Just How Good Was Earnie Shavers.

He wasn't as good as Jerry Quarry.

 

I actually was just watching his fight with Ali this morning. My thoughts on Shavers is that he was a very hard puncher but not a great boxer. He could potentially beat any fighter on any given night because he had that much power but could also lose to stiffs on any given night. He was very strong but he also was tight and in some fights would tire from loading up so much on his punches. He had a lot of heart but again not the best stamina or chin. I'd say hes in the same class as guys like Tommy Morrison, Razor Ruddock etc. he had some quality performances and is one of the better punches of all time but not one of the better all around fighters of all time.

 

I don't think he was even on the level of Morrison or Ruddock. His power is way overrated also as he didn't KO any of the better fighters he fought.

 

I had the pleasure of meeting Earnie in Dallas a few years ago. Had a long chat with him. He is one of the nicest guys you'd ever wish to meet. We talked about a mutual friend Randall Tex Cobb. Earnie said " That guy must have had concrete poured into his chin, I hit him as hard as I've knocked guys out with & he just laughed at me" It pleased Earnie when I told him Tex said " Earnie was the only man that hit me hard enough to make me even think of quitting" They remained friends & I believe those two & Michael Dokes made a rap record together years ago I would love to hear that

 

He had stamina issues too. But that punch he threw that knocked Holmes down....WOW.

 

hard hitter with a paper mache chin

 

A glorified tomato can with a punch

grossly overrated in all categories, and no way ¨the hardest puncher eva¨

 

Go watch Ice dancing or get on with your knitting. Give up watching boxing its not for you obviously :rofl:hi:

 

sooo true

 

What does going the distance with Ali and Holmes have to do with skill. Tua would go the distances with them too, they would have their running shoes on the whole fight.

Also if getting ktfo by Lennox in the 1st is more competitive then Tua was then im watching the wrong sport.

Tua is under appreciated in terms of skill. The bloke is a decent boxer but he has t-rex arms and is only 5ft 8 and weighed 220+, he has to pick his spots. Look for the KO. He's too bulky to be a pressure type fighter which would have been his best style.

Defense is a skill and Tua's d is much better than Shavers, he's also the best finisher out there. The only fighter i've seen get hurt by Tua and survive is Monte Barrett and Tua was ancient and if the fight went 30 more seconds he would not have survived thats for sure.

Tua beat skilled fighters such as Moorer, Ruiz and Rahman even Maskaev has decent skills.

His only bad loss was to Lewis who is a top 10 all time great. Lewis is a great fighter who has a massive size advantage. The Byrd fight was competitive, he just didn't manage to catch him clean and that can happen to a ko artist. Bird only won by a couple of rounds on the cards and it could have been even closer really. He definitely did the most damage in that fight. I still believe he beat Ibeabuchi but it was a very close fight. The Barrett loss is bad but he was ancient and inactive.

 

Growing up I loved Shavers fights.
He usually either KO'd the other guy or got KO'd himself.

For his era the 70s to early 80s - which is wayyyy overrated by too many on here - he was a top HW. However, as said by others, ES had moderate to weak stamina and a near glass jaw.

Not only did Quarry stop him in 1... f'n Ron Stander, a crude slugger, KO'd Shavers :huh

Except for the lousiest HWs, Quarry and Stander would get slaughtered by good to top modern HWs. What do you think would happen to Shavers, who was about 6' 210# in his prime? :-(

 

Earnie, like a lot of fighters with power, started out as a boxer and then started KOing people early and often. He then, like a lot of fighters with power, started thinking he could KO everyone early and often. For the most part he did but slickness and speed often nullify power. Earnie was a skilled boxer who fell in love with his overhand right and for good reason. He knocked people out with it. I for one don't think Earnie's chin was any worse than any other heavyweight. The punches that KOed Earnie would have probably KOed any other HW who was caught with it. Most of Earnie's KO losses came from him burning himself out going all out to KO his opponent. He went down exhausted more than he was hurt. I loved watching Shavers KO Norton. It was a thing of beauty. The man was a beast.

 

Shavers did have a huge punch...............

 

Ali amongst other greats have said that he felt Shavers was the hardest puncher he ever faced which is saying something. I feel Shavers is amongst the most powerful heavyweights of all time but I'd also say the Klitschko's and Lewis are in that same category. I always wonder whether the heavyweights now and days with there great size pack a more devastating punch then the heavyweights of the passed era's, logic would tell you yes but at the same time the heavyweights from the 60's, 70's, 80's were still very big men and I believe at that time they put more emphasis into trying to be at a lighter weight. its always hard to compare different era's.