I can't believe people are questioning the power of Earnie Shavers. We're fans, we look at footage and we form opinions.

Shavers has on his resume 3 guys who claim he was the hardest puncher they've ever faced: Holmes, Ali, and Cobb. I'm sure more would admit it, but those are probably the only 3 guys out of his KO victims that can remember fighting him.

That covers a lot of ground. Ali of course fought Liston, Lamar Clark, Frazier, Foreman, Chuvalo, Quarry, ect ect. Holmes fought Tyson. Cobb Made his rounds as well.If these 3 guys say Shavers was the hardest puncher they've ever fought, I'm inclined to believe them.

SOme of you forget that punching power is just that: punching power. We're not talking about greatness or any other factor. There are a ton of clubfighters and journey men out there who hit harder than some of the current belt holders. Doesn't mean they are better fighters, it just means (if you agree with the assessment that punchers are born) they were blessed with a lot of power.

KO ratios are NOT meaningless. Like power, there are a ton of journeymen and club fighters who can take a punch better than a lot of upper-class guys and belt holders. Again, doesn't mean they are better fighters, just that they were born with a better chin. Take for example a guy like Sanderline Williams. Journeyman as best, 25-16 I think, but out of that 16 losses he was only stopped once. He took guys like Merqui Sosa, Nigel Benn, Gerald McCllelan, James Toney (Twice) the distance. So if someone blew him out in the first round, would that not be impressive??