By James Slater: Historians call it Muhammad Ali’s peak performance; his defining, shining moment of true brilliance in a career filled with majesty. This is the Ali-Cleveland Williams fight from 1966. “Ali never danced like that again,” one writer wrote. “That version of Ali would have beaten any heavyweight in history, both before and after his prime,” a recent ESB poster wrote.
You know what? I agree with both statements!
It was just over two years into his first reign as heavyweight champion of the world when Ali, the aged 24, danced and punched his way to victory in absolutely blistering harmony against his big-hitting challenger known as “Big Cat” Williams. Ali was making his seventh defence and his speed and athleticism never looked better as he did so. Though Williams was past his best as a fighter, his decline assisted by the bullet wound he had suffered in his stomach, he was still a good contender. He could also punch extremely hard. The Ali of the 1960’s, however, was almost impossible to hit cleanly, as Williams was to painfully discover.
Unveiling the “Ali Shuffle” for the very first time, The Greatest was truly a thing of beauty in the boxing ring inside the cavernous Houston Astrodome. And while some say the Shuffle was nothing more than a gimmick, Ali begged to differ. Claiming the blurring motion of his feet rapidly levitating above the canvas was designed to distract his opponent enough into looking down, he could then strike with his equally fast punches. Certainly, in the Williams fight such thinking proved to be correct.
Four times in total “The Big Cat” hit the mat, before being stopped in the third and final round of action. Whether or not he was beaten as a direct result of Ali’s new weapon was irrelevant, for Ali had put to rest another common assertion regarding his ability as a fighter – namely that he couldn’t really punch too hard. Such a notion was as blown to smithereens on this night!
Coming out for the opening round, Ali danced effortlessly. Never before or since did the great man make his poetic claim of “Floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee” so apt. His reflexes at their lightning fast peak, Ali was the very epitome of a unbeatable looking fighter. How could any other heavyweight stand a chance with him when he was so damn fast? Cleveland Williams was, unfortunately for him, a man who had to try and answer that question when Ali was at his absolute best. He couldn’t do so. The fight was a complete one man show right from the get go.
Then, in the second round, Ali came down off his toes and opened up with dazzling shots to the head. Connecting with both stunning accuracy and jarring power, Ali soon had his challenger down. And then again, and then for a third time. Bravely beating the count three times inside as many minutes, Williams was showing great courage. The man he was attempting to hit back, however, was showing great everything.
The bell ended round two, one of the worst rounds Williams had ever suffered in his fighting life, and the beating was temporarily halted. But not for long. In the third session Ali’s couldn’t miss punches ravaged Williams again, sending him south for a fourth time. And on this occasion, despite the challenger again rising inside ten seconds, the bout was stopped for good by referee Harry Kessler.
The world had just seen the very best display by the man who now holds the distinction as the finest heavyweight champion of all-time. Ali’s three round demolition of Cleveland Williams was a show of mesmerising boxing brilliance that was never to be repeated.
And to think, there are actually readers on this site that foolishly believe today’s rulers, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, would have had a prayer of beating Ali had they somehow met the king in “dream-fight” scenarios. As good and as big as the two brothers are, neither would have been allowed to adopt their usual styles and make them work against the heavyweight master poor Cleveland Williams had to face back in 1966.
Ali at his greatest? He beats ‘em all!