Earnie Shavers, the former world heavyweight title challenger who has died aged 78, was widely regarded as the greatest single-punch hitter in one of the blue riband division's most celebrated eras.
The chunky, shaven-headed fighter who in 1977 pushed an ageing Muhammad Ali to the brink of defeat, in apunishing clash for the undisputed title, also came within one punch of winning the World Boxing Council crown when flattening Larry Holmes with a monstrous right hand in the seventh round of their Las Vegas showdown two years later.
The badly hurt champion later said it was the hardest he was ever hit. As incredulous spectators looked on, Holmes staged one of the sport's most remarkable recoveries by clambering to his feet and managing to survive until the end of the session, before winning in round 11. Years later Holmes revealed that his corner-men broke ammonia capsules under his nose to return him to his senses.
Shavers would never fight for a world title again; his reputation was such that those noted punchers Joe Frazier and George Foreman were relieved to avoid him.
The title contender James Tillis, who outpointed a somewhat faded Shavers in June 1982, gave a memorably chilling description of what it was like to be on the receiving end of Shavers's bludgeoning right fist: "He hit me, man, and knocked me face down on the canvas.
"I was in the land of make-believe. I heard saxophones and trombones sounding in my ear, with one low-pitched note like a bagpiper who fell over dead with no one to stop [it]. I saw little blue rats scamper out to smoke cigars, drink whisky and eat spam sandwiches."
A badly shaken Tillis somehow managed to scramble to his feet. "But all I could see [of Shavers] was three of those bald heads… so I grabbed the middle head – luckily for me, it was the right one."
The punch that laid Larry Holmes to the canvas in 1979. Photo / Getty
Shavers – who was said to be capable of unscrewing bolts with his bare hands when he did a stint at an Ohio car factory in the late 1960s – came to view his much-feared power as a double-edged sword.
"I firmly believe I'm the hardest puncher ever born," he once said. "People may be able to match me with their best shot for one of mine, but every one of mine has got 'killer' written on it.
"[But] being such a hard puncher actually hurt my career. I relied on my power too much. I wish I'd had trainers that could have taught me more about combination punches.
"I used to gas out in five or six rounds because I put that much effort into my punches and it was impossible to punch for an entire fight without tiring out."
However, no less an authority than Ali's long-time trainer Angelo Dundee maintained that Shavers was also able to end fights through his left hook and right uppercut: "He can get you out of there with any kind of shot." The big-hitter was a better boxer than was generally realised.
He was born Earnie Dee Shaver in Garland, Alabama, on August 31 1944, the fifth of a farm worker's 10 children. As a boy he picked cotton to help the family survive, but he claimed to have had a happy childhood.
Having relocated to Ohio, he played high school football and was offered an athletics scholarship, but having married, he opted instead to take a string of menial jobs to support his new wife and children.
Shavers did not lace on a pair of boxing gloves until he was 23, but when he did his progress through the amateur ranks was swift, and after winning the National AAU title at San Diego in April 1969 he turned pro.
He was a crowd-pleasing fighter who stalked opponents to try to set them up for his thunderous right, and freakish power compensated for his somewhat ponderous footwork and suspect chin.
"There's excitement when I fight because I'm a hitter," he said, summing up his appeal, "and that's what the fans really want to see – a guy getting his block knocked off. It sounds bad but that's what it's all about.
"But you see far worse injuries in American football. I've no second thoughts about it. Boxing has given me a standing I'd never have had otherwise."
Known as "the Black Destroyer", among other nicknames, Shavers won 44 of his first 47 fights by knockout, 20 in the first round, albeit against moderate opposition.
Having hired the emerging Don King as his promoter, he stepped up in class and came to prominence with a first-round knock-out of the former World Boxing Association champion Jimmy Ellis at Madison Square Garden in New York in June 1973, only to suffer the same fate when pitted against the rugged Jerry Quarry at the same venue six months later.
A brutal slugfest with the big-hitting Ron Lyle saw Shavers stopped in six at Denver, Colorado, in September 1975, but he came back to stop the rising prospect Roy Williams in another gruelling encounter the following year.
Dubbed "Acorn" by Ali on account of his bald head, Shavers took on "the Greatest" at Madison Square Garden on September 29 1977. Having appeared to rock his opponent in the second round, Shavers hung back, wrongly suspecting Ali of setting a trap.
Earnie Shavers rocks Muhammad Ali with one of his signature right-hands during their bout in 1977. Photo / Getty
The thrilling contest see-sawed, its outcome seemingly dependent on the final three rounds. Defying claims of his questionable stamina, Shavers threw everything at Ali in the 13th and 14th rounds, only for the champion to rally in the final session and drop the challenger with just 20 seconds remaining.
Although Ali was awarded a unanimous decision, several observers subsequently urged him to retire – including the Garden matchmaker Steve Brenner, who felt Shavers had done enough to earn the decision, adding he would ensure Ali never boxed there again.
"Boy, Acorn, you sure were a difficult nut to crack," observed Ali, as the fighters embraced at the end.
Six months later Shavers was soundly outboxed by Holmes in a title eliminator, although his ruthless first-round knockout of the dangerous Ken Norton at the Las Vegas Hilton in March 1979 – perhaps the finest win of his career – earned him a shot at the title.
Having gone heartbreakingly close to seizing the championship against Holmes on September 28 1979, Shavers never performed in the top tier again. His later opponents included rising prospects such as Randall "Tex" Cobb and Tillis, or recycled contenders like Joe Bugner of Britain. (It was "Tex" Cobb who was credited with the immortal line: "Earnie Shavers could punch you in the neck and break your ankle.")
A disqualification loss to George Chaplin in March 1983 appeared to have brought down the curtain on Shavers's career, yet – despite having undergone detached-retina surgery – he made brief, abortive comebacks in 1987 and 1995, by which time he was 51.
Having finished with a record of 74 wins (68 by knockout) against 14 losses and a draw, Shavers worked as a Christian minister – "The Knockout Evangelist" – in retirement.
In 1998, striking up a relationship with Sue Clegg, a former dental nurse, he settled at Moreton on the Wirral, where he worked in security, became a popular after-dinner speaker (armed with tips from Bob Monkhouse) and preached at the 2002 Commonwealth Games at Manchester. After 10 years he returned to the US, to Atlanta.
Shavers had five daughters with his first wife LeVerne, from whom he was divorced, as well as four daughters and a son from a number of other marriages and relationships.
Earnie Shavers, born August 31 1944, died September 1 2022.
