With Ingo's recent passing, I feel some kudos and respect should be given to this Heavyweight champion. I began thinking about this on the way home from work this afternoon, especially after a poster in another thread (who obviously liked Ingamar) ranked his all-time power in the HW division at somewhere between 15th or 20th, grossly underrated IMO. Who had the better power with their HUGE right hand?...Earnie or Ingo? Well, let's look at their records. Another poster has said that, outside of Cooper, Machen, & Patterson, who did Ingo ever put on '***** street'? Let's look at Earnie's career for a moment. The aformentioned poster had Ingo at, roughly, 15th or 20th All-time yet most folks on boxing boards have Earnie easily top 5 or near the VERY top. Who are the big-time heavyweights that Shavers knocked out??? Ellis? Yes, but isn't that on a par with Machen who obviously had a much better set of whiskers than Jimmy. Norton? Come on! Kenny was heading south at that point... Shavers hurt Holmes,Ali,Lyle granted, but they came back and BEAT him! (If Ingo laid the big wood like Earnie did on any of the above they'de be just as much in trouble don't you think?) To be fair both of these guys, despite their power, went deep in many fights with mediocre opposition. But Johannson never lost any of those and Earnie lost several. I just want to give Ingo some credit here, why is he simply an afterthought whereas Earnie (I never really accomplished anything) is cherished as an all-time assassin??? Notes: Obviously Earnie fought better competition but most contenders beat him or finished on their feet. Earnie had a left hook (why do so many go on about his big right when his left hook, when he landed it, looked to be as good as it gets). Do you really think Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Frazier, Liston, Patterson..could hurt Lyle any worse then his big port-side shot in their scrap? Bring on the comments...:bbb R.I.P. Ingo...
Shavers had more power, but Johansson ultimately showed he could use his Hammer of Thor more effectively, thus taking home the biggest prize in sports, something Shavers failed to do, when he should of beaten Ali (Whining about the judges is a cop out, Shavers should of not needed the judges, Ali was that far gone).
Shavers had more raw power if you had measured it. Johansen delivered in better and hence with more authaurity.
I have always thought in terms of a powerful right hand greatness wise, Ingo comes to mind more or less right away. If we look at just the right hand, it wasnt just against Patterson, but others, it changed a fight completely once he let it go. Maybe Shavers' was harder, i don't know, but i may just pick Ingo for the greater right hand power shot.
shavers had more power than ingo. More often than not, when shavers floored his opponents they stayed down for the count.
Just a question for this thread,does anyone think Floyd would get up seven times after being hit with Shavers right hand?
If Floyd tasted a big right hand from Earnie he might well beat the count. Liston said he had never hit anyone as hard as he hit Floyd (said he felt it deep into his back) and Floyd was getting to his feet. After the first KD Ingo never really landed another bomb on Floyd just glancing shots and pushes so I'm not really sure what your question is asking. If Ingo or Earnie hit anyone with seven right hands they'de all be gone. I'll still question Earnie's power against top contenders and I am a big fan of his (shouted at him once and got a wave back ) Actually the best comments I've read so far are the ones that mention the precision of Ingo's right vs. Earnie's less compact/refined bomb. That's a good comparison IMO. Let's try to keep my beloved Floyd out of the debate...
I think from a skills standpoint, Ingo was the slightly better fighter. Shavers power would have been nothing like he had ever been hit with before though. I suppose either man could have taken it on any given night.
earnie i fell moved very awkwardly, his rigth hand against holmes is surprisingly quick he come sin at an angle and is already on top of him before you know it. same with jimmy ellis, ellis hurts him but shavers gets inside incredibly quick and lands the uppercut. my point is that shavers was more of an inside fighter and caught guys who were trying to outbox him.johannson is more patient and looks for the opening a bit more so it's a style match up in terms of head to head. does a long distance puncher hit harder than a lead rigth hand puncher? i tihnk ingo has the harder one punch shot in all honesty.
Well your beloved Floyd was facing the other way when Ingo got a free shot at the back of his head,he still got up from that.
Interesting that, in the rematch, Floyd has Ingo turned around in much the same way yet passes on the cheap shot, turning Ingo around instead and belting him...
I dont blame Ingo for letting his punch go ,the man was on his feet ,so he is a legitimate target,the referee was sloppy imo.Just commenting that Floyd still got up from that one.
I could have swore at one time Patterson said between Liston and Johansson, it was Ingo who hit the hardest between the two. While I dont know if thats even likely, considering Liston blew Patterson away in the 1st round twice, it has to hold merit somewhere.