Cleveland Willams robbed against Terrell in 1964

I just lean towards Terrell, but 6-4 Terrell, 5-5 draw or 6-4 Williams is okay with me.

 

It is strange. He pops up all the time as if he was Louis, Tyson, Marciano or some other great.

 

I think his reputation might always have been based on these two things:

1. Sonny Liston when he was champion often said Cleveland Williams was the best fighter and hardest hitter he faced. He assessed that Williams hit as hard as himself. And the film of the first fight, in particular, shows Williams giving Liston a very tough time - but only for 2 rounds.

2. People around boxing in 1966 claimed Ali's management had been anxious about matching Ali with Williams until it was confirmed that Williams was a shell after being shot in 1964. Which is probably true to some extent. Williams was known to be very fast and had a strong left hook, so he certainly wouldn't have been a risk-free fight, especially around 1962-'64 .... but even if he'd be A-1 and 100%, he's not actually beating Ali, not in a million years.

 

Ali's team steered him clear of Williams, Chuvalo, and Machen. (In hindsight, had they known how sharply Eddie had declined after his institutionalization, they might have taken the fight—he was still highly ranked based on his pre-institution performances rather than his current form) on the way to the title. Not because he would've lost but because it was simply high-risk, and low reward. Ali was ranked ahead of all 3 men in '63, with the possible exception of Machen. Yes, he almost certainly would've defeated all 3, but why jeopardize a top ranking when a title shot was within reach?

"People around boxing in 1966 claimed Ali's management had been anxious about matching Ali with Williams until it was confirmed that Williams was a shell after being shot in 1964."

This part isn't true. Much as I love the guy, he was never really in a position for a title opportunity, when he got shot. The timelines didn't line up. When Ali won the championship, He was involved in the WBA tournament and had just made the finals against Terrell. Had he won that bout—which seems likely, given that Terrell was already knocked out by Williams, narrowly defeated (and even that's arguable) an injured Williams and was fading by the end—he probably would have faced Ali for a unification bout,

But no, it's not true that Ali only agreed to face Williams, when he was made aware of his decline. Ali himself stated "Williams. He could fight; he was a terrific puncher; but there's nothing much left now, is there?"

"It bothers me. It bothers me to fight him when he's like that" Muhammad Ali - Google Books

 

This article is worth reading.
Pre-fight Sports Illustrated article on Ali-Williams 1966.
https://vault.si.com/vault/1966/11/14/you-watch-out-ali

 

In college right now but I’ll read when I get out. Cheers mate.