This fight was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center; it was Muhammad Ali's (Cassius Clay) 12th fight. Clay was coming off a small scare in his lat fight (MSQ) when Sonny Banks put him on the floor in the first round. Tonight Clay would have little trouble with the over matched Don Warner. Sending Warner down, and through the ropes in the 4th round. Warner beat the count, but the ref had seen enough and Clay was awarded the TKO. Warner touted on the poster as a "K.O. Artist" had his best moment in the third round, shaking Clay with a right hand at the end of the round. It proved Warner's undoing as he raced across the ring at the opening of the fourth round hoping to finish what he had started. He was dispatched by Clay just moments later 0.34 4th round.
Of interesting note but not identified on the poster was the prelim bout between Ernie Terrell and Herb Siler. Terrell at 23-3-0 was considerably more experienced than the young Cassius Clay, but still a relatively unknown when compared to the 'Louisville Lip' (Clay). Siler at 16-3-0 was not just an opponent giving Terrell an opportunity to serve notice that he was a serious contender for (at the time) Floyd Patterson's title. Terrell's plans would be derailed just two months later when he was stopped by Cleveland Williams in seven rounds, in Houston. A shot at the HW title would eventually come his way several years later via Muhammad Ali.
The undercard included mostly novices. One fight proved a wake-up call for an undefeated fighter, Prentice Snipes entered the ring at 11-0-0 only to see his hopes dashed by the limited Wendell Newton 3-4-1. Snipes would never really recover from the loss and would eventually serve as an opponent for the likes of Jerry Quarry and Doug Jones.
Ironically an undefeated Roger Whitely 5-0-0 who on this night would stop Jimmy Robinson 11-12-0 in two rounds, would just two months later have his dreams dashed by no other than Prentice Snipes (L PTS 6/6) down the block at the Miami Beach Auditorium.
Attedance: 4000 ::: Gate: $8000.00
