Earnie Shavers has died
The entire World Boxing Council family, President Mauricio Sulaiman and the Boxing World, are mourning at the death of 78-year-old KO cannonball heavyweight Earnie “Puncher of the Century” Shavers.
Earnie could punch like no other. Few boxers he encountered were fitted with natural shock absorbers, to cushion the immense freight train impact, channeled into and emitting from Earnie. He was a natural force of nature. In his career which spanned 1969 to 1995, his record stands at 74-14-1, 68 KO`s. Twenty three of those were in the first round. A KO ratio of 76.4 percent. But truly understanding and really appreciating Earnie's defining glory, was all wrapped up in his awesome power. He is acknowledged by The Ring Magazine among the hardest ten punchers of all time! We leave it to his peers and prick up our ears for their punch lines.
Larry Holmes:“Earnie hit me harder than any fighter including Mike Tyson. He hit me and I was face down on the canvass hearing saxophonist Jimmy Tillis.”
James “Quick” Tillis: “Earnie hit me so hard that he brought back tomorrow. I was in the land of make believe. I heard saxophones and trombones. I saw little blue rats. They were smoking cigars and drinking whisky.”
Randall “Tex” Cobb: “Nobody hits harder than Earnie Shavers. In the first round he threw, missed and landed on my shoulder. It felt like someone had dropped a bowling ball on my shoulder. Earnie could punch you on the neck and break your ankle.”
Ron Lyle: “Hey man, that´s the hardest I´ve ever been hit in my life. The ground came up and met me.”
Muhammad Ali: “Earnie hit me so hard, he shook my kin folk back in Africa.”
George Foreman:“I never fought Earnie… Thank goodness.”
Born in Alabama, the power which forever defined Earnie was there from the very beginning. A kindly and modest person, who only occasionally blew his own trumpet he proudly said: “Only God hit harder than me. I firmly believe that I'm the hardest puncher ever born.”
Earnie grew up on a farm lifting huge bales of hay and chopping wood, and picking up engine blocks. As a young man he worked at General Motors in Lordstown in Ohio in the late 1960s. He could undo nuts and bolts with his huge fingers, whilst others had to use spanners.
Earnie won the 1969 AAU heavyweight title in the amateurs and started relatively late as a pro aged 22. But he sure made up for lost time. He won 44 of his first 47 fights by KO. Progressing, his most notable career victories were defeating former champions Jimmy Ellis and Ken Norton, both in the first round. Also fabulous victories over Jimmy Young and Joe Bugner.
At the age of 33 in 1977, Earnie challenged Muhammad Ali for the world championship. In round two, he badly hurt 'The Greatest' with a massive overhand right, and Ali clinched for dear life, made faces, exaggerated and play acted to mask the shock force and Earnie momentarily hesitated.
Earnie fought the entire distance, causing Ali constant problems, but ultimately losing a UD. It was Ali's 22 title fight and his 56th bout. He drew deeply on his recuperative powers, but his legs quivered several times from Earnie's onslaught. For his superb effort Earnie was awarded The Most Inspirational Fighter Award.
Two years later Earnie challenged champion Larry Holmes for the crown. In the seventh Earnie's feared and mighty right felled Larry, dropping him like chopped timber. Somehow Larry staggered up, wobbled back into the ropes and survived the onslaught, and recovered to stop Earnie in the eleventh. No one who fought Earnie EVER forgot that hitting power!
After retiring from the ring Earnie became an ordained Christian Minister. He lived in England on Merseyside from 1998-2008. He preached and rather than a bouncer/security, he worked as a Greeter at bars in Birkenhead and Liverpool. It aptly fitted his kindly nature. He signed autographs, took pictures with fans, was a motivational speaker and revered God.
Back in the 1980s he sparred with Sylvester Stallone who was preparing for Rocky III. Sylvester pleaded for Earnie to adopt the menace of Clubber Lang. Time and again the Star asked the Puncher to make it real and give him more than just a soft and well- meaning tap. Finally and against his better nature, Earnie administered just one tempered medium level prod near to the liver. “Sly” had to rush to the bathroom and throw up!
Earnie was the father of nine daughters and one son. There were 24 grand-children and one great grand-child! Last year he released his hard-hitting autobiography entitled: “Welcome To The Big Time”.
On a day like this with storm clouds never far away from the horizon at this time of year, perhaps God will appoint Earnie in charge of rumbling the thunder and then delivering the bolts of lightning? It's what he did best.
