Bob Fitzsimmons vs. Cleveland Williams

He must have good knowledge on positioning himself in a coffin if he were to take this fight.

 

Agreed. And those guys were just as good as Williams. Explains all the sub 170 pounders running rough shot in Williams' era. Oh wait.

 

Williams was a fairly good contender but the confidence in him is a little high here.

 

The bottom line is we don't know.

 

I am not a big fan of fantasy fights but I have to admit this is a good pairing. Interesting.

 

Williams beat one ranked contender over the course of his career, that being 191lb Billy Daniels.

He also managed a draw against 198lb Eddie Machen.

These men are no bigger than say Gus Ruhlin.

 

Because he's being picked over a super middleweight?

 

This is untrue. Miteff was seven when Williams beat him. The only reason their aren't more names on Williams ledger is people wouldn't fight him! Roy Harris, and Hurricane Jackson wanted sfa to do with him. Doug Jones turned down 50K to fight him!

As I stated, boxing had improved substantially in the 60 or so years separating their eras.

If not, you'd see super middleweights fighting heavies frequently in Williams' era.

 

The gulf in class & ability is just as big.

 

The only reason Fitz can't be written off like all of his contemparies is his power. In these sort of matchups he should be treated like Wilder if Wilder was just under 6 ft.

Will always pick against Fitz unless the opponents chin is glass but mathwise his power is such he can hurt 300 pounders. Reach and whether he could land against bigger better opponents than he ever fought is the big question but if his fist connects he can make all the greats feel it. Cleveland Williams 9 inch reach and speed makes him an unusually bad matchup. The "good" matchups are the brawlers. Like Joe Frazier or Rocky.

 

I’m losing my ****ing mind reading these comments.

 

I will assume you are right because I can't be bothered to fact check you.

He is still not exactly a giant.

an admittedly green Williams lot to Bob Satterfield, who weighted 177 at the time.

Some reports put Fitzsimmons weight this high at heavyweight.

 

"Cleveland (Big Cat) Williams, who shattered the title hopes of 7th ranked Alex Miteff with a 5th round TKO, set up a howl today for a shot at champion Floyd Patterson. If Williams ever looked as though he deserved a shot at the title, it was Tuesday night. He took command of the fight from Miteff from the start, opened a bad cut over his left eye in the 2nd, floored him for eight counts in the 3rd and 4th, and was beating him badly when referee Ernie Taylor mercifully ended it 1:32 deep into the 5th." -United Press International

Fitzsimmons definitely has a chance against the green Williams who was a last second substitute. But he'd improve and physically develop substantially after this win.

I've also never seen Fitz listed higher than 170. But you're an honest poster if nothing else, so I'll take your word for it.

 

Then I must concede that you are correct.

I will indulge in a bit of cherry picking, having forewarned you that this is what I am doing.

The New York journal gave Fitzsimmons weight for the first Jeffries fight as 171lbs.

A writer in the Police Gazette gave Fitzsimmons weight for the second Jeffries fight as 180lbs.

Jeffries in his biography claimed that Fitzsimmons later told him that he weighted 185lbs.

Do I believe these higher figures?

No more than I believe the lower figures that are often quoted.

The bottom line is that we don't know.