Both Machen, the No. 2 heavyweight contender, and Williams, ranked No. 5, climbed into the ring hoping to come out with a clearcut right to challenge the Sonny Liston-Floyd Patterson winner for the title. Machen came out unscarred, Williams had a cut on the mouth and a mouse over his right eye. Williams, a powerful left hooker, shook Machen in the 3rd and 8th rounds. Machen scored heavily with his effective counter-punching." -The Fresno Bee Both fighters received $22,000 apiece from the gate Post fight Comment: "In a way he's tougher to fight than Liston because he has the speed the other doesn't have. You can't walk around Cleveland like you can Liston." -Eddie Machen
Good job in posting up this info....would like to see more late fifties fight reports that didn't get great media coverage.
The more I read about Williams and try to remember him in action, the more I think he might have been somewhat overrated as a puncher but was very underrated as a boxer, as the Machen quote indicates. He was never really outboxed in his prime.
I think Williams looks very quick and athletic against Liston. I'd like to see more of a prime Williams. It's a real shame he was shot up by a redneck cop. It's bad enough having to recover from that (and I'm guessing a weaker man wouldn't have), but he lost so much of that ability. He was no match for a peak Ali.
I think big cat was a pretty strong man from what I have both seen and read of him. A prime Williams when faced with the right guys could have made for some interesting matches.
My father told me the only thing that kept cleveland williams from being an great fighter was lack of a top jab. That if he had one none of those smaller men would have been able to touch him.
While I agree he is underated as a boxer, its hard to call him overated as a puncher, on film i have of him in late 1950s he has a couple devastating one punch knockouts. Both guys out cold for 10 minutes. Jim Wiley, I thought he was dead after williams hit him with that left hook. Alonzo Johnson very durable out in 1 round. ESBs John Garfield described Williams as an incredible puncher who hit the bag as hard as liston. Liston claimed in his book cleveland williams hit as hard as him, but couldnt take it like him.
