A few years ago Earnie Shavers was passing through the town where I lived and my brother called me (it was on a July 4 if I recall correctly) and asked if I wanted to come along to meet him and a couple of guys for lunch. His fists were the size of canned hams and all bone. I shook his hand and it just completely enveloped mine. I didn’t say much, just listened to stories. He was in good humor and very humble. RIP slugger.
Couple more Earnie Shavers stories: When he fought Jeff Sims on the undercard of Ali-Berbick, Sims (himself a big puncher) knocked him down in the first round. When he got up and they clinched, Earnie whispered in Jeff’s ear that they needed to take it easy, this was the main undercard fight on a big closed circuit show and they were supposed to give them some rounds so the people got their money’s worth. He survived that round and knocked Sims out in I think the fifth. In the locker room after (this was in the Bahamas, everyone shared a locker room even if they were fighting each other), Sims said something like, ‘What about taking it easy and how we were supposed to give them some rounds?’ Earnie replied, ‘Welcome to the big time, kid.’
Earnie also was promoted for a time by Harold Smith, who had embezzled some $20M from Wells Fargo bank to fund his promotions. When the FBI investigated, they interviewed Earnie and warned him that if he lied he could be charged and asked him if Smith had given him $750k cash in a suitcase in Las Vegas. Earnie said no, that didn’t happen. He never heard from the FBI again. He later revealed Smith had given him $750k cash in a suitcase in RENO, not Las Vegas, haha.
Oh no! This is incredibly sad news. May the greatest puncher in the history of the sports rest in power.
Very nice man. When he was living in England, I sent him a first generation tape of a match he was the "Guest Referee" for between Gino Hernandez and Tully Blanchard in San Antonio for the old Southwest Championship Wrestling. He sent me a copy of his autobiography and a couple autographed photos for my son and I in return and a very gracious thank you letter which I still have. So sorry to hear he passed.
One of the ones that really hits hard (no pun intended). So many guys pass each year, many of them not truly memorable contenders, though it's still sad. I always loved Shavers so much though. He won't be forgotten.
Thank you for these awesome Earnie Shavers stories. This news sucks. RIP to the man behind one of the most electrifying careers in boxing history.
Earnie Shavers quotes anyone? Ill start it off..Ron Lyle 'The ground came up and met me, thats all I remember'