Cleveland Williams vs Tod Herring

If a slow Todd Herring could reach Williams with combos & power punches, then no doubt Ali should have been able to do the same easily.

The name for Ali vs Williams as Ali's greatest fight should be discounted.

Ali just gave Williams a paycheck and should be labeled as such.

 

Nice post Pablo 1,

June 28, 1966

Tod Herring, at 29, was pretty much done as a Top 20 Heavyweight.

Back-to-back 'Knockout' losses to Floyd Patterson (5/65) and Elmer Rush (8/65)
finished him.

Upon entering this bout, Tod had not fought in '10-Months'.

Suprisingly, he tagged Cleveland a few times, and took several crushing shots, yet still hung in there, before the end.

Longhorn71, is also correct. Cleveland was strong, but slow, and an easy mark for
anyone with a crisp punch.

 

cleveland williams was NOT slow, he was far past his prime for this fight in 1966

 

Cleveland Williams was way past his prim in 1966

 

Carl 'Tod' Herring

Houston, Texas (Houston's - 'Terror of the East End')

The 6' 3" 205 lb. 'hard-hooking banger' with a football lineman's broad shoulders.
Who was described as being 'built like a brick ****-house'

The 26 year-old burst into the Top 20 Heavyweights in November 1963, by stopping
(KO 9) veteran Alonzo Johnson (who defeated Tod by a 10-Round Decision earlier in January 1962).

Improving to 24-3-0 (17 KO's), the Texas Heavyweight Champion was considered
a possible future challenger for Heavyweight Champion, Sonny Liston or opponent
former Champion Floyd Patterson.

A straight-forward banger, who was not afraid to 'take-one' to 'deliver-one'.
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March 17, 1964

#4 Zora Folley 66-7-3 (36 KO's)
vs.
#18 Tod Herring 24-3-0 (17 KO's)

Zora Folley, the #4 Ranked Heavyweight, stops (TKO 7) the #18 Ranked Heavyweight, Tod Herring.
The 33 year-old veteran Zora, slammed the 26 year-old Texas Heavyweight Champion Herring to
the canvas in the 7th Round for a Knockout (TKO 7) victory.

The 209 lb. Arizona Heavyweight, scored with hard punches in Rounds 5 and 6, hurting the
popular Houston-resident. In Round 7, Folley landed two hard right hands that dropped the
6' 3" 205 lb. Texan Heavyweight. Upon rising, Zora unloaded with a '12-punch' flurry that left
the hurt Texan reeling, where upon Referee James Woodruff stopped the Heavyweight bout
at 1:34 of the 7th Round.

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And carrying around a bullet in his stomache to boot...Williams was truly
a SHOT fighter...

 

Burt B.

In November 1964, the 'Big Cat' had to be ranked in the Top 5,
along with Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Zora Folley and Eddie Machen.

Was the 'Big Cat' in line for a World Title shot.

After the 'gunshot wound' (November 29, 1964) he was out for over a year.

 

Williams looks pretty awful in this fight.
Which is no surprise, considering what had happened to him.

 

In Cleveland William's 'first comeback bout' (February 1966).

Cleveland took on 'Big Bennie' Black, the former 1962 National Golden
Gloves Heavyweight Champion.

The 'Big Cat' got caught moments into the 1st Round by a 'Big Bennie' right hand,
which 'stiff-legged' him, and then he was felled by another right.

The 'Big Cat' just beat the count (up at '9'), and while nearly out on his
feet, whipped a left hook to a 'wide-open swinging' Bennie Black, catching
him on the button, and dropping Black for the '10-Count'.

Another 'near disaster' for Cleveland Williams.

'Big Bennie' Black, actually a fairly dangerous punching 24 year-old 6' 5" 233 lbs.
Chicago Heavyweight, was 14-1-1 (12 KO's) upon entering that bout.

 

Senor Pepe,

I love your posts...what can you tell me about some rare clarence henry, bob baker, nino valdes fights..and their chances against Rocky Marciano?

 

How about a little more on Tod Herring,

Following his 'disaster' knockout loss to Zora Folley in March 1964,

Tod bounced back '10 months later and in December 1964 blasted out undefeated
Texan, 'Cowboy' Roy Rogers 12-0-0 (8 KO's) by TKO 4.

Riding a solid win, on January 12, 1965 - Tod then took on visiting undefeated Heavyweight,
San Franciso's bruiser, Elmer Rush 12-0-1 (6 KO's).

In a 'Good Ole Boy' versus a 'West Coast Hot Shot' Heavyweight Fight,, Tod Herring withstood a
heavy body attack by the 'bulky' Elmer, and then turned it on in the later rounds to stop (TKO 9) Rush,
and hand the San Francisco Heavyweight his 'first loss.'

The win over Elmer Rush was considered a 'mild upset'.

Tod Herring moved up to 26-3-0 (19 KO's), and that win earned him a #15 Heavyweight ranking.

 

A Forgotten Bout

May 14, 1965

Stockholm, Sweden

#2 Floyd Patterson 42-4-0 (31 KO's)...(Age 30...Weight 196 lbs.)
vs
# 15 Tod Herring 26-3-0 (17 KO's)...(Age 27...Weight 210 lbs.)

#2 Ranked Heavyweight, and former '2-Time' Champion, the 30 year-old
Floyd Patterson looks to make it '5-in-a-row', on his way to a possible
late-1965 Challenge for the Heavyweight Championship.

His opponent, #15 Ranked Heavyweight, Texan Tod Herring, is a hard-punching
6' 3" 210 lb. slugger.

The 5' 11 1/2" Floyd, will have to punch up to hit the 6' 3' Texan, Tod Herring.

The 27 year-old Herring, is a straight-forward hard-banger, and said he is willing
to take the punches of the quick-hitting Patterson, to unload is heavier blows.

Herring said, "Floyd leaps in when throwing punches, and all I have to do is time
him and nail him. In a punch contest, he can out-hit me 8 to 5, but my '5' are alot
harder than his '8'."

In front of 10,000 Sweden boxing fans, Floyd Patterson opened up with a lightning flurry
of punches, that looked like a 'blur'. Tod Herring was stunned by the quickness, and
was completely out-of-his-league in the '1st-Round'.

In Round 2, Herring managed to land a couple of hard shots to the body, which
bothered Patterson just a bit. To avoid the rushes of Herring, Floyd reverted to
darting in-and-out, to upset the timing of the big Texan.

In Round 3, Floyd had enough of the 'cat-and-mouse' game, and opened up with 'two'
super-quick left hooks, that sent Herring reeling on his heels. Then with his opponent
dazed, Floyd followed up with a '5-punch smash' that left Herring wobbling out on his feet,
where upon British Referee Ted Waltham called a halt to the contest at 0:40 of the 3rd-Round.

After the bout, Floyd was asked why he didn't fight this way versus Sonny Liston.
Floyd just shrugged, but added, 'I have my confidence back, that what was missing.
I now know that I can defeat a bigger man, where before I had my doubts. I may
take one more bout, before I challenge the winner of the Clay-Liston rematch.'

Tod Herring, 'I thought I had him in the 2nd-Round, he whinced when I hit him.
But the man can take it, and come back harder. Floyd is by far the Fastest-Heavyweight
out there, and if he fights like that again, no one will beat him.'

 

Entertaining slug fest ,made the more so because Williams reflexes were clearly eroded. However,give him a stationary target and he could still blast you out. Thanks for putting this up.:good

 

McVey,

Don't forget Cleveland's other comeback fights in Houston

* W Dec 10 over Mel Turnbow
* W Dec 10 over Sonny Moore

Cleveland, understandably, was not impressive, as he struggled
mightily with both fighters.

The 'skinny' was that the gunshot wound took alot out of him. His legs
were gone, and he would get 'stiff-legged' when hit.

Still, he was a 'magnificently muscled specimen', and he worked very hard
in getting prepared for his bout with Muhammad Ali.

Phyical wise, he was prepared, but mentally, he was preoccupied.