Marciano doesn't fare well, I think in my mind, against too many good heavyweights from the 60s onward, he was REALLY small for a heavyweight HOWEVER, if there is a dangerous contender or three he could beat, this would one of the guys. Shavers was a ridiculous puncher, his power was frankly retarded. He hit like 10 guys at once. It was his sole attribute and it took him farther than anyone should have expected from a guy with a shaky chin, thin skin, the stamina of a 500 pound three pack-a-day smoker, the defense of France in WWII and skills that were below-average for a legit top ten contender. He was exciting because his power could turn a miserable beatdown into a victory in the blink of an eye. People collapsed as if de-boned from his punches. However, his flaws are eminently exploitable by Marciano who while small, had enormous strengths in many of the same areas where Shavers was so dreadfully weak (stamina, durability, some semblance of what he was doing in there, etc) I think Shavers hurts Rocky early and does so pretty badly (like he did to so many others) but ultimately Marciano survives and pounds away on a rapidly fading Shavers and eventually, gets him out of there brutally in a really fun brawl.
Marciano hit hard too and was durable and had stamina for days. I agree with Cdogg and there aren't many guys I'd pick him to beat, but Shavers is one of them. Shavers was not durable at all and chinny too. He would have a puncher's chance though.
I don't get why he was such a good puncher. Julian Jackson got ever ounce of mass in his body to come out of his hands. He was excellent at transferring energy. Even Tito, a B-level guy really had good punching technique. His toe and his hips move and his arms looked like a bat hitting a target. Ernie looked pretty sloppy at best it just looked like he had average speed, torque and technique. Yet, he really did have "retarded" power. He must have had strong wrists or something. He wasn't a big guy either. Every single book I have read from fighters Norton, Ali, Holmes, all said that his power was in another league.
It is something of a mystery... even the "legs" theory that many have about power (the thickness of the relatively tiny Naseem Hamed's legs was often pointed to as an explanation for his power) doesn;t really hold water with Shavers, most of his weight was concentrated in his shoulders and chest; he was top heavy. He just had that "gift" for hitting... I think Jimmy Young said "he hit me in the head and my shoe came untied" and Quick Tillis had the funniest quote about it: "The baddest motherfucker I fought was Earnie Shavers. That motherfucker can make July into June and made me jump over the motherfuckin' moon. That motherfucker hit so hard, he'll bring back tomorow. He hit me so hard, I thought I was on the corner smoking cigarette and eating a spam sandwich. That's how hard that motherfucker hit."
Yeah. Oscar was a puncher and I was five feet from him once. He had poofter hands, little dainty hands that were small. He really isn't that big of a guy. He is listed at 5'10 or 11 but I was much bigger than he was. At least with him, he had quick hands. A .22 caliber isn't much, but it can cause some damage because of velocity. Shavers didn't have the legs, the speed, the technique. It's crazy. All the people who fought him say the same thing.
yup. You can HEAR his power, though. The sound of Shavers' shots. The reaction from his opponents as well. There's no doubt he was a ridiculous hitter. Fortunately for his opponents, the rest of his game was minuses (though he had some heart, too)
Tex Cobb had a good Shavers quote: "Anybody can hit as hard as Earnie Shavers. The thing that makes Earnie Shavers so significant is that Earnie Shavers is gonna hit you that hard every single time he lays leather on you. I had never been in a situation like Earnie before. And if I have anything to do with it, I'm damn sure not gonna get into it again."
Yep. Go to 2:20 of this clip and listen when he finally catches Holmes in their title fight. It SOUNDED like a KO punch. I watched this fight live on TV and it was like 7 & 2/3 additional rounds of their first fight and then "Holy Shit!!!" I'm still amazed Holmes got up and through the round. http://youtu.be/VEaDtbGzMb4
Holmes' resiliency was incredible Even way underprepared and long past vintage, he was able to rise from some knockdowns against Tyson that would have been the end against anyone else. Tyson himself said "even after the last knockdown, he wanted to get up. He never quit"
I must have watched that clip fifty times and every time I expect Larry to stay down. Remarkable recovery. MTF
I read an interview with Holmes years ago where he said he was actually out when the punch landed and the jolt of hitting the canvas woke him up again. It really was remarkable that Holmes got up, but I do think he benefited from the KD happening so late in the round. He might have been hard pressed to survive if it happened earlier.
That shot KO's 98% of boxers. I guess that's one of the reason's why Holmes is an ATG; guy had great power in the right, a formidable jab, lovely movement for such a big fighter, was such a big fighter and could take a helluva shot. MTF :bears:
The lateness of the KD certainly helped, but he is OUT when that punch lands. The 'hit the ring and woke up' thing sounds very plausible; the vast majority of fighters are FINISHED after a shot like that. It is flush, defender looking away and from an ATG hitter. Holmes :bears: MTF
In his autobiography, Holmes claims he thinks that he was completely rendered unconscious and the fell straight onto his head which knocked him back into consciousness. He seemed a little at a loss how to explain how he survived.
It's really one of the all-time "goddamn" shots... I can't think of a harder shot where the guy got up. Shavers, not to pile on but it needs to be said, was not always a good finisher.
Yep. Holmes really did look out of it during the last 30 secs of the round, but Earnie was wild with his shots and couldn't land the finisher. That being said...it really is something that Holmes got up and was able to continue.
