Shavers was Several Inches SHORTER, was EASY To Hit & had a SHAKY (@ Best) Chin...Lennox would 1-2 Shavers to Death & Dispose of him in LESS than 3 Full Rounds.... REED:mj:
Lewis with a touch of fear was the best Lewis. I'd say he stops Shavers early, a KO1 wouldn't shock me.
Lewis would wipe him out. Only way Shavers gets to go a few rounds is if Lewis is being cautious and stupid. Try to bear in mind that 187lb 6'1" Quarry broke this guys jaw and stopped him in a round. I always laugh when Shavers name is brought up as part of the "golden generation" of the 1970's. Shavers was a thoroughly ordinary fighter with a suspect chin, suspect stamina and not too much in the line of skills. He could punch and that was about it. Of all the fighters I have sought out on youtube and checked out their fights, Shavers is a guy I have drawn probably the least satisfaction from, relative to the brutality he was capable of. There have been lots of "pure" punchers down the years, e.g. Nigel Benn, Julian Jackson, but none of them were as truly one-dimensional as Shavers.
That was my initial thought, too. My pick in Lewis-Foreman for instance would be Lewis by early stoppage (though of course anything's possible in that one). The thing is I dont think Shavers would even present enough threat to trigger a 'fight' response in Lewis....he's just do a Tua on him until either it was safe to finish the show, or he planted one just right and rubber legged Shavers by 'accident'. Could happen early, but it'd probably take a few rounds.
Shavers getting beaten by greats means no more than if he was getting knocked out by scrubs. I'd pick Marciano to stop the guy never mind Lewis.
Pre-Manny Steward: Shavers might...MIGHT sneak in a solid right hand and put Lewis on the canvas en route to a late-rounds TKO loss. Post-Manny Steward: Lewis never lets him get close and stops him within 3 rounds.
Lewis seemed to need to consciously decide to put full mustard into his shots before he was a big KO threat. He'd only half extend and be half the way out before he was through punching when he was in safety first mode. I can definitely see it going 5 or 6
