Ingemar Johannson gives Cleveland Big Cat Williams A Title Shot In 1959.

This made me laugh out loud

 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/17688217/?terms=Sonny+Liston+defeated+Zora+Folley Folley''s brutal onslaught lasted for a matter of seconds after which he was mercilessly flattened.. Whereas Williams visibly hurt and staggered Liston up to the very end, broke his nose, and got a rave review about his power. Did Folley, or Patterson for that matter (against a past prime Liston whereas Williams faced a peak one) do any of this or even come particularly close?

 

Folley did evidently. But Patterson just hit Liston with some good shots, but never did anything. Both Williams and Patterson fought Liston, and judging by their vastly different performances, I tend to think Williams was the more dangerous man.

 

Well I can't read that link as the print is too small but the article I have on boxrec says that Folley forced Liston to give ground from a brutal, even if brief, battering, which was my point.

https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/...y 20, 1960,round heavyweight fight last night.

 

No your point was that Folley did better than Williams which as the newspaper account I posted illustrates, simply isn't true.

 

I'd say both did about equivalent. Williams just happen to hit Liston in the nose rather than other areas. They both were stopped by Liston in 2 or 3 rounds. Both had early success somewhat backing him up. And as stated above, both were stopped early in slugfest. Other than a subjective basis, I see no reason to say that Williams did any better than Zora Folley.

 

I don't really. At that time when Liston was at his peak, both achieved the most success ever reached against Liston (Marty Marshall aside)

 

Glad someone followed

 

That's what I was saying. What are you disagreeing with?

 

I think Williams and Folley proved an equal/ similar challenge for Liston. The reason that the Williams fights probably hold more water is because they were filmed and the Folley fight was not.

 

At least someone here's got the goods

 

It's a little disingenuous to rate Folley's performance up their with Williams seeing as all you're basing it off of are newspaper accounts, the majority of which say Folley's onslaught was over within a matter of seconds. How do you think the Liston - Williams fights would've been percieved had their only been newspaper accounts of that fight as well with no film.

"Williams hit Liston with a left hook that would have finished any other man" gross remembered "it would have torn some fighters' heads off"

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54152307/fort-lauderdale-news/

"Cleveland Williams all but knocked Liston out" "The Four Who Baffled Liston" SI 1964

He almost knocked Liston out by Liston's own admission. "Cleveland Williams gave Liston the worst moment of his fighting career. I went out to feel him out in the first round says Liston grinning and he almost knocked me out I thought he had cut my throat." https://www.newspapers.com/image/606161608/?terms="williams+gave+liston"

 

We don't have anything on film of Folley vs Liston but Williams onslaught didn't last too long and we have Williams vs Liston on film and comparing what I saw on Liston vs Williams and reading Folley vs Liston, there performances seemed similar to me.

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Let's see
Folley: Landed a couple of good shoots in between knockdowns in a matter of a few seconds and failed to do any lasting damage or even hurt Liston.

Williams: Staggered Liston with a right, according to ringside observers hit Liston with a left hook that would've layed anyone else out, won the first 2 rounds against Liston, according to multiple accounts including Liston himself, nearly ko'd him, broke Liston's nose, and got a rare compliment that he was the hardest puncher (yes even harder than the monster Zora Folley who failed to put a dent in Liston)

Hmmmmm this is a tough one.

 

Roy Harris?