Tag: joe frazier

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.

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.

On this date: Joe Louis wins warm-up for Max Schmeling showdown

A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date Harry Thomas endured the fate of most of Joe Louis’ opponents. AP Photo Joe Louis wins warm-up for showdown with Max Schmeling Joe Louis’ title defense on this date in 1938 was a warm-up for arguably …

A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date

Harry Thomas endured the fate of most of Joe Louis’ opponents. AP Photo

Joe Louis wins warm-up for showdown with Max Schmeling

Joe Louis’ title defense on this date in 1938 was a warm-up for arguably the most-important fight in boxing history. The “Brown Bomber” was set to face Max Schmeling in a rematch of their 1936 meeting, in which the German stopped a young Louis in a significant upset. The rematch was scheduled for June 22, 1938 at Yankee Stadium, during the rise of the Nazis in Germany. Louis became a symbol of good, Schmeling of evil. However, before that fight could take place, Louis had to defeat solid, but limited Harry Thomas two-plus months earlier in Chicago. The result was predictable. Thomas, a veteran from Minnesota, fought bravely but didn’t have the tools to cope with Louis’ all-around game. The champion put the challenger down multiple times (five, according to UPI) before finishing the job at 2:50 of Round 5. Now it was on to Schmeling, who Louis felt he had to defeat to be the genuine heavyweight champion. “Now I know I can beat that Schmelin’,” Louis said after stopping Thomas. “I always did think I could beat him, but he just happened to beat me that time. I know how to do it, too. I’ll step out and set the pace.” Schmeling lasted 124 seconds.

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On this date: Joe Louis wins warm-up for Max Schmeling showdown

A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date Harry Thomas endured the fate of most of Joe Louis’ opponents. AP Photo Joe Louis wins warm-up for showdown with Max Schmeling Joe Louis’ title defense on this date in 1938 was a warm-up for arguably …

A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date

Harry Thomas endured the fate of most of Joe Louis’ opponents. AP Photo

Joe Louis wins warm-up for showdown with Max Schmeling

Joe Louis’ title defense on this date in 1938 was a warm-up for arguably the most-important fight in boxing history. The “Brown Bomber” was set to face Max Schmeling in a rematch of their 1936 meeting, in which the German stopped a young Louis in a significant upset. The rematch was scheduled for June 22, 1938 at Yankee Stadium, during the rise of the Nazis in Germany. Louis became a symbol of good, Schmeling of evil. However, before that fight could take place, Louis had to defeat solid, but limited Harry Thomas two-plus months earlier in Chicago. The result was predictable. Thomas, a veteran from Minnesota, fought bravely but didn’t have the tools to cope with Louis’ all-around game. The champion put the challenger down multiple times (five, according to UPI) before finishing the job at 2:50 of Round 5. Now it was on to Schmeling, who Louis felt he had to defeat to be the genuine heavyweight champion. “Now I know I can beat that Schmelin’,” Louis said after stopping Thomas. “I always did think I could beat him, but he just happened to beat me that time. I know how to do it, too. I’ll step out and set the pace.” Schmeling lasted 124 seconds.

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On this date: Ken Norton stuns Muhammad Ali in first of three fights

On this date: Ken Norton stunned Muhammad Ali in the first of their three fights.

A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date

Ken Norton upsets Muhammad Ali in the first of their fights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbYtHaduVZ8

Muhammad Ali had few genuine rivals. The most obvious one was Joe Frazier, who lost two of three classic fights to “The Greatest” but took him to hell in the process. And there was Ken Norton. The strapping heavyweight also met Ali in a three-fight series, the first a non-title bout on this date in 1973 at the Sports Arena in Norton’s adopted hometown of San Diego. Ali proved his toughness by fighting 11-plus rounds with a broken jaw but the underdog, younger and fitter than his iconic opponent, outworked him to earn a 12-round split-decision victory that established him as a major player in the division and spoiled Ali’s immediate plans to challenge champion George Foreman. They fought again less than six months later, with a better-conditioned Ali emerging with a split-decision victory in the rematch. Still, it was Norton who would get first crack at Foreman. And things didn’t go well for him, as he failed to survive two full rounds. Seven months after that Ali would make boxing history but stopping Foreman in arguably the greatest victory of his magnificent career. Ali and Norton would meet for the final time in 1976, with Ali winning a unanimous decision in another close fight. Some believe Norton should’ve had his hand raised in the all three fights.

Also on this date: Larry Holmes stopped hulking Leroy Jones in eight rounds in defense of his heavyweight title in 1980. And Mike Weaver stunned undefeated John Tate by scoring a knockout in the 15th and final round of a fight he was losing on the cards to win a heavyweight belt.

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On this date: Ken Norton stuns Muhammad Ali in first of three fights

On this date: Ken Norton stunned Muhammad Ali in the first of their three fights.

A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date

Ken Norton upsets Muhammad Ali in the first of their fights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbYtHaduVZ8

Muhammad Ali had few genuine rivals. The most obvious one was Joe Frazier, who lost two of three classic fights to “The Greatest” but took him to hell in the process. And there was Ken Norton. The strapping heavyweight also met Ali in a three-fight series, the first a non-title bout on this date in 1973 at the Sports Arena in Norton’s adopted hometown of San Diego. Ali proved his toughness by fighting 11-plus rounds with a broken jaw but the underdog, younger and fitter than his iconic opponent, outworked him to earn a 12-round split-decision victory that established him as a major player in the division and spoiled Ali’s immediate plans to challenge champion George Foreman. They fought again less than six months later, with a better-conditioned Ali emerging with a split-decision victory in the rematch. Still, it was Norton who would get first crack at Foreman. And things didn’t go well for him, as he failed to survive two full rounds. Seven months after that Ali would make boxing history but stopping Foreman in arguably the greatest victory of his magnificent career. Ali and Norton would meet for the final time in 1976, with Ali winning a unanimous decision in another close fight. Some believe Norton should’ve had his hand raised in the all three fights.

Also on this date: Larry Holmes stopped hulking Leroy Jones in eight rounds in defense of his heavyweight title in 1980. And Mike Weaver stunned undefeated John Tate by scoring a knockout in the 15th and final round of a fight he was losing on the cards to win a heavyweight belt.

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Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali statue immortalizes ‘Fight of the Century’

A statue of Joe Frazier about to land his historic left hook to the jaw of Muhammad Ali was unveiled Monday in Philadelphia.

The image of Joe Frazier landing a perfect left hook to put Muhammad Ali down in their first fight is etched in the minds of many boxing fans. Now it has been immortalized in bronze.

Frazier handed Ali his first professional defeat 50 years ago Monday in the “Fight of the Century,” with the 15th-round knockdown punctuating his career-defining victory.

In honor of the event, a 9-foot-tall, 1,600-pound statue depicting the punch was unveiled at a gym near Philadelphia owned by Joe Hand Promotions, whose founder helped finance Frazier’s early career. The statue will be moved to a planned Pennsylvania sports museum.

A statue depicts Joe Frazier (right) about to land the left hook that put Muhammad Ali down in the “Fight of the Century.” AP Photo / Matt Rourke

A mural in North Philadelphia also was unveiled.

Two of Frazier’s sons and a daughter attended the ceremony at the gym.

“It just means so much just to see the accolades, the admiration, how much people revere not just Ali, but my father,” Joe Frazier Jr. said, per The Associated Press. “They both have a story. We loved Ali just as much as we love Frazier.

“At the end of the day, this was the one my father was victorious in.”

The mural includes one of Frazier’s favorite sayings: “There is no right way to do wrong and there is no wrong way to do right.”

A statue of Frazier already exists in a complex featuring Philadelphia’s sports venues. Philly was Frazier’s adopted hometown. He died at 67 years old in 2011.

“He just represents what Philadelphia is all about,” Frazier Jr. said. “Work hard. It’s not all about talking with your mouth. It’s speaking with your action. That’s what it’s about.”

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Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali statue immortalizes ‘Fight of the Century’

A statue of Joe Frazier about to land his historic left hook to the jaw of Muhammad Ali was unveiled Monday in Philadelphia.

The image of Joe Frazier landing a perfect left hook to put Muhammad Ali down in their first fight is etched in the minds of many boxing fans. Now it has been immortalized in bronze.

Frazier handed Ali his first professional defeat 50 years ago Monday in the “Fight of the Century,” with the 15th-round knockdown punctuating his career-defining victory.

In honor of the event, a 9-foot-tall, 1,600-pound statue depicting the punch was unveiled at a gym near Philadelphia owned by Joe Hand Promotions, whose founder helped finance Frazier’s early career. The statue will be moved to a planned Pennsylvania sports museum.

A statue depicts Joe Frazier (right) about to land the left hook that put Muhammad Ali down in the “Fight of the Century.” AP Photo / Matt Rourke

A mural in North Philadelphia also was unveiled.

Two of Frazier’s sons and a daughter attended the ceremony at the gym.

“It just means so much just to see the accolades, the admiration, how much people revere not just Ali, but my father,” Joe Frazier Jr. said, per The Associated Press. “They both have a story. We loved Ali just as much as we love Frazier.

“At the end of the day, this was the one my father was victorious in.”

The mural includes one of Frazier’s favorite sayings: “There is no right way to do wrong and there is no wrong way to do right.”

A statue of Frazier already exists in a complex featuring Philadelphia’s sports venues. Philly was Frazier’s adopted hometown. He died at 67 years old in 2011.

“He just represents what Philadelphia is all about,” Frazier Jr. said. “Work hard. It’s not all about talking with your mouth. It’s speaking with your action. That’s what it’s about.”

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Degrees of Separation: Linking Fury and Joshua to Ali and Frazier

In the Boxing Junkie feature “Degrees of Separation,” we managed to link Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Six degrees of separation is a theory that everyone in the world is separated by no more than six social connections.

In other words, you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Queen Elizabeth. Or so the concept goes.

We’re borrowing the six degrees concept – well, sort of loosely – to connect fighters from the past to their more contemporary counterparts in our new occasional feature, “Degrees of Separation.”

Example: Let’s connect Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Super easy; we did it in two steps. Senior fought Grover Wiley, who fought Junior.

In this installment of the Boxing Junkie feature, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1971 “Fight of the Century,” we decided to link current heavyweight titleholders Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

We managed to do it in only six steps, with both fighters going through common opponent Wladimir Klitschko.

Have a look:

Joe Frazier fought …

Muhammad Ali, who fought …

Larry Holmes, who fought …

Evander Holyfield, who fought …

Ray Mercer, who fought …

Wladimir Klitschko, who fought both …

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

Could you do it in fewer steps? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook. Or you can contact me on Twitter. And please follow us!

Read more:

Degrees of separation: Connecting John L. Sullivan to Deontay Wilder

Degrees of Separation: Linking Filipino greats Flash Elorde, Manny Pacquiao

Degrees of Separation: Linking Japanese greats Fighting Harada and Naoya Inoue

Degrees of Separation: Linking Tyson Fury to first U.K.-born heavyweight champ

Degrees of Separation: Connecting Canelo Alvarez with Mexican legends

Degrees of Separation: Linking the Mayweathers

Degrees of Separation: Linking Manny Pacquiao to Pancho Villa

Degrees of Separation: Linking Fury and Joshua to Ali and Frazier

In the Boxing Junkie feature “Degrees of Separation,” we managed to link Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Six degrees of separation is a theory that everyone in the world is separated by no more than six social connections.

In other words, you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Queen Elizabeth. Or so the concept goes.

We’re borrowing the six degrees concept – well, sort of loosely – to connect fighters from the past to their more contemporary counterparts in our new occasional feature, “Degrees of Separation.”

Example: Let’s connect Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Super easy; we did it in two steps. Senior fought Grover Wiley, who fought Junior.

In this installment of the Boxing Junkie feature, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1971 “Fight of the Century,” we decided to link current heavyweight titleholders Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

We managed to do it in only six steps, with both fighters going through common opponent Wladimir Klitschko.

Have a look:

Joe Frazier fought …

Muhammad Ali, who fought …

Larry Holmes, who fought …

Evander Holyfield, who fought …

Ray Mercer, who fought …

Wladimir Klitschko, who fought both …

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

Could you do it in fewer steps? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook. Or you can contact me on Twitter. And please follow us!

Read more:

Degrees of separation: Connecting John L. Sullivan to Deontay Wilder

Degrees of Separation: Linking Filipino greats Flash Elorde, Manny Pacquiao

Degrees of Separation: Linking Japanese greats Fighting Harada and Naoya Inoue

Degrees of Separation: Linking Tyson Fury to first U.K.-born heavyweight champ

Degrees of Separation: Connecting Canelo Alvarez with Mexican legends

Degrees of Separation: Linking the Mayweathers

Degrees of Separation: Linking Manny Pacquiao to Pancho Villa