Curtis "Hatchman" Shepard

Was in prison for the majority of his life. Was considered one of the most dangerous prisoners in America at one point and time. He once fought TWENTY guards to a stand still before they were able to bound him and dope him up. Even in his 80's, he was known to hit a punching bag hard for 10 rounds non-stop. He was also the only man to ever stop Joey Maxim. Now that is something. He once fought a man and hit him so hard that he broke his collar bone, and he didn't even hit the man there.

He did a slap move of sorts, that he claimed brought back his opponents equalibrium after he hit them with a flush shot. He was one bad mother ****er. He also made claims throughout his life that Holyfield, Bowe, Tyson and most of the modern day HW's (any modern day fighter in general actually) would not have been able to have defeated Marciano and Louis. He held a high opinion of Jersey Joe Walcott as well.

I believe, though, he felt that Ezzard Charles and Charley Burly were the greatest fighters he ever seen.

 

A guy on this board, Rocky Alkazoff, who just survived being shot several times and previously shared a cell with Hatchetman, has been writing a book about him.

Some of the stories would chill your blood.

 

Joe I love your youtube videos! That guy in the first video had the true heart of a boxing fan. I love it!


Russell, the posts here have been strong lots of good info. I will say Hatchetman Sheppard was the only one in history to knockout Joey Maxim, and he did so in the first round with DEVASTATING knockout. One of the hardest punchers of all time. There was not a big fight he was in where he did not put the other guy on the floor and that includes his fights with jersey joe walcott and archie moore. Let me find one of my new york times articles on sheppard.



Does anyone have that long Article/interview on hatchetman? one of the best reads I have ever read. Please post it.

 

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Hatchetman Sheppard vs Lloyd Marshall

 

go

 

Also 14 rounds with Robinson, 10 rounds with Nardico and Murphy, 10 rounds with Lloyd Marshall, 8 rounds with patterson, and 30 rounds with Walcott....The man had a steel chin. Hatchetman was the only one who could dent it.

Difficult to say. If I were to rate the top 5 punchers of the 1940s heavyweight division I would say



1. Joe Louis
2. Elmer Ray
3. Turkey Thompson
4. Lem Franklin
5. Lee Q Murray
6.

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7. Tommy Gomez
8. Harry Bobo
9. Buddy Baer
10. Jersey Joe Walcott

HM: Young Rocky Marciano, Pat Comiskey, Al Hart, Sid Peaks


* Most of the Black Murders row heavyweights of the 1940s were Big Punchers.




Now if you asked me to name the 10 hardest hitting heavyweights of the 1940s I would say

1. Hatchetman Sheppard
2. Tommy Gomez

WITHOUT HESITATION


Hatchetman Sheppard ranks right alongside the mac fosters and earnie shavers as one of the hardest hitters of all time

 

Here's a story about Shepard, written by a guy who was in stir with him:

http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/wail1000_rocky.htm

 

One of the best articles I have ever read


Some very interesting quotes


These people in prisonheard the name

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', and shoot, they didn't know nothing about boxing. They figured I got the name for

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:rofl:rofl




"Back then heavyweights didn't carry no fat like now. They wanted
to be quick. Plus no one lifted weights. They slow you up. Louis,
Dempsey, Walcott all could have weighed two fifteen or twenty if they
wanted. Baer was a giant. But the thing was, no one carried fat weight
like today."



"I fought Lee Q. Murray six times. He'd be a champ today. He would'a beat Riddick Bowe or Holyfield."


"Walcott was the best," he said. "Jersey hit like a mule and he knew how to draw you in."


"Moore hit the hardest of anybody I fought. Either hand. He could drop a bomb on your head. Every round was tough. I only hit him twice and both times I floored him. I don't know how he got up. I hit him so hard I thought I killed him, but he just got up. Archie was strong."


"Who was the best pound for pound?"

"Being from Pittsburgh," he said., "I knew how good Burley was, and
Billy Conn. Don't forget Zivic. He was a killer, but they kept the
cuffs on him. There was so many. But for some reason I think of Ezzard
Charles. Before he killed Baroudi he was beautiful. I was surprised
Marciano beat him like he did. I didn't think anyone his size could
beat him twice like that. That gives you an idea of how tough Marciano
was and how hard he hit. Marciano's secret was his ability to avoid
women and night life. He could keep coming and with that chin and
power, he couldn't be denied."




"Could the modern fighters have beaten the old timers?"

"No way. Ali couldn't have beaten Louis or Marciano. Even the
best of the modern guys like Monzon, Hagler, Foster, and Sugar Ray
Leonard. No way could they have dominated in my era. Duran is the best
of the moderns and even without the cuffs I don't know if he could have
beaten Ike Williams. Kids come up tougher back then. They were
hungry."




"Handcuffs were for fighters not to lose too bad, but by a
decision, or to let someone go the distance," Hatchetman told me. "A
fixed knockout was for bigger money."

"Did you wear the cuffs?" I asked.

"Everyone wore the cuffs if you wanted to make money," he said.

"That's the business, Rock."

"Was Ali and Liston on the level?" I asked.

"C'mon, Rock," he said with a smile. " That one had the cuffs on
Sonny tighter than a noose. It's all over now. God's got a better plan
now for both of us."

 

Moore Rates Hardest Hitters: New York Times April 25th 1990

Archie Moore, the former light heavyweight champion, was talking about heavy punchers recently.

Moore, who fought 215 bouts in a career dating from 1936 to 1965, rated the hardest hitters he faced: Curtis (Hatchet Man) Sheppard; Lloyd Marshall; Yvon Durelle, and Rocky Marciano. In that order.

''Sheppard's was the best single punch I ever got hit with,'' Moore said. ''A right to the jaw. I fell on my face and just did beat the count. I don't know why, but the front of my thighs hurt for a week after that bout. Felt like I got hit with a baseball bat.'' Moore won both his bouts with Sheppard, in 1946 and 1947, by decision.

Moore called Marciano ''a very well-conditioned athlete.''

''His punches wore you down,'' said the former champion.