Brunch Boxing Remembers Cleveland Williams
- Matthew Brown
- Feb 19
- 4 min read
02/19/2026
Heavyweight boxing has known many feared punchers, but few carried the reputation of Cleveland “Big Cat” Williams. Born June 30, 1933 in Griffin, Georgia, Williams became one of the finest fighters never to win a world title. He was powerful, intimidating, and often avoided, a man whose name alone made contenders think twice before signing a contract.
Cleveland Williams remains one of boxing’s great what if stories. A feared contender, a survivor of tragedy, and a man who fought his way back when most thought it was impossible. The Big Cat never held the title, but his power, toughness, and determination earned him something just as lasting. Respect.
Williams grew up on a farm in Griffin and began working at a pulpwood mill at just 13 years old. Around that same time he started boxing and even fought professionally while still a teenager. He later said he got away with it because he already weighed more than 180 pounds and looked older than he was. After six early fights the boxing commissioner discovered his real age and barred him from competing until he turned 18.
Once eligible again, Williams resumed his career in the South, fighting on small club shows and building a reputation as a knockout artist. He won 27 straight bouts, 23 by knockout, and quickly became known as one of the most dangerous young heavyweights in the region. In 1954 he was stopped by Bob Satterfield in Miami Beach, after which he was drafted into the United States Army and spent more than two years away from the ring.
After his discharge he returned better than ever, winning 12 straight fights and traveling overseas for bouts in England. A scheduled rematch with Dick Richardson in Wales never happened after Williams claimed he received a message telling him not to go through with the fight. The British Boxing Board of Control banned him from competing there, but his rise in the United States continued.
By the late 1950s the 6 foot 2 powerhouse was a top rated heavyweight contender. He fought many of the best of his era and shared the ring twice with Sonny Liston, losing by knockout in 1959 and again in 1960. Despite the defeats his reputation as a devastating puncher only grew. He stopped Ernie Terrell in 1962, fought Eddie Machen to a draw, and defeated Billy Daniels during a stretch when he was considered one of the most avoided fighters in the division.
A title opportunity finally appeared in 1964 when the World Boxing Association planned a fight between Williams and Terrell for the vacant heavyweight championship. The bout never happened after a tragic incident changed his life forever.
On November 29, 1964, near Houston, Texas, Williams was stopped by a highway patrolman. During the encounter the officer’s revolver discharged and the bullet struck Williams in the stomach and lodged in his hip. The injuries were catastrophic. He underwent four operations over seven months. Doctors removed his right kidney, more than ten feet of his small intestine, and he suffered nerve damage that weakened his left leg. The bullet could not be removed.
Many believed his career was over, but Williams refused to accept that. He lost more than 60 pounds during recovery and spent months rebuilding his strength by working on a cattle ranch, tossing heavy bales of hay until he regained his size. When he returned to the ring in February 1966, the Houston crowd gave him a standing ovation as he knocked out Ben Black in the first round.
That comeback led to the biggest fight of his life. On November 14, 1966, Williams challenged Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight championship. Ali, in peak form, stopped him in the third round. It was a difficult night, but the courage it took for Williams to reach that stage after nearly dying two years earlier remains one of the sport’s most remarkable stories.
Williams briefly retired after the loss but returned in 1968 and won five straight fights before suffering several knockout defeats against younger opponents. In 1971 he even shared the ring in an exhibition with Joe Frazier, who later said Williams still had frightening power. In 1972 he won the Texas State heavyweight title with a decision over Terry Daniels and retired for good after his next two victories.
After boxing he worked as a truck driver, hauling pipes from the Port of Houston across Texas. Though he never won a world title, historians and fans never forgot how dangerous he was in his prime. Herbert G. Goldman ranked him among the greatest heavyweights ever, he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997, and The Ring later listed him among the hardest punchers in history.
On September 3, 1999, Williams was struck by a car in a hit and run while crossing a street in Houston. He died a week later on September 10 at the age of 66.
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