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

[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}

[holmcall]

The last round began, and Shavers came out visibly exhausted. Williams
appeared confident and ready to emerge as a serious heavyweight contender. He
quickly moved Shavers into a corner and applied brutal, nonstop punishment
until the referee called a standing eight count. Tiger thought the fight had been
stopped, turned around, and raised his hands in victory, but, when he turned
back to see a determined Shavers still standing, his spirit visibly sagged. Still, he
came on and hit Shavers with blows that would surely have knocked out anybody
else. Then, all of a sudden, Shavers started to connect with some medium hard
blows to Williams’s body that slowed him down. Then Shavers connected with
one of his deadly uppercuts with Tiger on the ropes, and it straightened him up.
He was now hurt and Shavers sensed it.




He moved the Tiger into a corner and began throwing his own bombs. Williams
could not withstand the ferocious onslaught, and the referee now gave him a
standing eight, incredibly the second in the round! Shavers stood poised, albeit
exhausted, and ready to go. As the referee ordered Williams to begin fighting, he
took a step forward, hesitated, and then collapsed in the corner, a beaten man.
Shavers sagged over the ropes, too tired to celebrate. The fight was over. Shavers
had won, but the Tiger had indeed roared.

[holmcall]

"I wouldn’t drive through Philadelphia because I didn’t want to take a
chance on running into Williams." —Ernie Shavers