How would you rate Bob Satterfield's punching ability?

OP_TheJawBreaker · Jan 5, 2022

He knocked out Ben Wise. A boxer with 9 loses 2 by knockouts both came from him and Sonny Liston.

Reinhardt · Jan 5, 2022

OLD FOGEY said: ↑

How do we place Satterfield for power? How does he compare with Shavers? Shavers was certainly statistically much more impressive with a record of 74-14-1 with 68 knockouts to Satterfield's 50-25-4 with 35 knockouts. Both were considered flawed fighters with tremendous punches. Superficially, Shavers looks to be much better, but putting his record and Satterfield's record under scrutiny brings Shavers down to earth.

Shavers fought 41 men who did not have winning records. Another 8 did not have 10 victories. Of his entire 89 fights, only 17 were against men good and experienced enough to have maintained a winning record and accumulated at least 20 victories going into the fight with Shavers.
Shavers fought many fighters with losing records early in his career, throughout his peak, and going down. In total, Shavers scored 8 victories over fighters who were rated at one time or another by Ring Magazine. In the 17 fights against men with winning records and at least 20 victories, Shavers went 10-7.

Satterfield fought 7 men who did not have winning records, five in his first 10 fights, another in his first year of boxing against a journeyman opponent who was 38-55. By 1946, his second year in boxing he was going against top men such as Holman Williams and Jake LaMotta. He continued to fight top men until he retired 12 years later. Only ko victim Murray Bennett in 1953 had a losing record. Satterfield fought 43 men good and experienced enough to have a winning record and to have accumulated 20 victories. He went 24-17-2 against them. He had 16 victories over fighters ranked at one time or another by Ring Magazine.

Both men by reputation were fearsome punchers. Both stopped top men--Shavers stopped Ken Norton, Jimmy Young, Jimmy Ellis, Henry Clark, Howard Smith, Joe Bugner, and Roy Williams. Satterfield stopped Boardwalk Billy Smith, Sylvester Perkins, Lee Oma, Bob Baker, Cleveland Williams, John Holman, and Paul Andrews. One difference is that Satterfield was the better boxer and defeated Harold Johnson and other top men on points. Satterfield was also spectacularly erratic, defeating top men one fight, losing to journeymen the next. Shavers was more consistent, but his average level of opposition was far lower and he also had perplexing losses to men like Bob Stallings. Satterfield was a star fighter appearing in major venues from early in his career. Shavers fought for years in jerkwater towns like Bryant, Indiana and had fights in high school gyms against nobodies before finally hitting the big time.

Both men had plenty of opponents who stood up to their best shots and went on to defeat them, including Ron Stander, Ron Lyle, Bernardo Mercado, and Tex Cobb with Shavers, and a slew of men like LaMotta, Layne, Henry, Moore, etc, with Satterfield. Neither in my opinion ranks with the best as an overall puncher, but both were commonly praised by opponents as among the hardest punchers. I see them as pretty close, myself.
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Shavers got a VERY late start in boxing and had no amateur experience so he had to get experience inside the ring. It was a smart move for him to move slowly in quality of opposition.

Tonto62 · Jan 5, 2022

dpw417 said: ↑

How hard does Satterfield punch in your opinion, in comparison to other well known hitters, in and around light heavy?
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Top drawer.

louis54 · Jan 5, 2022

Great post by old fogey

cross_trainer · Jan 5, 2022

Reinhardt said: ↑

Shavers got a VERY late start in boxing and had no amateur experience so he had to get experience inside the ring. It was a smart move for him to move slowly in quality of opposition.
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Didn't he win amateur tournaments at the national level before turning pro?

Dubblechin · Jan 5, 2022

cross_trainer said: ↑

Didn't he win amateur tournaments at the national level before turning pro?
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He did. George Foreman won the U.S. National AAU Championship in 1968 on his way to the Mexico City Olympics. Earnie Shavers followed him the following year and won the National AAU championship in 1969. Ron Lyle was National AAU champ in 1970. Duane Bobick won it in 1971.

Gazelle Punch · Jan 5, 2022

Satterfield p4p was one of the best punchers ever. Never in the history of the sport had a man beat so many top level guys but lost to so many bums. (Ok maybe pre 30s there were a few of those) but I can’t think of anyone with a record like his. To have wins over champions and number one contenders but lose to so many bums. Beat Harold Johnson and Cleveland Williams and Bob Baker and Nino Valdez the man could bang.

OP_TheJawBreaker · Jan 5, 2022

Here are some testimonies to prove Satterfield's power:

- Jake LaMotta said he hit the hardest by FAR. There's a bunch of quotes just him talking about Satterfield's power. Remember, this is coming from the highly regarded best chin in boxing.

- Drop, Stagger and Knocked out so many heavyweights while weighing so light.

- Marty Marshall said he hit harder than Liston

- Rex Layne claimed that he did not remember a thing after getting hit by that right had in the first round.

- Arthur Mercante Sr. said the two hardest punchers he's ever seen in the ring is Earnie Shavers and Bob Satterfield.

- Ezzard Charles said he is one of the hardest punchers he's ever fought, putting him above Marciano.

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How would you rate Bob Satterfield's punching ability?

OP_TheJawBreaker NOBODY hit like that guy! Full Member

Reinhardt Boxing Junkie Full Member

Tonto62 Boxing Addict banned Full Member

louis54 Well-Known Member Full Member

cross_trainer Liston was good, but no "Tire Iron" Jones Full Member

Dubblechin Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

Gazelle Punch Boxing Addict Full Member

OP_TheJawBreaker NOBODY hit like that guy! Full Member