NO. 1 EARNIE SHAVERS
Years active: 1969-83; ’87, ’95
Record: 74-14-1
KOs: 68
KO percentage (of wins): 92
KOs inside 3 rounds: 51
Notable KO victims: Joe Bugner, Ken Norton, Jimmy Ellis, Jimmy Young
Background: One thing that stands out about Shavers’ legendary power is the number of early knockouts on his record. Fifty-one of his 68 stoppages came within three rounds, a sure sign of immense punching power. Twenty-three came in the first round. And not all of his victims were pushovers. He was a longtime contender who fought ranked fighters regularly beginning in the mid-1970s. Muhammad Ali’s comic line – “Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa” – was meant in part for laughs but you get his point: The man’s fists caused serious damage to what they hit. Journeyman Leroy Caldwell fought many of the best heavyweights from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. That included George Foreman, Ron Lyle and Shavers, each of whom is on this list. Caldwell was asked for a Mayweather Promotions video who punched the hardest and he didn’t hesitate to respond. “Shavers,” said Caldwell, who lasted less than two rounds against him. “It was like someone was hitting me with a sledgehammer.” He was then asked when he knew he was trouble in that fight. “When they were taking my gloves off,” he responded. Shavers never won the heavyweight championship and is not a Hall of Famer but people are still talking about that punching power. Said the late, great trainer Angelo Dundee: “Earnie wasn’t really a good boxer, but God, his power was amazing.”
More quotes: Ron Lyle: “George Foreman could punch, but none of them could hit like Earnie Shavers did. When he hit you, the lights went out. I can laugh about it now, but at the time, it wasn’t funny.” … Tex Cobb (TKO 8): “Earnie could punch you in the neck with his right hand and break your ankle.” … Larry Holmes (W TKO 11): “Earnie hit me harder than any other fighter, including Mike Tyson. He hit me and I was face down on the canvas hearing saxophonist Jimmy Tillis.” … More Holmes: “Mike Tyson is a sharp puncher. Earnie Shavers was a punishing puncher. There was a difference between the two. Because when Shavers hit you, you feel it all the way through your body.”
Five more (alphabetical order): Ike Ibeabuchi, Anthony Joshua, Vitali Klitschko, Ron Lyle, David Tua