Roy 'Tiger' Williams ~ "I hit Earnie Shavers with 'Bombs', and he would not fall."

[Bill Paxtom]

Roy 'Tiger' Williams

They said that Earnie had no stamina, no heart or chin.

Well, he was arm-weary and gassed out at the end of Round 9. I hit that 'bastard'
with everything that I had.

I'm 6' 5" and 230 lbs., and when I hit somebody 'flush', they fall. Ask anybody in
Philadelphia, or up at Ali's Camp in Deer Lake.

Look at Round 9. I nailed Earnie with '8' monster left-hooks to the head, and several
right-hands flush in his face. He was F***ing out man.

Yet, just before the Bell, he came back with a 'right-left' and spun my head at the
Bell with another long right-hand.

I had him pinned in the front-left Corner, and his legs were all 'Jello'. Yet still, he
had the 'balls' to fight back, and put power in those last '3' punches.

He was 'Amazing Earnie'.

[Bill Paxtom]

Roy 'Tiger' Williams

In my corner at the end of Round 9, Joe Louis told me to set Earnie up, and to back
him up.

Earnie could not fight backing up, as he needed space to 'wind-up'.

Earnie was 'done' at the end of Round 9, and I figured that I would only have to land
a few punches on him, and that he would either fall from exhaustion, or that the Referee
Buddy Baslico would stop it.

[Bill Paxtom]

Roy 'Tiger' Williams

I was managed by Joe Louis in 1976.

And our 'fight plan' was to let Earnie punch himself out. Earnie was 'gassed' by the end of
Round 8, and I had him in my 'web'.

I was waiting for him in Round 9, and was setting him up for a late Round barrage.

I hit him with my best punches at the end of Round 9, and he would not fall.

Nobody ever took punches like that from me. And I sparred with Muhammad Ali,
George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Jimmy Young, Larry Holmes and Jeff Merritt.

[holmcall]

The last round was an all-time great one.

[Bill Paxtom]

'Amazing Earnie'

Earnie dominated the first 5-Rounds, and out-punched Roy Williams {10 to 1}.

After 5-Rounds, the Scorecards read all in Earnie's favor.
* 30-25 > {5-0-0}
* 30-25 > {5-0-0}
* 30-26 > {4-0-1}

Roy was getting beat, but he showed no signs of damage.
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'Round 6'

Roy made a very good rally at the start if the Round, and slammed Earnie with several big left-hooks,
jarring him on '3' separate occasions.

Roy also added in several more left-hooks over the second-half of the session, and 'rocked' Earnie
twice more.

But Earnie showed 'heart-and-courage', and came rallying back big over the last 25-Seconds, including
rocking Roy with a barrage over the last 10-Seconds.

Roy won Round 6 on all '3' Scorecards.
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[Bill Paxtom]

"Round 7'

Earie came out looking a bit spent, but >

Earnie unloaded a total of '111' punches in Round 7.

He threw '57' thru the first-half of the Round, and nailed Roy 'twice' with big
right-hand bombs.

By the mid-way point in the session, Earnie looked very arm-weary as he was
punching wide and slow.

But, Earnie kept punching as he kept Roy along the Ropes.

Roy did tag Earnie with a couple of hard left-hooks, but he did not follow up.

Then Earnie put forth a big rally over the last 45-Seconds, and hammered Roy with
a barrage of punches.

Roy was now sporting a 'cut' inside his mouth and a brusied right-eye.

Earnie won the Round on all '3' Scorecards.

Scorecards thru 7-Rounds :
* 39-34 > {6-1-0}
* 39-34 > {6-1-0}
* 39-35 > {5-1-1}

[Bill Paxtom]

'Round 8'

Earnie was very busy early, and bombed away by unloading '31' hard-punches over the
first {1:00}.

Roy Williams did little, other than lay back on the Ropes.

Earnie continued to band away from the next 30-Seconds, up to the {1:30 Mark}.

At the {1:34 Mark}, Roy caught Earnie coming in with a big left hook/uppercut to the jaw.
Earnie was 'stunned' for a flash-second.

But Roy was too slow to follow up, and Earnie came right back at Roy and backed him into
the left-side Ropes.

Earnie caught a brief 'second-wind', and slammed away at Roy with medium-power punches
for the next minute.

Roy continued to wait for opening.

At the {2:00 Mark} Earnie was working, but he had little behind his punches at this point in the Round.

Earnie continued to work, but his punches had little steam on them. At the {2:30 Mark}, Earnie was
nearly 'gassed' out.

Roy then moved Earnie backwards and across the Ring, to the right-side Ropes.

At the {2:45 Mark}, Roy caught Earnie with '2' vicious left hook/uppercuts to the chin.

Earnie 'wobbled' sideways on shaky pins.

Roy added in one more 'grazing' left-hand into Earnie's head just before the Bell>
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Earnie still threw '72' punches in total.

Roy 'Tiger' Williams was stronger at the end of the Round, but he was only in control over the
last 30-Seconds.

All '3' Officials scored Round '8' for Earnie, based upon the high work-rate.

Scorecards thru 8-Rounds, all for Earnie Shavers.
* 44-38 > {7-1-0}
* 44-38 > {7-1-0}
* 44-39 > {6-1-1}