Angelo Dundee

Earnie Shavers   by jekky

Amateur career

Prior to turning professional, Shavers had a short but notable amateur career and was the 1969 National AAU Heavyweight Champion.

Professional career

Known as the Black Destroyer, Shavers compiled an impressive record at the start of his career, winning 44 of his first 47 fights by knockout, including 27 in a row. He scored over 20 victories in the first round alone, although suffered setbacks with early losses to Ron Stander and Stan Johnson.

Shavers developed a reputation early in his career for his ability to 'dismantle' opponents known for their ability to absorb punishment, in one case even delaying a bout because Earnie's right-hand glove 'imploded' and needed to be replaced. He began to rise through the ranks of the heavyweight division after he hired a Cleveland-based promoter and ex-con named Don King to be his manager. Among his early victims were former WBA champion Jimmy Ellis and future top contender Jimmy Young, both in the first round. He also suffered knock-out losses at the hands of Ron Lyle and Jerry Quarry.

Shavers fought Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden on September 29, 1977. Ali disparagingly referred to Shavers as "The Acorn" because of his bald head. The fight was shown in prime time broadcast television by NBC, which rarely did prime time fights (ABC tended to get the Ali fights) and pulled out the gimmick of showing the judges scoring after each round to the television audience. 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 playacting and Shavers hesitated. They exchanged rounds until Ali won the fifth in a big way. From there through the 12th, Ali outboxed Shavers on the judges scorecards and in the eyes of most viewers. All Ali had to do was survive the last three rounds. But Shavers, whose stamina was suspect before the fight, came alive in the 13th. In the 14th, he battered Ali about the ring. Before the 15th, according to the story by Sports Illustrated's great boxing writer Pat Putnam, Ali was on wobbly legs.

Though knowing Ali needed only 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 strong, almost dropping Shavers over the last 45 seconds. He took a unanimous decision, but the next day, Garden matchmaker Teddy Brenner tried to encourage Ali's retirement by stating the Garden would never host or make an offer to host another Ali fight. The fight made the cover of Sports Illustrated, with "ALI'S DESPERATE HOUR" over a shot of Shavers scoring with an overhand right. Ali later said Shavers was the hardest puncher he ever faced, famously stating "Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa".

After knocking out former champion Ken Norton in the first round, Shavers again fought for the title against champion Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas 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. Holmes, known for his ability to take a punch, later said that Shavers' blow was the hardest he had ever taken in his career.

The Holmes bout was the last big bout for Shavers. In 1980, he was knocked out in the seventh round by Randall "Tex" Cobb, and never again fought for the title.

Fighting style

Shavers was a heavy-handed puncher who stalked his opponents in order to set them up for his thundrous right, which accounted for many of his knockouts. Perhaps ungraceful and without accuracy, Earnie was known to exhaust himself before round 7 and rarely won a bout that lasted longer than 8 rounds. Earnie 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.

Life after boxing

Shavers during a 2005 interview.

Shavers retired in 1983 after retinal problems were discovered. After retirement, he became an ordained Christian minister and moved to Phoenix, where he pastored 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 '80s 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."[citation needed]

Shavers has visited Ali several times and he says he, Ali, and George Foreman have become very good friends over the years. Shavers accepted the invitation of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International to preach at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Amongst other things, Earnie also works in Liverpool in the UK, as nightclub security at a Yates' bar, where he is very much respected. Shavers was a troubleshooting referee in professional wrestling for a little while 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 has given a speech 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 around helping kids make the right decisions in life.

Comeback

Shavers made a short comeback in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After a few wins and losses he retired for good in 1995, after being defeated by Brian Yates, by a KO in round 2.

In 2003, Shavers was ranked number 10 among boxing's greatest punchers in history by Ring Magazine. Shavers was given the title of "puncher of the century" and, within the sport of boxing, is widely considered to be the hardest puncher of all time.

Shavers finished his career in 1995 with a record of 74 wins (68 by knockout, 23 inside the first round), 14 losses and 1 draw.

Sporting positions

Preceded by

George Foreman

United States Amateur Heavyweight Champion

1969

Succeeded by

Ron Lyle

References

^ Bob Westerdale (2007-09-04). "Junior's close Shave with ring legend Ernie". The Star. http://www.thestar.co.uk/sportheadlines/Junior39s-close-Shave-with-ring.3170099.jp. Retrieved 2008-02-07. 

^ Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International FGBMFI UK & Ireland empower men for life

^ Shannon Bradshaw Trust

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Earnie Shavers

Professional Boxing Record for Earnie Shavers from Boxrec

Categories: 1945 births | African Americans | American boxers | Christian ministers | Heavyweights | Living people | People from Youngstown, Ohio | Professional wrestling referees | Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxersHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from May 2009

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