Ali himself said that Shavers was the hardest puncher he ever faced. This is coming from a guy who fought Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Sonny Liston.
We never know what might have happened in another dimension with things done differently but I think its safe to say his raw talent took him to the absolute top of the game. It's extremely rare for that to happen in ANY competitive endeavor, on talent alone. That raw talent + the proper guidance early on in his formative years, I believe the outcome would've been very different. Instead of Shavers the 'hardest puncher', it would've been Shavers, the guy nobody of his era could beat.
this is one of the best fights of ali. In his advanced age he took the punch from shavers just coming back in the last round to ko almost shavers. Ali was a born boxer
@337camo yes he did...Ali was the most humble fighter...he did the talkin and walkin because at the end of the day it is a SHOW and thats what Ali did...gave you a SHOW.
You're right! Or he looked harmless, anyway. Just looked like a mischievous, harmless guy. But like Tyson said, once you get him in the ring, "he's like a tyrannosaurus rex. He's a fucking animal. He's evil. He'll take you into deep waters and drown you." Foreman also said, "he looks like a guy you're supposed to whoop - you just don't." LOL
i kind of agree with you that most people choose orthodoxy in order to fit in to whatever is mainstream or conventional. it takes a very strong personality, like Ali to refuse to conform. Ali is rare, willing to take the road less travelled, and this made him ahead of his time. you might wonder now whether shaver's is made of that same stuff to resist the pressure to fall completely in line.
I don't think his unorthodoxy carried him. It was just his insane power. Sure, 'oddness' can be difficult to deal with but only at the lower levels. Higher level fighters have no problem dealing with esoteric opponents. Nobody will ever know for certain, it's a theory for history but I maintain of the raw talent we all saw as Shavers had started young and brought his insane athletic gifts to accompany proper formative training, I don't know if he gets beat.
Shavers would have smashed tyson into the canvas. I remember one of his fights where the glove burst due to the power of his punches. He had 89 fights and 68 KO`s.
No doubt Ali was the better fighter that night and would've been any other night, all things being as they were. It is worth noting, though, that Shavers having SUCH a late developmental trajectory unquestionably had a huge impact on his peak years. It is very. very scary to think what Earnie would've been had he started the fight game at 12 like Ali, instead of his early 20's when your formative years are basically over. The fact he got to this level starting at 23 shows proves the raw talent.
Foreman was a Tank with arms. His crab style of defense matched his size perfectly. He punched sand bags and water bags. He was one of the hardest hitting punchers to ever live. In real life though, one of the most gentle men you would ever meet.
This was probably 5-6 years or more past Ali's prime and he still produced the goods a couple more times, even though a lot of people think Manilla in '75 should have been his swansong.
Oh I get all that and that kinda plays to my point, but a lot of that charisma and working the media, fan appeal got him more than a few very close (disputed) split decisions. In the ring, he had a very hard time with most of the great fighters of the 70's. Granted the greatest decade for hvwts.
i can sort of see where you are going with this, but suddelnly consider how most trainers would have convinced shavers to throw his punches with the thumb up and that would have drastically reduced his power, and his unorthodoxness contributed to him being able to land those bombs. i wonder if you can recall how shaver's was a bit undersized, so a combination of orthodox and undersize would make him more predictable....i say george foreman would put shavers away in a more brutal way than lyle
This is why Ali is the greatest... Facing a murderous puncher, one of the most intimidating figures in the boxing scene as an old, well past it man and still having this kind of attitude... Nuts. GOAT for sure.
Who can get pissed at Ali? He's got a little kid smile and look that says it all ."I AM PLAYING , getting the crowd wild" AND I agree if this had not been pre-discussed Ali wouldve been in trouble. God i HATE myself for not realizing Ali's genious when I was a kid.
perhaps if shavers started earlier it might render him to an ineffective style, such as he might throw is punches differently which would put less power in them. shavers throws his punches with the thumb on the bottom.
Ali knew he was in trouble before this fight, but didn't duck Shavers and gave him a chance. Even though Ali knew he was in for a long night, he was so good at mindgames and he mocked Shavers by rubbing his head and talking to him.
At one point Ali had Shavers backed up against the corner just punching him. Then Ali stopped and rubbed his head again and trash talked him right before the bell rang. That psyched out Shavers, who thought Ali had been hurt by his devastating punch in round 2. (Ali really was hurt but he continued to taunt Shavers psychologically til he won the fight)
@tonberrykinged Yeah, I met Ernie in Vegas before a UFC event in 2005 and asked him about it he kind of smiled and set that he gave him a love tap. You can look up the anecdote in a back issue of an magazine online.
@IASOU2005 Ali had an incredible chin and took the punches of some of the hardest hitters in history, and just kept coming! George hit him with everything he had and Ali kept grabbing his head, saying "Is that all you got Big George, the whole world is watching, is that all you've got"? That played on Foreman who later said he was thinking "Yeah, that's pretty much all I've got".
who hit the hardest, Shavers or Tyson? Lots say Shavers but Mike Tyson's extreme muscle mass and thw way he made his opponents look drunk falling around the ring, maked me think Tyson hit harder. Any opinions?
@cozmic24 ---true. Have often said Ali should have quit after 3d Frazier fight in 75. Some say he ducked Foreman and wouldnt give him a rematch, but he certainly didnt have to fight Shavers, one of hardest punchers ever (Ali said the hardest he faced)
It actually probably helped a lot.. He said that when Foreman would hit him with a clear shot he would just keep telling him '' is that all you got George, they told me you could hit''.. I mean how demotivating would that be. Giving your hardest punch and your opponent just taunts you laughing. Ali was the king of psychological warfare
Had this fight taken place just a few years earlier I think Ali would have dropped shavers blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back. Shavers had no jaw.
@Racrewe1993 Actually you are correct. Right "now", Manny probably does hit the hardest. It still doesn't mean he has real/true, 1 punch KO power though. I listed some example of boxers with that kind of power.
That's who Ali was. But, he had a persona about Him. Anyone else would have done that, I bet, Shavers would have punched him in the face. Ali was Ali, everybody knew and was OK with it. He was harmless, cool guy! :) And of course great, great fighter in ring.
@strongties I don't even know what you're talking about. Perhaps I'm crazy, but at least I can spell & have a general grasp of punctuation. Might I recommend a little book called "English for Dummies"? or perhaps English 101? Good luck!
I I agree. Ali also held his opponents a lot and squeeked by in most of his defenses. And if you ask Frazier and Norton - they were robbed by friendly Ali loving judges. I'll give him the Foreman win as his only pure dominant win over the greats of the 70;s but even that fight was messed up as they fought at 3 in the morning in Africa with the whole continent rooting for Ali. Foreman looked thin and dehydrated. Maybe the Africans drugged his water or something.
Ali is only 3 years older than Shavers. Ali was boxing since he was 12, Gold Medalist by 18. Shavers DIDN'T EVEN START fighting until he was in his early 20's, immediately winning the AAU title as a relative beginner. Earnie is a case of 'what might have been', but lets not take away from him the huge fact that basically everyone he ever fought- from Ali, Holmes, Norton- said he hit harder than anyone else. If Ali beats Shavers in his prime, I say Shaver beats EVERYONE if he started at 12.
@AcctNo4 I'm a huge Mayweather fan but in Ali's defense...Floyd didnt have to withstand Shavers punches. Shavers was the hardest punching fighter of all time!
Ali is 35 years old here past his prime but he still manages to defeat monsters like Shavers! It is known that this man hits harder than Foreman even.. What can I say? They dont call you the Greatest of all time for nothing!
ali said Earnie was the hardest puncher he stepped into the ring with bar none he must be a scary bastard . Foreman said he was lucky to never go into the ring with him
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
There'll never be another Muhammad Ali.
Michael Williams and Mic Tyson
That is really funny! One reason you have to love Ali - he had a sense of humor.
Very much..sad that they silenced him..
ALI WAS just the best showman ever
About to go to war and he's cuddling the man. haha I love Muhammad Ali!
Ali said Ernie Shavers was the hardest puncher
Ali himself said that Shavers was the hardest puncher he ever faced. This is coming from a guy who fought Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Sonny Liston.
Amazing footage !! So funny and Earnie Shavers is so peacefull !! Right only Ali could do that without taking a punch !!
We never know what might have happened in another dimension with things done differently but I think its safe to say his raw talent took him to the absolute top of the game. It's extremely rare for that to happen in ANY competitive endeavor, on talent alone. That raw talent + the proper guidance early on in his formative years, I believe the outcome would've been very different. Instead of Shavers the 'hardest puncher', it would've been Shavers, the guy nobody of his era could beat.
this is one of the best fights of ali. In his advanced age he took the punch from shavers just coming back in the last round to ko almost shavers. Ali was a born boxer
@337camo yes he did...Ali was the most humble fighter...he did the talkin and walkin because at the end of the day it is a SHOW and thats what Ali did...gave you a SHOW.
He was a confident man and he could back it up.
the funniest of all is when the referee try to stop Ali from rubbing Shaver's head he also get rubbed hahha what a great guy!!
You're right! Or he looked harmless, anyway. Just looked like a mischievous, harmless guy. But like Tyson said, once you get him in the ring, "he's like a tyrannosaurus rex. He's a fucking animal. He's evil. He'll take you into deep waters and drown you." Foreman also said, "he looks like a guy you're supposed to whoop - you just don't." LOL
i kind of agree with you that most people choose orthodoxy in order to fit in to whatever is mainstream or conventional. it takes a very strong personality, like Ali to refuse to conform. Ali is rare, willing to take the road less travelled, and this made him ahead of his time. you might wonder now whether shaver's is made of that same stuff to resist the pressure to fall completely in line.
I don't think his unorthodoxy carried him. It was just his insane power. Sure, 'oddness' can be difficult to deal with but only at the lower levels. Higher level fighters have no problem dealing with esoteric opponents. Nobody will ever know for certain, it's a theory for history but I maintain of the raw talent we all saw as Shavers had started young and brought his insane athletic gifts to accompany proper formative training, I don't know if he gets beat.
"What happened to your hair?"
I think he said that
Shavers would have smashed tyson into the canvas. I remember one of his fights where the glove burst due to the power of his punches. He had 89 fights and 68 KO`s.
Tyson would have brutally stopped Shavers in the second round.
Ali the man!!!
The shots Ali took in this fight ! No one can come out of that the same as they where before.
shavers head don't shave it ali said good luck for the fight
No doubt Ali was the better fighter that night and would've been any other night, all things being as they were. It is worth noting, though, that Shavers having SUCH a late developmental trajectory unquestionably had a huge impact on his peak years. It is very. very scary to think what Earnie would've been had he started the fight game at 12 like Ali, instead of his early 20's when your formative years are basically over. The fact he got to this level starting at 23 shows proves the raw talent.
Foreman was a Tank with arms. His crab style of defense matched his size perfectly. He punched sand bags and water bags. He was one of the hardest hitting punchers to ever live. In real life though, one of the most gentle men you would ever meet.
Earnie Shavers is my uncle! Real Talk. My name is Doug Chavers and I'm from Buffalo. Him and my Grandpa used to spar together.
ok..... sooo, your point?
Shavers, the hardest hitting heavy of all time, mucho respect. Despite the clown ass comment above...
his point is he is proud of him....
clu4u no they gave that title to George Foreman..but he did have great power, he knocked down a wall..
Maitreya Jinn your grandpa had the hardest punch in the history of boxing
Boxer of the century vs puncher of the century.
This was probably 5-6 years or more past Ali's prime and he still produced the goods a couple more times, even though a lot of people think Manilla in '75 should have been his swansong.
Ali is something else, he is amazing!!!!!
Muhammad Ali was something else back in the day! lol
Shavers was calling him "Acorn" while rubbing his head. That was the nickname Ali gave him.
Oh I get all that and that kinda plays to my point, but a lot of that charisma and working the media, fan appeal got him more than a few very close (disputed) split decisions. In the ring, he had a very hard time with most of the great fighters of the 70's. Granted the greatest decade for hvwts.
They said this guy Earnie Shavers was one of the hardest punchers ever. Ali was a brave man
i can sort of see where you are going with this, but suddelnly consider how most trainers would have convinced shavers to throw his punches with the thumb up and that would have drastically reduced his power, and his unorthodoxness contributed to him being able to land those bombs. i wonder if you can recall how shaver's was a bit undersized, so a combination of orthodox and undersize would make him more predictable....i say george foreman would put shavers away in a more brutal way than lyle
Ali knew exactly what would happen if he ever gave Foreman a rematch.
Ali is not only the greatest but the bravest
This is why Ali is the greatest... Facing a murderous puncher, one of the most intimidating figures in the boxing scene as an old, well past it man and still having this kind of attitude... Nuts. GOAT for sure.
well that's crossed off ali's bucketlist
Who can get pissed at Ali? He's got a little kid smile and look that says it all ."I AM PLAYING , getting the crowd wild" AND I agree if this had not been pre-discussed Ali wouldve been in trouble. God i HATE myself for not realizing Ali's genious when I was a kid.
perhaps if shavers started earlier it might render him to an ineffective style, such as he might throw is punches differently which would put less power in them. shavers throws his punches with the thumb on the bottom.
This fight only accelerated Clay's Parkinson's symptoms.
You're right. Ernie Shavers hit very hard!
Ali later said Shavers was the hardest puncher he'd ever faced.
True. Besides that, Ali was the champ and thus entitled to his fun and games.
Ali knew he was in trouble before this fight, but didn't duck Shavers and gave him a chance. Even though Ali knew he was in for a long night, he was so good at mindgames and he mocked Shavers by rubbing his head and talking to him.
whisperkid1 : you are among the few who knows, boxing.
At one point Ali had Shavers backed up against the corner just punching him. Then Ali stopped and rubbed his head again and trash talked him right before the bell rang. That psyched out Shavers, who thought Ali had been hurt by his devastating punch in round 2. (Ali really was hurt but he continued to taunt Shavers psychologically til he won the fight)
@tonberrykinged Yeah, I met Ernie in Vegas before a UFC event in 2005 and asked him about it he kind of smiled and set that he gave him a love tap.
You can look up the anecdote in a back issue of an magazine online.
ali:boss
you:anything else.
haha he looks so adorable at 0:23
@IASOU2005 Ali had an incredible chin and took the punches of some of the hardest hitters in history, and just kept coming! George hit him with everything he had and Ali kept grabbing his head, saying "Is that all you got Big
George, the whole world is watching, is that all you've got"? That played on Foreman who later said he was thinking "Yeah, that's pretty much all I've got".
Agreed! Makes you wonder!
@Trashfished He stood up for what he believed in that makes him the bravest man alive.
who hit the hardest, Shavers or Tyson? Lots say Shavers but Mike Tyson's extreme muscle mass and thw way he made his opponents look drunk falling around the ring, maked me think Tyson hit harder. Any opinions?
@337camo The MMA fighters can barely last three 5 minute rounds. they couldnt hang in a true boxing match with a boxer. good chat.
earnie shavers. 1 of the hardest hitting heavyweights of all time
Ali took some extremely brutal shots in this fight and was lucky to have won it.
Ali got a good portion of his "Parkinsons" from the beating he took in this fight.
@cozmic24 ---true. Have often said Ali should have quit after 3d Frazier fight in 75. Some say he ducked Foreman and wouldnt give him a rematch, but he certainly didnt have to fight Shavers, one of hardest punchers ever (Ali said the hardest he faced)
If the man wins a gold medal and can't even eat in his home town he has all the right 2
@chromeheart65 yes, its the ones you dont see. tysons agility too made him difficult to deal with.
Ali just wasnt afraid of nobody, lol
Ali the greatest
Ernie monster of power,Alì the only king.RIP champ
So surprised that he lasted 15 rounds and won by points.
only ali could get away with that without getting hit back on the spot
what makes this so funny is that Earnie Shavers is obviously not in the slightest bit bothered by it.
now starts the quest to find MrTUFFTALK's comment....
Love Ali but foreman was a machine,hard puncher and fantastic gentleman
It actually probably helped a lot.. He said that when Foreman would hit him with a clear shot he would just keep telling him '' is that all you got George, they told me you could hit''.. I mean how demotivating would that be. Giving your hardest punch and your opponent just taunts you laughing. Ali was the king of psychological warfare
Had this fight taken place just a few years earlier I think Ali would have dropped shavers blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back. Shavers had no jaw.
with you....
@Racrewe1993 Actually you are correct. Right "now", Manny probably does hit the hardest. It still doesn't mean he has real/true, 1 punch KO power though. I listed some example of boxers with that kind of power.
Wow! That Evandewr Holyfield Dad
Ali was totally out of shape right, but still won the fight against one of the hardest puncher fighter
Only Ali and Earnie Shavers mother could do this to him and get away w it
Shavers look like Evander Holyfield
The acorn.....LOL
Agreed. If that was the case and it was from boxing i know many past fighters that should have the disease that do not.
That's who Ali was. But, he had a persona about Him. Anyone else would have done that, I bet, Shavers would have punched him in the face. Ali was Ali, everybody knew and was OK with it. He was harmless, cool guy! :) And of course great, great fighter in ring.
@cuchara2 who you consider number one ?
@strongties I don't even know what you're talking about. Perhaps I'm crazy, but at least I can spell & have a general grasp of punctuation. Might I recommend a little book called "English for Dummies"? or perhaps English 101? Good luck!
OMG !! will smith?!?! i didnt know he box....
At 0:26 did Ali do the same at the referee ?!
Ali doesn't have Parkinsons.
Ali was a human punching bag for Doug Jones, Henry Cooper, Joe Frazier, Jimmy Young, Ken Norton, Shavers etc etc.
EarnieShavers could really punch! Most men would have pissed their pants, if Shavers would have even looked their way!
plz tell me someone who 74 wins and 14 losses with 68 knock outs didn't do good?
I I agree. Ali also held his opponents a lot and squeeked by in most of his defenses. And if you ask Frazier and Norton - they were robbed by friendly Ali loving judges. I'll give him the Foreman win as his only pure dominant win over the greats of the 70;s but even that fight was messed up as they fought at 3 in the morning in Africa with the whole continent rooting for Ali. Foreman looked thin and dehydrated. Maybe the Africans drugged his water or something.
Ali is only 3 years older than Shavers.
Ali was boxing since he was 12, Gold Medalist by 18. Shavers DIDN'T EVEN START fighting until he was in his early 20's, immediately winning the AAU title as a relative beginner.
Earnie is a case of 'what might have been', but lets not take away from him the huge fact that basically everyone he ever fought- from Ali, Holmes, Norton- said he hit harder than anyone else.
If Ali beats Shavers in his prime, I say Shaver beats EVERYONE if he started at 12.
What experts said that and where and when? Link please...
love ali
@AcctNo4 I'm a huge Mayweather fan but in Ali's defense...Floyd didnt have to withstand Shavers punches. Shavers was the hardest punching fighter of all time!
very good question!!!
are you just figuring out ali was brave?
Ali is 35 years old here past his prime but he still manages to defeat monsters like Shavers! It is known that this man hits harder than Foreman even.. What can I say? They dont call you the Greatest of all time for nothing!
Most FAMOUS DRAFT DOGER EVER!!!!
Este man , siempre lograba entrar en las mentes de sus oponentes, para que estos no aplicaran la entrategia que tenian preparada
@shockadellick are you kidding me!? You ever seen Ali vs Foreman? Amazing fight. Or Ali Frazier 3? One of the greatest bouts ever.
Ali is a Badass xD
Ali KOed Foreman when Foreman was 25. When George was 45 there was hardly a boxer alive who could beat him. That's how good Ali was.
ali said Earnie was the hardest puncher he stepped into the ring with bar none he must be a scary bastard . Foreman said he was lucky to never go into the ring with him
No doubt!!!!!
I honestly can't name a heavyweight that could've beat a 60s Ali. Only Joe Louis comes to my head to make a good fight...