Ingemar Johansen vs Cleveland Williams

Ingo. Far too much timing in that right hand for anyone but a very special fighter on his 1959 form.

Ingo will succeed where Bob satterfeild and Sonny Liston also sucseeded.

 

Both men could have knocked the other out. Both could punch and both had defense and chins that were a tad shaky. Johansson was a bit more skilled in my opinion though and might have made more oppertunities to land more frequently, which is why I might pick him.

 

Ingo had the extra timing. Williams would have been a sitting duck.

 

I don't think this fight was close to happening. I mean when Williams met Sonny this was the first name fighter Williams had fought since satterfeild blasted him.

How was Williams anything other than a local attraction without beating any names? How was Williams in line for a shot at Patterson before he fought Liston?

Once ingo beat Patterson there is no way Williams was going to be in line for a shot before Liston! As it was the world wanted to see a ingo v Patterson rematch and then a decider.

Williams gave Liston a scare in fights he lost by knockout. Let's leave it at that because he could not win big fights. As that article said he was an unstable guy who got stage fright on the night of a scheduled match with Richardson.

There's no doubting he could hit and was an impressive physical specimen but Cleveland Williams needed more than that to win titles and beat contenders.

 

Big Cat did stop Terrell post-Liston and could bang. Hard to gauge what his negative x-factor was IMO. Ingo and him, I don't think, would have ever come about unless Ingo beat Floyd in the rematch.
Johansen had a good set-up jab (what is it with these Euro boys with NO left hook?) Of course Sonny had his pile-driver jab as well.
I think a lot of the pro-Cat talk stems from the first round of the first Liston scrap.
Could have went either way I guess but IMO many terribly underrate Ingo.
His beatdown of Machen was downright scary if you've seen it. And his right hand WAS the real deal! Just one of those God-given things I guess. He lands that baby clean on anyone and they're in major trouble.

 

deontay wilder has got around to beating people we have heard of where as big cat Williams between losing to satterfeild and losing to Liston was fighting the likes of over matched fodder. the only remotely recognizable name (aside from Richardson in a inconclusive result)being the badly faded John Holman on his last fight who was experiencing knockout streak losses at the time. Williams could not stop trial horses like Howie Turner and Frankie Daniels.

That being said I have read Rocky Graziano talking up Liston because he beat Williams,,,, so beating Williams was actually seen as a feat.

Metiff is about the only decent one but that was not until 1961 and there was no way that was knocking Liston off #1 contender spot after Sonny had beat machen and folley. Miteff was actually on the skids losing to Cooper, machen and chuvalo. It was not a big fight either outside of clevelands home town. Was the Ernie Terrell fight a big fight? Terrell was still finding his feet and unranked.

Not when they were actual contenders. It is a struggle to find recognisable names that he beat. He did draw with Eddie Machen in 1962 after Sonny had signed to meet Patterson.

I can't think why the fight could have been made. Was williams going to get a crack at ingo from losing to Sonny or was he getting a crack at Patterson for drawing with the guy who ingo blew away in a round or was Floyd going to defend against the man who already knocked Williams out?

Not against Frankie Daniels. 20 rounds worth and no knock downs even though the often beat Daniels was knocked out 11 times.

Williams could hit, he was strong, he was also a physical specimen there is just not enough evidence that he could land his best punches on the best class of fighter.

 

:roll::roll::roll:atschatschatsch

 

Williams was bigger stronger, and faster than Johansson. Johansson had a near heart attack in the olympic finals against Ed Sanders because of his "Size and Strength"...Johansson might get cold feet against Williams when he tastes that left hook.

 

Ingo "might" get cold feet? Williams "did" get cold feet against Dick Richardson.

After all ingo knocked out a #1 contender.

 

What the world wanted didn't really come into it.

Patterson and Ingo had return clauses that tied the title up for 2 years.
What is your source that it was stage fright?
When they did meet Richardson stuck the nut on Williams to save himself from a hiding.
Williams was 20 when Satterfield beat him ,and was a late sub.

Ingo would not have fought Williams ,and for the same reason he turned down $1000,000 to fight Liston.
I make it an even money fight but would lean towards Williams.

 

Ingo's a comfortable favorite for me. Williams has a puncher's chance, and that's about it.