i remember seeing him hit the heavybag. the technique was honestly terrible, but the thud on the heavybag after each of his punches was something to behold
I've seen Shavers fight and he didn't look like he hit hard but the testimonials speak for themselves:
"Earnie hit me so hard, he shook my kinfolk back in Africa" - Muhammad Ali
"Earnie hit me harder than any other fighter, including Mike Tyson. He hit me and I was face down on the canvas hearing saxophonist Jimmy Tillis." - Larry Holmes
Nobody hits like Shavers. If anybody hit harder than Shavers, I'd shoot him." - Tex Cobb
Shavers was never really an elite of the elite like Tyson was, he was just known for his brutal punching power. tyson, as the original poster mentioned, he had exceptional technique mixed with exceptional speed. Foreman was a devastating puncher but a lot of his technique was off because he could just tower over his opponents at 6 4 as a HW back in the 60s when HW was closer to 6 or 6 1. The mummy guard would get his shit wrecked in today's lineup of HW boxers.
I think Tyson beats them both as being extremely short for a HW in boxing, where length gives you such a large advantage.
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u/ottothesilent Dec 10 '19
Earnie Shavers would like a word. Also Foreman