Like Romans at the Coliseum, boxing fans have always flocked to stadiums or television screens across the globe in search of the fabled knockout.
It can take as little as just 5 pounds per square inch to render a human being unconscious, but the blows dealt out in boxing’s blue ribbon division are far more debilitating.
Debates have and will always continue to rage as to who the greatest heavyweight of all time is, with the question also often being asked as to who the hardest puncher is.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is widely regarded as the heaviest hitter in the current crop of heavyweights, but his status as the most powerful puncher in history is often met with skepticism.
Earnie Shavers may not be the most glamorous fighter the heavyweight division has ever seen, nor did his egregious style win him many fans.
But ‘The Black Destroyer’ is widely regarded as the hardest puncher in the history of the game.
It came at a cost for Shavers, with his technical ability and stamina issues often rendering his brute force somewhat useless.
Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb decided to stand and trade with Shavers in their 1980 fight and ended up paying the price before holding on for a late stoppage.
When asked about the fabled power, he said: “The first right he threw missed and landed on my shoulder. It felt like someone had dropped a bowling ball on my shoulder.”
The legend of Shaver’s punching prowess began in 1973 when he stopped former world heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis.
Ellis was a huge favourite for the bout, but was chopped down in the first round with a sickening uppercut right to the chin.
Angelo Dundee who is famous for working with both Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, praised Shavers in a Sports Illustrated piece, claiming the slugger ‘can get you out of there with any kind of shot’.
But in 1977, it was Dundee’s turn to find a way to stop the powerhouse when a fight with Ali was sanctioned for Madison Square Garden.
At 35, ‘The Greatest’ was past his best and came into the contest at a career heaviest 225lbs. Yet his boxing prowess and ring craft were still seen as enough to halt the juggernaut heading for his path.
In the 13th and 14th round, Ali took several unanswered shots and it seemed as though the end was nigh. Despite a strong finish from Ali to secure the victory, MSG matchmaker Teddy Brenner urged the champion to retire by insisting the historic venue would not attempt to host another one of his fights.
In public, the Louisiana-native played the role of entertainer as per. Ali later said Shavers was the hardest puncher he ever faced.
He said: “Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa.”
Behind the scenes the damage was worrying, Ali’s fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco also told him to retire after watching the punishment Shavers had dished out.
After stopping Ken Norton inside the first round, Shavers was to get another crack at the world heavyweight title when he took on Larry Holmes in a rematch.
Exactly two years after his contest with Ali, Shavers came even closer to wrapping the gold around his waist when he planted a bomb on Holmes’ chin and sent the notoriously tough champion to the canvas for the first time in his career.
Again, the slugger was to be plagued by fatigue and was picked apart by Holmes as he claimed the finish in the 11th.
Despite retaining his crown, Holmes told reporters on the night Shavers was the hardest puncher he ever faced and would maintained this long after his career had finished.
This coming from a man who had been knocked out by Mike Tyson.
Shavers stood just 6″0 tall, relatively small for a heavyweight even in the 1970’s, but always insisted he had the power to frighten the top contenders of any generation.
“Only God hits harder than me,” he told Boxing.com, That’s it.
“Not one of the hardest or the number one. I think I’m ahead of them all.
“Joe Frazier wouldn’t fight me. George Foreman and Frazier both told me so, they said, ‘Hey, you hit too damn hard.’ George turned me down. Joe Frazier told me point blank, ‘No way, Earnie.’
Shavers never won a world heavyweight title but he certainly made his mark on the boxing world.
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