Born in Alabama (1945), Earnie Shavers, AKA "The Black Destroyer", was a great boxer who fought in the 70's. He fought and defeated some of the toughest fighters of that era. Also known as "The Knockout Doctor", Earnie Shavers possessed the punching power that many have never thought possible. Muhammad Ali said in an interview, that Earnie Shavers punched the hardest he's ever been hit, even harder than George Foreman. Ali would know, having fought a grueling 15 rounds with Shavers in 1977, in which he was hurt several times.
When Earnie Shavers was in his 20's, he was influenced and infatuated with the mobster life he had seen in his home. With his size, and strength, he was naturally intimidating. However, as soon as he got involved with the wrong people, one of his friends kept begging him to go to the gym. Earnie went to the gym finally, just to shut his friend up, and found out he was great at boxing. He found out that he had the punching power that could one day win him a Heavyweight Championship belt.
Although starting a boxing career late in his life, by 1973, Shavers had compiled a professional record of 45-2 in the Heavyweight division. Of those 45 wins, 44 came by knockout. Of those 44 knockouts, 18 came in the first round. Just about everyone he faced, claimed he hit harder than anyone else in the world. He once hit Bernardo Mercado so hard, that his glove broke, and it had to be replaced with a new one during the fight. Many historians such as Bert Sugar will tell you that the hardest hitting man they have ever witnessed was none other than Shavers.
As Shavers career progressed, he started losing more frequently. He lacked certain athletic traits, that kept him from being one of the greatest. He would defeat formidable opponents such as a prime Ken Norton, knocking him out with a huge uppercut in the first round. He also knocked out Joe Bugner, Jimmy Ellis, Tiger Williams, and more. In his second bout with Larry Holmes, he hit Larry with the hardest punch that Holmes had ever been hit with. Larry, to the astonishment of the crown, and Shavers, got back up with a loud grunt on the final count, and went on to win the fight by decision. But that punch was, and is still known as one of the most devastating punches ever. In 1977 Shavers fought Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali won the fight on points, however many still believe that Shavers won the fight. Earnie later claimed that after watching the tape of the fight, that he indeed did lose. In the fight, Earnie hit Ali numerous times with powerful overhand rights, and jabs. Ali was notably shaken in the 2nd round, and almost fell down to the canvas numerous times in the fight. And although he went on to win the fight, the punishment he endured that night was immense.
He made several comeback attempts to no avail. He never became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, most likely due to the deep pool of talent in the heavyweight division during the 70's. However his power left a mark forever on the history of boxing. He was rated top ten punchers in a list compiled by ESPN rating the top 50 punchers in boxing history. He moved to England after his final retirement to become a Church Pastor.
Here is Earnie, "The Black Destroyer", AKA, "The Acorn", AKA "The Knockout Doctor" Shavers! :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_nNjirBYMw