HOUSTON COURIER-NEWS
May 10, 1957
Williams Halts Fleeman in Seventh
By Ronnie Michaels
Texas light heavyweight champion Donnie Fleeman was floored four times in a rather futile effort to move up in weight and lift the Lone Star state heavy crown from Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams. The match was stopped at 2:28 of the seventh round when Fleeman was sent to the canvas by a right hand blast from Williams.
Heavy promotion and media hype created an aura of expectation around the match that was never relalized once the fighters stepped into the ring. It was a one-sided affair with Williams beating Fleeman from pillar to post from the opening bell. Referee Billy Joe Gilchrist could have (and should have) stopped the slaughter in the fourth when Fleeman was taking a terrible beating and appeared defenseless.
Within the first minute of the contest, Fleeman hit the mat after being nailed by a Williams uppercut. In the next round, Williams, fighting flat-footed, repeatedly tagged his opponent with hooks and combinations. As a result, Donnie's left eye began to swell, and as his condition worsened he was pretty much at the mercy of the Big Cat.
Midway through the third, Fleeman was floored again, this time by a ripping Williams hook to the jaw. Although he was up at three, Fleeman was in pretty bad shape yet somehow survived the remainder of the frame.
For the next three rounds, Williams battered Donnie around the ring. Although outgunned, you have to give Fleeman some credit for courage. A fighter with a lesser heart would have folded under Cleveland's relentless attack.
At the start of the seventh, Fleeman was in terrible shape. His right eye was swollen shut, and he was obviously out of gas. Williams decked him at the 1:20 mark with a sharp combination and again thirty seconds later with a nasty hook to the ribs. Finally, Gilchrist saw fit to call a halt to the bout.
Following the fight, it was announced that the Texas Boxing Commission was suspending Gilchrist's referee's license pending a full investigation. In recent years, the state commission has come under increased criticism for not properly training and supervising referees.
Although he lost the fight, Fleeman still retains his state light heavyweight title. Pretty much a natural at 175 lbs., Donnie beefed up ten pounds for the match and tipped the scales at 185. That said, he was still out-bulked by the Big Cat who came in at 208.
Williams has established himself as the dominant force among Texas heavyweights and will now move on to the national scene. In July he'll be facing former world contender Bob Satterfield for a ten rounder in Detroit.
The fight is a rematch and an opportunity for Williams to revenge a severe beating he had received from Satterfield three years ago. Fighting as a last minute substitution, Williams was totally out-classed by Satterfield and knocked out in three rounds. Since then, Williams has been undefeated. An impressive win over Satterfield could give Cleveland a world ranking.