his small intestine, and nerve damage from the bullet which affected his left leg above the knee, causing it to atrophy as a result.

He was about 33 at the time of the fight.

 

It was just a beautiful, punch perfect performance.

Williams was outclassed and had no chance to win, but he wasn't a sitting duck in there... If I remember correctly he had won some bouts since his wound.

Yes, its not the best win on the resume, but its a perfect example of how devastating and effective a peak Ali was in his own way.

 

I don't think anyone really rates it much as win. Ali just looks freaky good there, and it doesn't really matter who the opponent was. He could have done it to a heavy bag and it'd have been impressive. Terrell's his best overall performance as I see it.

 

To quote the youth, "word".

 

PR is PR, if Ali had lost to Formean in Zaire or Frazer in Manilla, we'd hear forever and ever how the heat beat him....
Seriously, had Sugar Ray Robinson beat Joey Maxium do you think that we'd have heard one peep about the heat that night? Seriously, do you?

Ali beats a used-up Cleveland Williams, the PR machine jumps in and rates it as a masterpiece.

 

Cleveland's previous 3 fights, post shooting, were all in Houston, and were over an inexperienced young fighter, a 0.500 W/L fighter, and Todd Herring, a local Houston fighter who probably "took one for the team" and laid down for Williams so Cleve could get the title shot (Herring only had one more fight after Williams a year later over a 1-2-2 fighter in Beaumont).

As they say....so goes "Boxing".

 

It seems awful , worse than what i read about it in boxrec b4 , i only read about d kidney there .
Did Williams get any damages 4 it ?
"Prime" Ali was in exile , don't u know ? it surely saved his dignity from being beaten by Frazier during his "Prime" .
At least he had them ropes & heat & judges & referees 2 even things up .

 

Ali was shadowboxing if front of a dead man there and then .

 

I think he looks even better during Liston 1, considering who he is in there with. Still, the Williams fight is the stuff of dreams.