earnie shavers – Syndication Server

Earnie Shavers, one of the hardest punchers ever, dies at 78

Earnie Shavers, one of the hardest punchers in the history of boxing, reportedly has died at 78.

One of the biggest punchers in history is gone.

Earnie Shavers, the longtime heavyweight contender who had more knockouts (68) than most boxers have fights, reportedly died at the age of 78 on Thursday. No cause of death was reported.

A remarkable 50 of his stoppages came within three rounds, 23 of them in the first round.

Shavers (74-14-1) never reached the heights of contemporaries Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier or George Forman during a golden age of heavyweights in the 1970s, but only Foreman rivaled him in terms of power even though Shavers was only 6-feet tall and weighed around 210 pounds at his peak.

Ring Magazine in 2018 ranked Shavers No. 10 on its list of the 100 top punchers pound-for-pound in history, No. 4 among career-long heavyweights. Joe Louis was No. 1, Jack Dempsey No. 7 and Foreman No. 9.

Shavers couldn’t beat his best opponents, losing a title fight to Ali, a title eliminator against Larry Holmes and then his second and final championship fight in a rematch with Holmes. However, he hurt Ali badly in their fight and put Holmes down in their first meeting.

Ali said famously, “Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa.”

Holmes paid tribute to Shavers’ power by saying, “Earnie hit me harder than any other fighter, including Mike Tyson. … Being hit by Mike Tyson was like getting hit by a speeding Ferrari. Being hit by Earnie Shavers was like being hit by a Mack Truck.”

And Shavers had some important victories, including a first-round knockout of future Hall of Famer Ken Norton in 1979 that led to his title shot against Holmes. He also stopped Jimmy Ellis, Jimmy Young and Joe Bugner.

Shavers, who lived in Warren, Ohio, turned professional in 1969 and “retired” for the first time in 1983. He returned in 1987, won one fight and then retired again. He then made one more comeback in 1995, winning once and then being stopped at the age of 51 by journeyman Brian Yates.

The kind, approachable Shavers was a regular at boxing events and autograph shows after finally retiring for good.

Earnie Shavers, one of the hardest punchers ever, dies at 78

Earnie Shavers, one of the hardest punchers in the history of boxing, reportedly has died at 78.

One of the biggest punchers in history is gone.

Earnie Shavers, the longtime heavyweight contender who had more knockouts (68) than most boxers have fights, reportedly died at the age of 78 on Thursday. No cause of death was reported.

A remarkable 50 of his stoppages came within three rounds, 23 of them in the first round.

Ali said famously, “Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa.”

The kind, approachable Shavers was a regular at boxing events and autograph shows after finally retiring for good.

Special feature: 10 hardest punching heavyweights in modern history

Who are the hardest punching heavyweights in modern history? Here are the Top 10.

Deontay Wilder’s legend continues to grow with every spectacular knockout he delivers. The man can punch.

The Bronze Bomber demonstrated his unusual ability most recently on Nov. 23, when he ended the night of Luis Ortiz with one perfectly timed right hand from hell in the seventh round of a heavyweight championship fight Ortiz was winning on the cards.

But Wilder is hardly the first man to enter the ring with inhuman power. A number of legendary big men over the generations have had the ability to strike down their opponents with one blow as if they were hit a lightning bolt.

Who were the most lethal?

Here is a list of the 10 hardest punching heavyweights of the modern, post-World War II era (from No. 10 to No. 1).

NO. 10 LENNOX LEWIS

KO percentage (of wins): 78
Years active: 1989-2003
Record: 41-2-1
KOs: 32
KOs inside 3 rounds: 16
Notable KO victims: Frank Bruno, Andrew Golota, Oliver McCall, Tommy Morrison, Hasim Rahman, Donovan Rudduck, Mike Tyson
Background: Hall of Fame boxing writer Colin Hart paid Lennox Lewis the ultimate compliment in British boxing circles when he wrote about Lewis’ knockout of Razor Ruddock in 1992. Lewis put Ruddock down with a monstrous right hand in the first round and then finished the job in Round 2. Wrote Hart for The Sun: “The blow that floored Ruddock in the first round was, without doubt, the best single punch I’ve seen from a British heavyweight since ‘Enery’s ‘Ammer (a reference to Henry Cooper) put Cassius Clay on his backside at Wembley Stadium almost 30 years ago.” Lewis, an Olympic champion who held six major titles over a decade that he dominated, was a complete boxer. He was a good, athletic – especially for a 6-foot-4 man – and clever technician, with one of best jabs of his era. However, his straight right – usually landed from the perfect distance – was his calling card. When it landed flush, his fights generally changed in an instant. The Ruddock punch, the one that ended Hasim Rahman’s night in their rematch and the shots that led to Mike Tyson’s demise stand out but many more are noteworthy. One sparring partner reportedly said: “The man hit like a tank.”
More quotes: Graham Houston wrote for ESPN.com: “There were fights in which Lewis was frustratingly hesitant, but when he stepped in and really let the right hand fly he was one of heavyweight boxing’s most potent practitioners.” … TV commentator Max Kellerman once called Lewis “one of the most devastating right-handed punchers in the history of boxing. You don’t think Lennox has historical power in his right fist? OK, who has ever hit harder? George Foreman? Maybe in his first incarnation, when he had more snap on his punches, but then the 1973 version of big George checked in around 220. Lewis has him by nearly 30 pounds. Earnie Shavers? The champ has him by nearly 40. Foreman and Shavers hit harder for their size, but they were significantly smaller.”

Pages: 12345678910

Deontay Wilder: ‘I am the hardest puncher in boxing history – period’

Deontay Wilder said his one-punch knockout of Luis Ortiz on Saturday was further evidence that’s he’s the biggest puncher ever.

LAS VEGAS – Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder made a bold statement after his breathtaking one-punch knockout of Luis Ortiz in their rematch Saturday at the MGM Grand: “I am the hardest … puncher in boxing history. Period.”

Of course, that can’t be quantified but he definitely is building a case for himself.

Start with his knockout ratio: 42 victims, 41 knockouts. That means Wilder (42-0-1) has scored a knockout in 98 percent his victories, an all-time record. Earnie Shavers, George Foreman and Joe Louis, who are often cited as the biggest punchers of all time, had KO percentages of 92, 89 and 79 percent, respectively.

One could argue that those legends stopped better opposition but it’s not as if Wilder is avoiding anyone. Ortiz is a good fighter and Wilder has now stopped him twice. Also, a rematch with Tyson Fury, who went the distance with Wilder, and possible showdowns with Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua await.

Luis Ortiz tried but failed to gather himself after Deontay Wilder landed his big shot. AP Photo / John Locher

And the way Wilder has tended to end fights – with one monstrous shot – stays with those who witness it, enhancing Wilder’s reputation as a knockout artist. The final blows seem to come out of nowhere, which makes them particularly chilling.

That was the case on Saturday. The possibility of a big shot is always there for Wilder but he gave no indication that it was coming against Ortiz, who was leading on all three cards (59-55, 59-55 and 58-56) after six rounds.

Everyone watching the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz fight had to be thinking that same thing at that point: Wilder was digging himself into a deep hole. If he couldn’t stop Ortiz, he was in danger of losing a decision.

One person not concerned? Wilder.

“To be honest I never worry about if I’m losing a fight or not,” he said. “I’m blessed with something that these other guys aren’t blessed with, that’s tremendous power. I know that when I hit guys, it hurts them. When you have power like I have, you’re not worried about if you’re winning rounds or not. I don’t want that to be in my mind … because I don’t want my mind to be cloudy thinking about rounds.

“Most of the time these guys win rounds on me anyway. I know that sooner or later it’s going to come. And when it comes, good night.”

As we know, the scorecards were irrelevant in the end. Wilder positioned himself as arm’s length in the final seconds of Round 7, saw his opening and pulled the trigger. Fight over.