Cassius Clay vs. Jim Robinson

Harold Johnson vs. Jesse Bowdry

Date	February 7, 1961
Venue	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
Title(s) on the line	vacant NBA light heavyweight title
Tale of the tape
Boxer Harold Johnson Jesse Bowdry Nickname "Hercules" Hometown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Saint Louis, Missouri Pre-fight record 62–8 (28 KO) 28–5 (22 KO) Age 32 years, 5 months 22 years, 2 months Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Weight 171 lb (78 kg) 173 lb (78 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition The Ring No. 1 Ranked Light Heavyweight
Result
Johnson defeated Bowdry by 9th round TKO

Cassius Clay vs. Jim Robinson was a professional boxing match contested on February 7, 1961. ^{[1] [2]}

Background

The day before the bout Clay took part in a public sparring session with former heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson, ahead of his third bout with Floyd Patterson. ^[3]

Robinson was a last minute replacement for Willie Gullatt who was supposed to fight Clay on the night of the fight. ^{[4] [5]}

This fight was on the undercard of Harold Johnson vs. Jesse Bowdry for the vacant NBA light heavyweight title, which had been stripped from Archie Moore for failure to defend within six months. ^[6]

The fights

Clay vs. Robinson

Cassius Clay vs. Jim Robinson

Tale of the tape
Boxer Cassius Clay Jim Robinson Nickname "The Louisville Lip" "Sweet Jimmy" Hometown Louisville, Kentucky Kansas City, Missouri Pre-fight record 3–0 (2 KO) 6–6–2 (4 KO) Age 19 years 35–36 Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Weight 193+1⁄2 lb (88 kg) 177+1⁄2 lb (81 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition 1960 Olympic light heavyweight Gold Medallist
Result
Clay won by KO in 1st round (1:34)

Clay won the fight through a technical knockout when the referee stopped the fight in the first round. ^{[7] [8]}

Preceded by vs. Tony Esperti	Cassius Clay's bouts 2 February 1961	Succeeded by vs. Donnie Fleeman
Preceded by vs. Harry Bellefonte	Jim Robinson's bouts 2 February 1961	Succeeded by vs. Claude Williams

Johnson vs. Bowdry

Johnson, a 3-1 betting favorite, dominated the bout. Scoring knockdowns in the sixth and eighth rounds. Bowdry went down again in the ninth and got to his feet on the count of seven but the referee waved it off.

Preceded by vs. Clarence Floyd	Harold Johnson's bouts 2 February 1961	Succeeded by vs. Von Clay
Preceded by vs. Willie Pastrano	Jesse Bowdry's bouts 2 February 1961	Succeeded by vs. Allan Harmon

Aftermath

Speaking after the bout Johnson said "I don't feel like the champ yet, when I beat the old man (Archie Moore) I'll get that feeling." ^[9]

Undercard

Confirmed bouts: ^[10]

References

1. "Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Robinson". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
2. "Muhammad Ali's ring record". ESPN. 19 November 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
3. "Olympic Champion Clay Impresses Against Ingo". St. Petersburg Times. Miami Beach, FL. Associated Press. 7 February 1961. p. 2-C. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
4. "Where have you gone, Mr. Robinson?". boston.com News. 20 December 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
5. Michael Ezra (2009). Muhammad Ali:The Making of an Icon. Temple University Press. pp. 29–30.
6. "Harold Johnson vs. Jesse Bowdry". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
7. Thomas Hauser (1991). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times . Simon & Schuster. pp.  37.
8. Felix Dennis & Don Atyeo (2003). Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years. miramax books. p. 54.
9. "Philly Boxer Cops Light-Heavy Title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Miami Beach. Associated Press. 8 February 1961. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
10. "BoxRec - event".