Is Earnie Shavers an all time great Heavyweight ?

TBF (and I am a big Shavers detractor around here) were there 4 belts around at the time Ernie may (emphasis may) have claimed one for a brief time.

 

Uh mate, you literally just did.

 

I sometimes think Shavers fans must have volunteered to take punches off the man himself with the way they gibber on sometimes.

No critical thinking faculties whatsoever, just a load of fruity quotes that everyone's heard a hundred times before.

 

I would be more inclined to believe him if it was young 1970s foreman that said it. You gotta take whatever jolly old foreman says about these things with a mountain of salt.

 

Old Foreman's said a ton of complimentary things about more recent heavyweights as well. The moment you start to pick and choose what you believe is the moment the discussion collapses in on itself.

Seems like that's the only way anyone can really prop up Shavers though.

 

No. And overrated power.

 

I think, if I were to draw up a top 100 Heavyweights of all time, I might be able to find a spot for Shavers in that list.

 

No.

It's just that meeting these people does not validate your points which are contradictory and irrational.

 

Yes, you did!!!!!

Go to the top of page 4 of this thread.

At least have the dignity not to lie about what you said when you're losing the argument.

 

I have had the pleasure of meeting Ernie and found him to be a gentleman.But even he would not consider himself an all time great

 

No.

But he was in the mix and always dangerous in a stacked era.

 

Drawing from a quote from an old boxing magazine, to become a great fighter you must meet & defeat other great fighters.

 

One of the hardest single punchers but not one of the best boxers of all time lots of good heavyweights id favor to beat him. Unlike Tyson, Foreman, and even Wilder he couldn't set up his big punches so that he'd be one of the dominate fighters of his time. He has a few good knockout wins but his most significant fights and opportunities were against Ali and Holmes and he lost all three times.

 

He's an all time great heavyweight puncher but I've got him at around 56 out of a 100 so he's not making my list. Perhaps in a another Era he makes champ or at least an alphabet titilst. Even he got his hands on a belt I don't see him a long lasting champ. Maybe a Mike Weaver type.

 

Not unless you include about half the guys who ever appeared in the Top Ten monthly ratings. But then again, I remember when he was beaten by Stan "the Animal" Johnson. So, I never could shake the notion that any decent journeyman who could box a little bit could beat him. Dean Chance matched him very carefully throughout his career. Much of the mystique about his punching power came from very careful matchmaking. He could punch, though.