Earnie Shavers


Earnie Dee Shaver, best known as Earnie Shavers, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1969 to 1983, with two further comebacks in 1987 and 1995. A two-time world heavyweight championship challenger, Shavers is known for being one of the hardest punchers in boxing history. He scored 68 knockout wins and holds a 91.8% knockout-to-win ratio, and a 76.4% overall knockout ratio.
Shavers had two world title fights, against Muhammad Ali in 1977 and Larry Holmes in 1978. He scored a seventh-round knockdown against Holmes, and badly hurt Ali in the second round. Shavers never won a world title, but defeated former world champions Vicente Rondón, Jimmy Ellis and Ken Norton, as well as contenders Jimmy Young and Joe Bugner.
In 2001, Shavers released an autobiography called Welcome to the Big Time. Since retiring from boxing he has attended boxing events as a special guest, autograph signer, and motivational speaker.

Amateur career

Shavers started boxing at the fairly late age of 22. Prior to turning professional, Shavers had a short but notable amateur career, winning the 1969 National AAU heavyweight title.
Tony Mange, National Golden Gloves director, said of him in March 1969, "I saw Shaver last year in Salt Lake City. He carries a hefty punch." He had nine straight knockout wins prior to his knockout loss in the hands of the 230-pound West German Horst Koschemann.

Highlights

Cleveland Golden Gloves, Cleveland, Ohio, 1968:
National Golden Gloves, Salt Lake City, Utah, March 1968:
United States National Championships, Toledo, Ohio, April 1968:
National Golden Gloves, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri, March 1969:
United States National Championships, San Diego, California, April 1969:
USA–FRG Duals, Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 1969:
Ohio State Fair Amateur Boxing Tournament, State Fairgrounds, Columbus, Ohio, August 1969:
National Team Selection Eliminator, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, October 1969:
Shavers has posted a 20–6 amateur record as a heavyweight and has recorded 14 knockouts

Early professional career

Known as the "Black Destroyer", Shavers won 44 of his first 47 fights by knockout; mostly against unremarkable opposition. This included 27 consecutive knockouts, of which 20 were in the first round. He suffered setbacks with losses to Ron Stander and Stan Johnson.
He began to rise through the ranks of the heavyweight division after he hired Cleveland-based promoter and ex-con Don King to be his manager. His wins included a novice Jimmy Young who later became a contender. Stepping up the class of opposition, he came to public prominence with a first-round KO of one time WBA heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis. His progress was halted when he was KO'd in the first round by Jerry Quarry which was followed by another loss to a journeyman Bob Stallings. Shavers then had a thunderous match with hard hitting Ron Lyle but was stopped after 6 brutal rounds. He then knocked out hard hitter Howard King and beat powerful prospect Roy Williams in a brutal back and forward battle in which Shavers was nearly knocked out. The match Shavers always said was one of the toughest of his whole career.

Shavers vs Ali

Shavers fought Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden on September 29, 1977. Coming into the bout, Shavers had a record of 54–5–1, with 52 knockouts. Ali nicknamed Shavers "The Acorn" because of his shaved bald head, unlike early appearances. The fight was shown in prime time broadcast television by NBC, which rarely did prime time fights and had the judges' scoring announced after each round to help avoid any controversial decision. Ali's cornerman Angelo Dundee had a crony in the dressing room watching the broadcast, and would get signals from his friend on the scoring. In the second round, Shavers hurt Ali badly with an overhand right. Ali exaggerated his motions enough that it seemed he might be play acting and Shavers hesitated. On the scorecard they exchanged rounds. Ali won the fifth decisively. To win the fight Ali had to survive the last three rounds. Shavers, whose stamina was suspect before the fight, came alive in the 13th round. In the 14th, he battered Ali about the ring. Before the 15th, according to Sports Illustrated boxing writer Pat Putnam, "Ali was on very wobbly legs."
Realizing Ali needed to last three more minutes, Dundee told him, "You don't look so good. You better go out and take this round." In a furious final round, the two men tagged each other, but Ali closed strongly, nearly dropping Shavers in the last 20 seconds. He won a unanimous decision. The next day, Garden match maker Teddy Brenner encouraged Ali to retire by stating the Garden would never make another offer to host an Ali fight. Brenner also thought that Shavers deserved the nod against Ali. The fight made the cover of Sports Illustrated, with "ALI'S DESPERATE HOUR" featuring a photograph of Shavers scoring with an overhand right. Ali's fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco also urged Ali to retire after noting the damage Ali had absorbed against Shavers. Ali later said Shavers was the hardest puncher he ever faced, stating "Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa" although Ali had previously used this quip in reference to other hard-hitting opponents.

Shavers v Norton/Holmes

In a mandatory title challenge eliminator he knocked out former champion Ken Norton in the first round, possibly the best win of his career.
Shavers then fought for the title against skilled champion Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace in Pardise on September 29, 1979, exactly two years after his defeat by Ali. Shavers knocked Holmes down in round seven but was himself knocked out in round eleven after taking punishment. Holmes, known for his ability to take a punch, later said that Shavers' blow was the hardest he had ever taken in his career.

Later career

The Holmes bout was the last big match for Shavers. In 1980, in a wild slugfest he was stopped in the eighth round by durable prospect Randall "Tex" Cobb. Prior to the Cobb fight, Shavers had undergone eye surgery for a detached retina.. Shavers had not fully recovered from the surgery when he came back for the Cobb fight. He never again fought for the world title. In 1982 he fought Joe Bugner, also on the comeback trail. Bugner was knocked down in the first, and was stopped by cuts in the second round.
Shavers continued to fight professionally for several years, retiring in 1995 after losing to Brian Yates. Many thought he should have retired after his upset loss to lower contender Bernardo Mercado. Shavers suffered a similar retinal eye injury as boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.

Fighting style

Shavers was a heavy-handed puncher who stalked his opponents, setting them up for his thunderous right, which was responsible for many of his knockouts. Although Angelo Dundee in a Sports Illustrated mid-1970s article said "He can get you out of there with any kind of shot", referring to Shavers's ability to inflict damage with a left hook, right cross or right uppercut. Several boxers famous for their tough chins had fallen to Shavers's punches, including Bugner and Ellis who were felled by his uppercut.
Shavers would throw punches against any legal area he could reach, exposed or covered, relying on his tremendous power to wear down his opponents and exploiting any opening. His fighting stance produced a short and powerful image. His chin was his weakness. He could however "box" as well as slug. Notably, he injured his right hand early in a 10-round match against rated craftsman Henry Clark and responded with a strong jabbing performance to beat Clark, himself noted for his jabbing ability, on points.

Video and book

Shavers published a video of highlights of his career in 1992 titled Earnie D. Shavers, The hardest one-punch hitter, and later an autobiography.

Life after boxing

Shavers retired in 1983 after retinal problems were discovered. After retirement, he became an ordained Christian minister and moved to Phoenix, where he preached for many years. He moved to England to pastor a church there in the early 2000s. He has been on the Benny Hinn TV show several times.
During the early 1980s while preparing for the feature film Rocky III, Sylvester Stallone explored the possibility of using a real heavyweight boxer in the role of James "Clubber" Lang by inviting Earnie Shavers to spar with him. Shavers initially refused to hit Stallone with anything other than a soft jab. This frustrated Stallone, who asked Shavers, "C'mon Earnie, show me something real." Earnie responded by punching him once near the liver, forcing an immediate retirement; Stallone later said: "that nearly killed me. I went straight to the men's room and threw up".
Shavers has visited Ali several times and he says he, Ali, and George Foreman have become very good friends over the years. Foreman, when asked about toughest and hardest punching opponent he ever met in the ring, said:
Foreman: You only meet three genuine punchers throughout your career: Gerry Cooney, Ronnie Lyle and Cleveland Williams, and they hit so hard that it vibrates your body even if you block, it just goes right through you.
Letterman: What about Ernie Shavers?
Foreman: I never fought Earnie Shavers. Thank goodness.

Shavers accepted the invitation of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International to preach at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
Earnie also worked in Liverpool in the UK, as head of security at Hannah's bar, where he was very much respected. The staff of Hannah's bar say that he does not work there now. Until 2009, he worked at Yates' Wine Lodge in Liverpool "meeting and greeting". On occasion Shavers was a troubleshooting referee in professional wrestling after his retirement.
He is also a Patron of The Shannon Bradshaw Trust, a children's charity based in Warrington, Cheshire, helping children with life-threatening conditions, and their families.
Earnie speaks to pupils at Barr Beacon Language College in Walsall. Earnie also gave a speech 26 February 2008 at The Streetly School in Walsall, which was based upon helping kids make the right decisions in life.

Personal life

Shavers was married to Laverne Payne. They had five daughters from their together: Tamara, Cynthia, Catherine, Carla, and Amy. He also has four daughters and a son from other relationships: Catherine, Lisa, Natasha and Latonya, and a son, Earnie, Jr. He has 24 grandchildren and one great grandchild. He worked at General Motors in Lordstown, Ohio in the late 1960s. Shavers made a guest appearance on the Irish TV programme The Late Late Show hosted by Ron Lyle where the two fighters discussed their previous bout that had happened a month earlier. Shavers was a frequent visitor to the pub "Roddy Bolands" in Dublin. There is a signed picture of Shavers drinking a pint of Guinness on the wall there.

Comeback

Shavers attempted two abbreviated comebacks–—a fight in 1987, and two in 1995, in the second of which he was KO'd by Brian Yates in round 2. After this loss, Shavers retired for good.
Shavers has been named among the top-10 punchers in boxing history by The Ring and others.
Shavers finished his career in 1995 with a record of 74 wins, 14 losses and 1 draw.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
89Loss74–14–1 Brian YatesKO2, 2:49Nov 24, 1995 Ho-Chunk Casino, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, U.S.
88Win74–13–1 Brian Morgan8Sep 19, 1995 Georgetowne Club, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
87Win73–13–1 Larry SimsKO2, 1:30May 16, 1987 Technical College Gymnasium, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
86Loss72–13–1 George Chaplin9, 2:41Mar 1, 1983 Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.Shavers disqualified for low blows
85Win72–12–1 Rahim MuhammadPTS10Jan 29, 1983 El Paso, Texas, U.S.
84Win71–12–1 Tony PereaKO7 Nov 5, 1982 El Paso, Texas, U.S.
83Win70–12–1 Phil ClinardTKO2, 1:05Oct 14, 1982 Duke's Country, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
82Win69–12–1 Chuck GardnerKO2, 2:07Sep 5, 1982 Wales, Wisconsin, U.S.
81Loss68–12–1 Walter SantemoreUD10Aug 17, 1982 Blackham Coliseum, Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
80Win68–11–1 Billy Joe ThomasKO5 Jun 22, 1982 Astroarena, Houston, Texas, U.S.
79Loss67–11–1 James TillisUD10Jun 11, 1982 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
78Win67–10–1 Danny SuttonTKO7 May 15, 1982
77Win66–10–1 Joe BugnerTKO2, 2:14May 8, 1982 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
76Win65–10–1 Ali HaakimPTS10Apr 22, 1982 Grand Traverse Hilton, Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.
75Win64–10–1 Jeff SimsKO5, 1:34Dec 11, 1981 Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Nassau, Bahamas
74Win63–10–1 Mike RodgersKO2, 1:38Sep 9, 1981 Civic Center, Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
73Win62–10–1 Terry MimsKO2, 1:35Jul 29, 1981 Civic Center, Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
72Win61–10–1 Ted WadkinsTKO2, 1:30Oct 17, 1980 Auditorium, West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
71Loss60–10–1 Randall CobbTKO8, 2:19Aug 2, 1980 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
70Win60–9–1 Leroy BooneUD10Jun 14, 1980 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
69Loss59–9–1 Bernardo MercadoTKO7, 0:41Mar 8, 1980 The Great Gorge Playboy Club Hotel, Vernon Township, New Jersey, U.S.
68Loss59–8–1 Larry HolmesTKO11, 2:00Sep 28, 1979 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.For WBC heavyweight title
67Win59–7–1 Eddie ParotteTKO3 May 25, 1979 Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio, U.S.
66Win58–7–1 Ken NortonKO1, 1:58Mar 23, 1979 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
65Win57–7–1 Harold CarterKO3 Dec 4, 1978 Civic Center, Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
64Win56–7–1 John GirowskiKO4, 1:48Oct 9, 1978 Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
63Win55–7–1 Harry Terrell1, 3:00Jul 20, 1978 The Dome Civic Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
62Loss54–7–1 Larry HolmesUD12Mar 25, 1978 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
61Loss54–6–1 Muhammad AliUD15Sep 29, 1977 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.For WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
60Win54–5–1 Howard SmithKO2, 2:18Apr 16, 1977 The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
59Win53–5–1 Roy WilliamsKO10, 2:46Dec 11, 1976 The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
58Win52–5–1 Henry ClarkTKO2, 2:19Sep 28, 1976 Yankee Stadium, New York City, New York, U.S.
57Win51–5–1 Henry Clark10Mar 28, 1976 Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France
56Win50–5–1 Tommy HowardKO3, 2:00Nov 13, 1975 Howard Johnson's, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
55Loss49–5–1 Ron LyleTKO6, 0:47Sep 13, 1975 Coliseum, Denver, Colorado, U.S.
54Win49–4–1 Oliver WrightTKO3, 1:55May 8, 1975 Steelworkers Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
53Win48–4–1 Rochell NorrisTKO10, 0:31Apr 9, 1975 Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, New York, U.S.
52Win47–4–1 Leon ShawKO1, 2:55Feb 11, 1975 Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida, U.S.
51Draw46–4–1 Jimmy Young10Nov 26, 1974 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S.
50Loss46–4 Bob StallingsUD10Nov 4, 1974 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
49Win46–3 Roy WallaceKO1, 2:11May 16, 1974 Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, U.S.
48Loss45–3 Jerry QuarryTKO1, 2:21Dec 14, 1973 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
47Win45–2 Jimmy EllisKO1, 2:39Jun 18, 1973 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
46Win44–2 Harold CarterKO1, 2:10May 12, 1973 Windsor Arena, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
45Win43–2 Jimmy YoungTKO3, 2:59Feb 19, 1973 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
44Win42–2 Leroy CaldwellKO2, 2:00Oct 25, 1972 High School Gym, Newton Falls, Ohio, U.S.
43Win41–2 A J StaplesTKO1, 2:12Sep 19, 1972 Moonlight Gardens Ballroom, Canton, Ohio, U.S.
42Win40–2 Vicente RondónUD10Aug 26, 1972 Memorial Auditorium, Canton, Ohio, U.S.
41Win39–2 Lou BaileyKO2, 1:07May 5, 1972 Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
40Win38–2 Bob FelsteinTKO5, 2:38Apr 22, 1972 Fieldhouse, Struthers, Ohio, U.S.
39Win37–2 Charley PoliteKO3, 0:50Apr 6, 1972 Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio, U.S.
38Win36–2 Elgie WaltersKO2, 0:20Feb 15, 1972 Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
37Win35–2 Ted GullickKO6 Feb 1, 1972 Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio, U.S.
36Win34–2 Del MorrisKO3, 2:40Nov 28, 1971 Bryant, South Dakota, U.S.
35Win33–2 Cleo DanielsKO2 Nov 23, 1971 Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio, U.S.
34Win32–2 Elmo HendersonKO4, 2:35Oct 28, 1971 Sahara Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
33Win31–2 Charlie BostonKO2, 1:55Oct 16, 1971 Dean Chance Gymnasium, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
32Win30–2 Pat DuncanKO5 Sep 28, 1971 Primadonna, Reno, Nevada, U.S.Won vacant Nevada State heavyweight title
31Win29–2 Richard PittmanKO1 Aug 11, 1971 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
30Win28–2 Bill McMurrayKO1, 2:56Jul 13, 1971 Sahara Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
29Win27–2 Bill HardneyKO1, 1:52Jun 29, 1971 Western Reserve Field, Warren, Ohio, U.S.
28Win26–2 Chuck LeslieKO10, 1:15Jun 10, 1971 Sahara Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
27Win25–2 Willie JohnsonTKO4, 0:33Apr 24, 1971 Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
26Win24–2 Mac HarrisonKO2, 1:16Apr 21, 1971 Dean Chance Gymnasium, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
25Win23–2 Young AgababKO1 Mar 24, 1971 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
24Win22–2 Steve CarterTKO1 Mar 3, 1971 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
23Win21–2 Dick GoshaTKO5, 2:38Feb 17, 1971 Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
22Win20–2 Johnny MacKO3 Feb 3, 1971 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
21Win19–2 Nat ShaverKO1 Jan 15, 1971 Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
20Win18–2 Lee EstesKO2 Jan 6, 1971 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
19Win17–2 Bunky AkinsKO1, 0:59Dec 7, 1970 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
18Win16–2 Johnny MacTKO4 Nov 18, 1970 Fitch High School Gym, Austintown, Ohio, U.S.
17Win15–2 Johnny HudginsKO1, 0:55Oct 14, 1970 Moonlight Gardens Ballroom, Canton, Ohio, U.S.
16Win14–2 Don BranchKO1 Sep 12, 1970 Cooper Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
15Win13–2 Jim DanielsKO1 Aug 29, 1970 Fitch High School Gym, Austintown, Ohio, U.S.
14Loss12–2 Ron StanderKO5, 0:52May 11, 1970 Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
13Win12–1 Frank SmithTKO4 Apr 14, 1970 Moonlight Gardens Ballroom, Canton, Ohio, U.S.
12Win11–1 Ron AsherKO1, 0:58Mar 23, 1970 Fitch High School Gym, Austintown, Ohio, U.S.
11Win10–1 Art MillerTKO1, 2:41Mar 10, 1970 Moonlight Gardens Ballroom, Canton, Ohio, U.S.
10Win9–1 Abe BrownTKO5, 1:35Jan 27, 1970 Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida, U.S.
9Win8–1 Joe ByrdTKO3, 1:35Jan 24, 1970 Memorial Auditorium, Canton, Ohio, U.S.
8Win7–1 Abe BrownTKO1, 1:44Jan 7, 1970 Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
7Win6–1 Gene IdeletteTKO2 Dec 23, 1969 Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida, U.S.
6Win5–1 Chico FroncanoKO1, 2:05Dec 18, 1969 Memorial Auditorium, Canton, Ohio, U.S.
5Win4–1 J. D. McCauleyKO2, 2:18Dec 4, 1969 Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
4Win3–1 Lee RoyKO3, 2:30Nov 21, 1969 Municipal Auditorium, Rapid City, South Dakota, U.S.
3Loss2–1 Stan Johnson4Nov 13, 1969 Ice Arena, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
2Win2–0 George Holden1, 1:01Nov 11, 1969 Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida, U.S.
1Win1–0 Silas Howell1, 2:05Nov 6, 1969 Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.