Earnie Shavers vs Evander Holyfield

While I don't doubt Shavers punching power, I do doubt that at 210 lbs, he could do in a few punches what a 257 lbs Foreman, a 220 lbs Tyson, a 235 lbs Bowe and a 245 lbs Lennox Lewis couldn't do in dozens of combined rounds landing hundreds of combined punches on Holyfield. This is where I think Shavers power gets blown way out of proportion.

Lyle, an all around lesser fighter with a lesser chin survived Shavers power, even though he had a close call. Now, on certain specific nights, maybe Holyfield could have gotten in trouble vs Shavers. For example, the night he fought Bert Cooper. But even on that night, I would bet a significant sum of cash that the fight ends up the way it did vs Cooper, with Mills Lane pulling Holyfield off of a battered Shavers on the ropes taking too many unanswered punches.

 

As I said, I'd back this Holyfield

This content is protected

To put a stop to Shavers. One wide, telegraphed right hand at a time just isn't going to cut it vs Evander Holyfield. Shavers best case scenario would be a knockdown. Holyfield had to much speed, boxing ability and could crack. Don't get Holyfield chin confused with Norton's chin.

On a side note, Evander Holyfield could have ruled the cruiserweight division for a long time without mercy.

 

Yeah but you're gambling that one or two big right hands from Shavers stops Holyfield. That would be unprecedented as no such thing happened in Holyfield career, not at or near enough to his best. And I'm not convinced that Shavers hit THAT much harder than the punchers Holyfield fought and Holyfield fought some of the hardest hitting heavyweights to step inside of a boxing ring.

Shavers would have a better chance against Lennox Lewis in that regard if he's looking for one big punch to close the show. If your plan to beat Holyfield is to wing a big right hand in his general direction and hope it lands perfectly enough to stop him, then you might as well hope that he slips and falls on the ring steps while climbing into the ring, breaks his knee and loses by disqualification moments before the fight.

Both have the same odds of happening. To stop Holyfield 87- 99, you have to be in for the long haul. Now if Shavers had the boxing ability and the ability to take punishment like say Riddick Bowe and didn't gas out, then Shavers may have taken Holyfield. But remember, the man was stopped in 1 round by Jerry Quarry in his prime. I doubt that the great grandfather version of Holyfield would suffer a 1st round stoppage loss to Jerry Quarry, let alone any version of Holyfield from Qawi 2 to Lewis 2. A first round blowout in favor of Holyfield wouldn't be off of the table here either. Holyfield hit at least as hard as Quarry plus was quicker and better skilled.

This content is protected

I think it was Randy Cobb, I believe Shavers fought and Shavers didn't stop him or floor him for all of his power. I think the Holy man would be all right.

This content is protected

96 Mike Tyson, 92- 95 Riddick Bowe, 98- 99 Lennox Lewis were all better skilled and faster punchers than any version of Shavers.

 

And I do remember Foreman landing some clean shots on Holyfield.

This content is protected

Holyfield was just perfect that night, IMO, the best version of Holyfield and what I think of when someone says "prime Evander Holyfield". The only reason I give him an A, instead of an A+ for that performance is because he didn't stop George Foreman. But even then, Holyfield was giving away approximately fifty pounds to big George Foreman. In the studio after the fight when they were sitting next to each other, you could see that Foreman was so much bigger than Holyfield.

 

Yes Foreman was tough and put in a tremendous effort. He gave a good account of himself. He did better than I believe Shavers might have done had he fought Holyfield that night. Foreman hit Holyfield flush, not often, but not anymore often than Shavers would be expected to, in addition to the fact that Foreman >>>> Shavers in size and durability.