Chin of Legend

Probably not. Holmes was nine years older when he fought Tyson, coming off losses, a layoff, and I think he had to rush his camp too. He wasn't anywhere near the same shape as when he fought Shavers.

Anyway, even though Tyson and Shavers were smaller than the super heavies like George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Bowe, and the Klitschko's I'm willing to bet that their punches were comparable. Body mechanics are a weird thing. It's not just size. Sometimes it's technique, speed, leg muscles, and there's something about the way Shaver's torso is built. It's a short compact, powerful build, which never fails to remind me of two other punchers Marvin Hagler and Bennie Briscoe. He looks like a scaled up version of them.

 

I'm sure that he was the hardest hitting heavyweight of the seventies. Ali even said that he hit harder than Foreman, Lyle, and Frazier. That puts him in the top ten discussion at least. But the later superheavies like Bowe, Lewis, W and V Klitschko, I wouldn't be surprised if they had comparable power. Or if Max Baer or possibly Joe Louis on a good night didn't have that kind of power too.

This isn't old timer bias either. I don't think Dempsey, Marciano, or Langford hit that hard. All time great lightheavyweight/cruiserweight power probably only translates to average modern heavyweight power and I'd be surprised if Bob Fitzsimmons hit as hard as Kovalev.

 

I miss freedom.

 

I don't think Joshua, wilder, Parker or Wlad would have get up from that shot. It was as flush as it can get.