Who hits harder: Earnie Shavers or Mike Tyson?

THIS

Ernie had massive punching power, but he was more like a slugger.

Tyson also had punching power, but at his prime his punches were laser-focused.

 

Quick Tillis is on record saying "Tyson hit like a sissy in comparison to Shavers".

 

Think about that a moment....

 

Absolutely gobsmacking declaration, I know.

 

Who on earth voted Tyson

 

More than a few of those names didn't exactly have all-star chins. But hey, Shavers had his share of knockovers too.

That said, I have to go with Shavers. Ali, Holmes, Tillis, Cobb, Norton all said he hit the hardest. Tucker, Lewis, and Holyfield didn't list Mike among the hardest punching they'd faced, in fact Lewis listed Briggs and Holy Foreman. I do understand one can only gather so much from those articles but still...

 

Tyson is Muslim and Foreman is an Evangelical Christian, right up Holyfield’s alley.

Most of guys praising Shavers beat him. Norton may have named him to distract from the humiliation that Cooney caused him.

Lewis skipped the guys who ko’d him and went with a guy who he doesn’t get enough credit for.

If you mention Tyson’s name to Tucker, the first thing he does is start talking about his broken hand.

 

With all respect what does their religion have to do with it?
Damn near no one Ali faced during his run appreciated his involvement in the N.O.I but they still would say he was the fastest heavyweight they faced by far.
Why would Holyfield say Foreman was the hardest puncher he faced if he wasn't?
Because of some religious connection. Is that what you believe?
Holyfield also fought Lewis, who does follow the Christian faith , also Bowe and Cooper who both had Holyfield out on his feet, and are Christians.
But in your world Holyfield wouldn't give Tyson credit as the hardest puncher because of religious animus.
Try this simple trick:
What if Holyfield simply was being truthful in his comments. Tyson wasn't the hardest puncher he faced, and it's that simple.

 

Foreman is thr only Evangelical Christian from The South (culturally, at leadt) that comes to mind. That's a world of difference from the guys you named.

 

Someone on this forum either related or directly quoted Tillis as originally nominating Tyson as the hardest puncher he had ever faced.

To later sling shot the other way and describe Tyson as punching like a sissy seriously discredits “Quick’s” second and notably revised testimony.

Without going into great detail, Caldwell’s more popularly circulated claim of Shavers being the hardest puncher he faced has been brought into question - with the revealing of an earlier nomination of Foreman as THE man.

Whether Tyson hit exactly as hard as Shavers or not - Mikey’s single shot power has been underrated over time - people preferring to wax lyrical more about Mike’s speed, timing and combination punching lending to the overall affect of his punch.

Notwithstanding his being an elite natural puncher - in terms of execution, timing and accuracy, Shavers did hit an incoming Holmes right on the chin with the PERFECT punch.

If Joltin’ Jimmy Young (T.M. @My dinner with Conteh , to avoid paying his exorbitant royalties ) executed thusly, even he might’ve made Larry blink.

Of course Jimmy never threw with such commitment or bad intentions and no, he didn’t have Shavers’ natural power either.

The single shot Mike dropped Larry with for the first KD was TITANIC but it caught Larry on the left temple (even left a dent - a near shelled peanut), it wasn’t right on the chin like Shavers’.

If that punch had been right on the chin, it would’ve been ni-nights for Larry right then and there - BUT, if that had occurred, pretty sure Larry would’ve still afforded Shavers the honour of being the hardest puncher - Larry personally loved Earnie (as did Norton) but not so much Mikey T.

Apparently Tillis also wasn’t too thrilled about Tyson in general terms, going above and beyond the call of duty to not only withdraw his previous nomination of Mike for hardest puncher but to unduly denigrate his power also.

Ever seen a shirted and tied Mike calmly demonstrating his right hand punch to Larry Merchant?

Just the slip stream of the punch itself caused Larry’s carefully coiffed hair to be instantly parted on the other side (go to 1:05).

Okay, so no apparent part in Larry’s hair in the first place - please suspend reality for the sake of what, otherwise is, champagne comedy.

This content is protected

 

Or simply you can take Holyfields words as his truth. He was in the ring with both Foreman and Tyson. He should know because of this fact.
He beat both men, beating Tyson twice. So he'd have no reason to exaggerate for the man he beat, and disregard the man he loss too.
In fact Tyson was much closer to his physical prime than Foreman was so Tyson SHOULD'VE hit harder.
But he didn't according to Holyfield. Go figure.
Maybe something you haven't thought of .... As a Evangelical Christian Holyfield wouldn't purposely lie on such a trivial subject .

 

We can believe Benny Hinn healed a hole in his heart through the television. Paraphrasing his words, not mine.

 

Again, What does his religious convictions have to do with how hard someone punched him in the head?

 

Nothing, but I see it as evidence that his words aren’t credible in general.

He also has a clean win against Foreman in which he practically asked to be punched on the chin whereas the Tyson win was influenced by a headbutt that supposedly concussed Tyson.

 

A punch is a strike, not a push. Tyson hit better and harder from more angles. Shavers generated more force if it were measured, but couldn't place as many shots as well to generate knockouts. For me, power punching is about generating knockouts, not a hypothetical amount of force. Larry Holmes' chin has some opinions on this one.