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Recently, I spoke with former heavyweight contender Earnie Shavers. Shavers, dubbed “The Acorn” by Muhammad Ali, had an incredible sixty eight KO’s in seventy four wins during his career.
He is often regarded as one of the hardest punchers in boxing history. He would fight twice for the heavyweight title, losing to Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes. Shavers beat such notables as Jimmy Young, Jimmy Ellis and Ken Norton during his career. Shavers retired in 1995 with a record of 74-14-1.
Shawn Murphy: Earnie, you got a late start in boxing didn’t you?
Earnie Shavers: Yes, I was about twenty-two when I started. You know, I’m glad I did because all the guys who started very early on lost interest after a few years. At twenty-two, it was all new to me. I had a family, I was mature and I did what I had to do.
SM: How did you first get started in boxing?
ES: A good friend of mine, Vincent Austin, kept bugging me to go with him to the gym. After he bugged me long enough, I agreed. When I walked in the gym the trainer looked and me and said “Oh boy, we gotta heavyweight here. You could become a champ and make a lot of money”. That got my attention. So on that same day I started boxing.
I fought a guy who would be a champion the following year. He out boxed me, but every now and then, I would land some good right hands and he would go flying across the ring. The guy told me I was gonna hurt somebody with that right hand. I went home and talked to my wife because I already had a good job at General Motors. She had a fit. I begged for a whole week until she said yes.
SM: So, what kind of amateur career did you have?
ES: I fought about two or three years. I think I won eighteen amateur fights. I was the AAU Heavyweight Champion in 1969. Most guys had a lot of experience compared to me.
SM: Do you remember your first pro fight?
ES: Yes I do, against Silas Howell. I knocked him out in the first round.
SM: Who was your first big named opponent you fought?
ES: I think probably Jimmy Young in 1973, I beat him in three.
SM: Were your fight plans always for a quick knockout?
ES: No, I was just a tremendous puncher. You had to fight certain guys different ways but I usually always knocked them out. When I fought Ali and Holmes, it didnʼt work though. But most of the time, it did.
SM: What happened in the Jerry Quarry and Ron Lyle fights, both losses?
ES: In the Quarry fight, I was having bad management problems at the time and problems with Don King. It was just one of those things. Quarry was a good fighter. I made some mistakes and I paid for them. In the Lyle fight, I had him down in the second round but, he came back in the sixth and just got me, no excuses.
SM: You never fought George Foreman or Joe Frazier during your career; why?
ES: Foreman and Frazier would not come near me! If you ask them today they would say the same thing. Frazier told me I had too much firepower. I would have knocked Foreman out. He had long arms but I would have got close to him and knocked him out eventually.
SM: Tell me about the Ali fight, what kind of contest did you prepare for?
ES: I trained for a fifteen round fight. We knew Ali would go the distance. I did a lot of roadwork training to go the distance. My trainer at the time was not very experienced. I think if I would have had a top trainer I might have done better. Ali was an outstanding fighter though. I hurt him probably three times. I was tired in the last round but he never hurt me at all.
SM: Your thoughts on the second Holmes fight. Did you think Holmes would ever have got up from that right hand?
ES: NO! But let me tell you something. If Holmes and I fought twenty-five times, he would probably win twenty-five of them. Holmes was the most underrated fighter of his era. What a great fighter he was. Holmes and I had sparred previously and he knew me too well, he knew all my moves.
SM: What happened in that fight, did you just run out of gas?
ES: I just tensed up too much trying to knock him out, it took all my energy. When you tense up like that you burn yourself out. I was just trying too hard to knock him out.
SM: You retired in 1983, came back about four years later and then came back again about eight years after that. Why personally did you comeback?
ES: I had nice offers to come back and I could use the money. I thought it was a good deal at the time. It made the bill collectors happy. (laughing)
SM: Did you have eye problems in 1983 that led to your retirement?
ES: Yes Larry Holmes thumbed me in 1979 and I had a few problems.
SM: Who was your toughest opponent in the ring?
ES: Roy “Tiger” Williams. Everybody says that, and Larry Holmes would say the same thing. He was just a big, tough, strong guy. I knocked him out in the tenth.
SM: In what fight were you at your absolute best?
ES: Ken Norton, in 1979, definitely.
SM: Any regrets looking back on your career?
ES: I had a good career. What happened was just meant to be. I never really got hurt and I’m still in great shape compared to a lot of fighters out there.
SM: How would you fare against today’s heavyweights?
ES: I would knock them all out, no doubt.
SM: Was there a Tyson fights in the works in the ninety’s?
ES: Oh yea, in 1994 he turned me down. He would have never beat a guy like me or a Ron Lyle. We wouldn’t have been afraid of him. You can’t come forward like Tyson did to a puncher like me. I would have knocked him out. I would have filled the air with right hands and he would have collected them.
SM: How are boxers different today than when you fought?
ES: I think the biggest difference today is that all the older, great trainers back then who really knew the sport and how to train have died. They never passed it along. New trainers want to take shortcuts and the fighters themselves won’t train properly. They want to be out there partying or whatever and don’t take the sport seriously enough.
SM: Tell me about a sparring session you had with Sylvester Stallone?
ES: The wanted me to play Clubber Lang in a Rocky movie. They flew me out to California to meet Stallone. He told me that he did his own stunts so put the gloves on. I knew I was gonna kill this guy if I opened up. Stallone said “Earnie, they tell me you can punch and I want this to be realistic”.
I was just hitting him with small shots and he told me again to hit him harder because he wanted it to look real. So I opened up and he had to quit. I was sent home without the part! He was a real nice guy, though.
SM: Do you still keep in touch with a lot of fighters these days?
ES: I do, Larry Holmes and Ken Norton a lot. Most of the guys I fought with aren’t around anymore. I do a fundraiser with Ali every March in Arizona. Ali, Norton and Holmes are some of the nicest guys you will ever meet.
SM: Since retirement what have you been up to?
ES: I get so many calls these days for different things. Most I wonʼt do but some I will. I did the after dinner circuit over here in England for awhile. I will be moving to the United States soon and will be working on some television things such as commercials. I still have my ministering and will probably do some autograph appearances because without the fans there is no me. Also I have a website www.thestrengthbuilder.com. It’s a great product, people should check it out, the only product I have ever endorsed.
SM: How do you want the fans to remember you as a fighter?
ES: Just to remember that I gave it all and that I came very close to winning the title. I was a tremendous puncher and fought in the best era of heavyweights.
SM: Earnie, any final words?
ES: Just tell the fans that I really love them and thanks for the support they gave me. If it wasn’t for the fans I wouldnʼt be what I am today. And tell the fans that since the’re really my bosses, I want a pay raise! (laughing)
SM: Earnie itʼs been a real pleasure, thanks for talking to me.
ES: My pleasure Shawn.
