Cleveland Williams vs Roy Harris 1959

Cleveland would have clocked him early.
Sidebar: How do you think ol' "cut n' shoot' would have a chance?
Going deep against Floyd (given his passivity) means nothing.
Have never seen Roy except for the Patterson/Liston fights.
Did he have something I'm not seeing? Counterpunching? Slip n' move tactics? A solid right or left hook? An iron jaw? I'm just not seeing ANY of that. My somewhat limited $0.02

 

Harris easy decision-no agenda, way too clever a boxer.

 

I think it could go either way and there would be no knock downs.

In 1959 Harris was more proven whilst Williams was still looking for a contender to fight. He was good enough for the level but Roy would be something of a step up. Williams did not knock out Frankie Daniels out of two times around this time and Daniels was nothing special and fared just as bad as Harris did against Liston.

If it was just a question of Williams knocking out anyone Liston did that was absolutely not the case. Wayne Bethea was knocked out by Liston but went the distance with Williams too. Tommy Feilds and Billy the Barber Daniels both went the distance yet others knocked them out.

Harris did beat punchers like Lavorante and Powell. Roy also survived the full ten against a Prime Henry Cooper so I dont think the Harris chin was that bad. Cleroux and Liston were the only ones to knock him out. Williams himself was hurt and knocked down a lot of times. Cleroux even beat Williams much latter on so I think the two are pretty evenly matched. Certainly Harris was a lot better than the men who Williams beat on points before 1959 like Frankie Daniels and Keene Simmons.

 

Williams mid rounds ko Williams had quite quick hands and Harris has nothing to keep him off.

 

Don't you think that might be a bit of a bold prediction for the 1959 version of Williams? I'm not saying it's not impossible since Williams certainly had that potential but it was not realised against Frankie Daniels in two fights near that time and later against Bethea, the other Daniels (Billy the Barber) among others of fair to defent class. Williams could punch but it rarely delivered him inside the distance wins at top level and in 1959 Harris had this edge in seasoning here.

 

No , not really, Lavorante was a 4 fight novice ,Cooper knocked Harris down with a right hand! Going off the 3rds slug fest with Liston, I take Williams to ko Harris

 

Wow, a right hand! Never new that.:good

 

Nor me!


https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VB9HAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UzMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1830,2351120&hl=en

 

Frankie Daniels stood up ok against this "fast as a cat firepower" though didn't he? Twenty rounds Frankie managed against 6'4" Williams. Why can't world title chalenger Roy Harris? For all his power (and I don't dispute his power) Williams did not deck many rated guys. Harris was a rated guy in 1959.

 

Well they looked the same that's for sure. I think the 1963 version was more seasoned against better level fighters. More experience to draw from. I think it was beneficial to Cleveland that by 1963 he was holding his own with good fighters and by then was a genuine contender in his own right. That version might have beat Sylvester Jones and Bob Satterfeild first time around. That version might have stopped Howie Turner and Frankie Daniels.

 

Is it indefensible to mention Williams without the adjective "catlike"?