Liston or Shavers? - Hardest Hitting Heavyweight.

Yeah, there is a point when your physiology will mercifully cut you off from the pain- at least temporarily.

Sort of in the same ballpark, I was playing football at school - went into a tackle and copped the top of the other guy’s head fully in the mouth. It was weird because I immediately thought “This is gonna fooking hurt” but it didn’t.

There was just a numb feeling but the blood was surely flowing out. I asked another guy to check my mouth - he recoiled in horror - I asked “What’s up?” - He said several of my teeth were tangling by a thread from the top gum like loose piano keys.

Fortunately there was a hospital across the road with a dental clinic - my mate walked over to the hospital with me - after about 10 mins I was feeling woozy, sweating profusely and the pain was really kicking in.

I was lucky, they set the teeth back and wired them up for about 3 months.

 

I saw Foreman place Lyle with Williams & Cooney as the hardest hitters, but I suppose other times he singles out Ron.
I never heard him say Liston hit the hardest re: their sparring sessions.
If he fought Shavers I suspect he would put him up with or above Lyle.
However not fighting for so long before that fight of the year likely sightly weakened his punch resistance.

 

Liston's lefthook is the most devastating weapon imo.

 

I realize that Liston & Shavers are very close to the same size: Liston's height, weight & wingspan marginally greater than Shavers.
They also had a similar build-muscular upper body, although not particularly defined & moderate body fat.
Broad, with wrecking-ball levers: long arms capped by huge hands.

I believe these 2 guys, about as heavy handed, literally & figuratively, as possible, generated power in a similar way.
Although in terms of speed, snap & often commitment, Shavers held the edge.

Really we can never know, or if a guys in Human History hit harder than them or not.
Is the hardest puncher huge in height, weight, non-extraneous muscle mass?
Or if not build like a modern power forward or NFL bruiser, it could be a Butterbean type.
Throwing massive punches need not be for the most athletic or biggest agile weightlifters...

But a big part of me wants it to be someone like the boys we are discussing.
Natural, large & strong but not massively so.
Not artificially enhanced, nor need to have the highest tech or most advanced methods-of science, diet or resistance training.

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Very cool post, my friend. To me Shavers, Foreman, and Wilder were the top tier. Liston was very close, but he was also a better boxer overall than any of them.

 

That is not by any means the only reason Floyd Patterson is a ATG and hall of famer.

 

Liston was light years ahead of Shavers cause he actually had skills and not just one punch….. Now if Shavers had just a tad bit of skills to go with that power he would be in a different class!

 

And don’t forget about Gerry if you were ready for the nursing home that left hook would send you there

 

Against Norton, I think Gerry was trying to bypass the nursing home phase and euthanise poor Old Kenny instead.

Liston was def. far better skilled all around than Shavers but Earnie was still a skilled and well educated puncher for a certain number of rounds in a fight.

If Earnie opted for and developed a more rounded game his “savant” abilities as a puncher would’ve decreased accordingly.

Therefore, viewed in proper context and taking all Liston’s skills into account, Sonny upheld one hell of a punch.

 

Different ways to get the KO. Liston was a two-fisted beatdown fighter, ala Joshua, Foreman. Earnie was a one-punch artist, ala Wilder, Marciano. I give Shavers a slight edge

 

Just to be clear, I don’t view the concepts of Shavers being a terrific puncher and his power being a bit overrated as being mutually exclusive.

For all that has been claimed re Shavers power - how didn’t he KO Holmes? I’ve read the answers before which include what a great chin Larry had - and he did but….

We can’t exonerate Earnie for lack of skill in this instance. For Shavers and anyone else, the overhand right was perfectly executed, had everything on it, was right on the chin and Larry was moving into the shot a bit.

Also, Earnie had already hurt Holmes badly from a right hand earlier in the round - the effects of which Larry was still showing when Shavers caught and put Larry down - which somewhat defies the claim of Shavers’ inability to “finish” an opponent.

I know Earnie’s follow up after the KD was not great but he still caught Holmes here and there - and he had already landed THE money punch on a hurt Holmes but Larry survived it.

Just some additional detail - it looked like another legit KD in round 9 - at the very least technically so - Earnie hit Larry and Larry immediately hit the deck. Holmes wasn’t so quick to rise either but that could’ve been fatigue also.

 

If there was a dumbshirt contest to see who can take a dead-on flush, fully wound-up-on shot from someone and walk away for a billion dollars, would I rather Liston hit me than Shavers? I guess. But who would I rather be hurt against and trying to survive against after getting hurt in a boxing match? Shavers.

 

And what big time fighters did Shavers actually beat with all that mighty power in the right??? Norton???? If u had a punch u could fart and Norton was hitting the deck!

 

Another rap for Lyle besides Foreman’s testimony. From who? Earnie Shavers himself in answer to the less oft posed question: “Who hit YOU (Earnie) the hardest?”

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I met Shavers in Liverpool quite a while back, and I asked him the hardest he'd ever been hit and he said it was by..... Sonny Liston! They never fought of course, but they sparred and he said Liston's punches (or jabs, can't recall) felt like sledge hammers!

A true Gentleman.