Bad matchup for Earnie. Shavers chin was never very good and he wouldn't be able to stop granite chin Tua. Tua is special because he carries his power to the late rounds as well, so when Earnie tires (and he will) Tua will take him out. Tua either wins early on or late when Shavers gets tired.
One thing I can almost promise you, this thing ain't going 12. Tua would be my pick here, and by a very wide margin. He had the chin to take Earnie's best, but the same can't be said in reciprocity. Shavers was stopped or KO'd a number of times by men who couldn't hold a candle to Tua in the department of power, and when it comes to stamina, and other criticical attributes, the margin is equally as wide between the two. Shavers had an all time great punch that could have hurt anyone, but in this case it simply isn't going to be enough.
In an ultimate contest between power and chin, I've always believed the chin would prevail. That would be Tua in this specific instance. Magnifying Tua's advantage here is that he'd be forcing Earnie into retreat, getting under and between the long arms of Shavers in the process. Nobody hit as hard as Shavers, but there were those who could withstand his artillery, and Tua fits that bill. Earnie would be out of there in no more than six rounds.
also if tua fights like he did a few years ago, then he wont be getting caught with shavers bombs. tua had a underrated defence.
What was Shaver's greatest fight? Against Ken Norton? Take the Tua of the Ruiz fight and he ko's Shavers quicker and more decisively than did Jerry Quarry in one round.
Tough one to pick. Most observers immediately pick Tua to KO Shavers. I'm probably in the minority on this thread but I'd pick Shavers to catch Tua early with a right hand bomb and knock him out before the middle rounds. If Shavers paces himself, he can beat Tua, but if Tua gets to the body early, Shavers is in trouble. Shavers' right hand is arguably the hardest punch in heavyweight history with Foreman, Liston and Lennox Lewis slightly behind, in that order.
Tua would certainly have a headache in the morning but I'd pick him to knock out Shavers about a bombfest, after about 4 or 5 frantic rounds. Now, if Shavers committed to just attacking Tua's body it might be interesting...I'm not certain he takes body shots as well.
