The Sam Houston Coliseum in Texas hosted a bruising heavyweight return on 21 March 1960 as Sonny Liston again proved too much for Cleveland Williams, forcing a second-round stoppage in a contest scheduled for ten. Eleven months on from their first encounter, the same outcome arrived, though the route was even more emphatic this time, in front of a packed house of 10,000 spectators who generated a gate of $43,578.

Both men entered the ring in prime condition. Liston weighed 213 pounds, with Williams slightly heavier at 216, mirroring the physical parity of their earlier meeting. Rankings underlined the stakes: Liston was recognised as the world’s number two contender, while Williams held a place inside the top ten. From the opening bell, there was an unmistakable tension, born of mutual respect and shared punching power.

The first round unfolded cautiously. Williams, boxing on home soil, worked behind a firm jab and looked to test Liston’s reactions without overcommitting. Liston, compact and patient, edged forward behind subtle feints, probing for openings rather than forcing exchanges. Neither fighter seized clear control, but the sense that the bout could ignite at any moment was palpable.

That ignition came in the second round. Williams struck first with heavy shots, unleashing combinations that briefly had Liston on the defensive. The Philadelphia heavyweight absorbed the pressure and responded with authority, closing distance and answering with thudding blows of his own. The tempo rose sharply, and the contest shifted from chess match to firefight in a matter of seconds.

Liston’s accuracy and strength proved decisive. A sweeping right hand followed by a crushing hook sent Williams to the canvas for the first time. Though he beat the count, the damage was evident. Sensing the moment, Liston pressed him into a corner and delivered a sustained assault, mixing power shots with relentless intent. Williams was floored again, and while he managed to stand, referee Ernie Taylor took a close look and brought proceedings to a halt at 2:13 of the round.

The stoppage marked another commanding entry in Liston’s record and reaffirmed the pattern established in their first clash, when he had halted Williams in the third round in Miami Beach the previous April. That earlier victory had followed a similar arc: early resistance from Williams, followed by Liston’s measured pressure and decisive finishing ability. Together, the two fights painted a clear picture of Liston’s dominance in this rivalry.

Williams, brave and dangerous throughout, showed why he had built a reputation as one of the division’s most fearsome punchers. Yet on this night, as before, he was unable to stem the momentum once Liston found his range and rhythm.

In the end, the Houston rematch served as a conclusive chapter, confirming the superiority of Sonny Liston over Cleveland Williams and closing the book on one of heavyweight boxing’s most violent pairings of the era.