Boxing legend Earnie Shavers passed away on September 1st, the day after his 78th birthday. No cause of death was released.
Although Shavers never won a title during his lengthy career in the ring, he was regarded as the hardest puncher in the sport by the likes of both Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes. While Ali successfully defended his title against Shavers in 1977, Ali said of Shavers, "Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk in Africa." Shavers would twice come out on the short end against Holmes, but in their second fight in 1979 for the WBC Heavyweight Title Shavers actually knocked Holmes down. Although Holmes quickly got up he has stated that he had never been hit so hard in the ring. Shavers would earn that second fight against Holmes as a result of a first round knockout of former world heavyweight champion Ken Norton six months earlier. Shavers was nearly cast as Clubber Lang in Rocky III but Sylvester Stallone thought better of it after a sparring session with Shavers which he would later remark brought him close to death.
Shavers may have never won a championship, but he certainly made an impact and an imprint with his fists. He was one tough hombre.
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