American boxer Earnie Shavers, who took on Muhammad Ali, passed away at the age of 78.
The Alabama heavyweight, whose punches were among the hardest in history, triumphed in 74 of his 89 professional matches between 1969 and 1995.
That included 68 victories by knockout, 23 of which came in the first round, giving him a knockout ratio of 76.4%.
As a world title contender, “The Acorn” came up short twice.
The WBA, WBC, and The Ring championships were on the line, and Ali defeated him in 1977 in 15 rounds at Madison Square Garden in a unanimous points decision.
When Shavers lost to Larry Holmes two years later through technical knockout, he was given another opportunity to win the world championship.
In total, he had ten children—nine daughters and one son—from his marriage to Laverne Payne, including the five girls Tamara, Cynthia, Catherine, Carla, and Amy.
Following the heartbreaking news that was announced just one day after his birthday, condolences flooded in from the boxing community on social media.
Michael Buffer: “This is heartbreaking news! EARNIE SHAVERS was one of the deadliest KO punchers in the ‘70s & early ‘80s!
“He had heavy hands and was a nonstop Bomber who fought ‘em all in a Golden Era Of Heavyweight Boxing! R.I.P. KO King – EARNIE SHAVERS – with Love & Respect.”
DAZN Boxing tweeted: “One of the hardest punchers in boxing history.
“Earnie Shavers has sadly passed away at the age of 78. RIP Champ.”
Another wrote: “Generally regarded as one of the hardest punchers, if not THE hardest puncher of all time.
“As Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb put it, ‘Earnie Shavers could punch you in the neck and break your ankle.'”
Sad news, one person typed. With regard to punching power, Ernie Shavers was on par with Tyson and Liston. He was also an affable individual. I’ll miss him. Let Ernie rest in peace.
“So sad to learn of Earnie Shavers’ demise,” continued Al Bernstein of Showtime TV. He wasn’t just a great fighter; he was also a great person.
“I first ran into him in 1978 while researching an article on him for Boxing Illustrated. I’ve known him ever since, and everything about him was positive. I’ll miss him.
The following user wrote: “RIP Earnie Shavers, a savage puncher in one of the best eras of heavyweight boxing, and he was a significant part of it.”
