Earnie Shavers vs. Howard Smith ~ 'Championship Qualifier' - Winner Gets Muhammad Ali

[Bill Paxtom]

Saturday ~ April 16, 1977

The Aladdin ~ Las Vegas, Nevada

This bout was billed as a 'Heavyweight Championship Qualifier'.

Earnie Shavers {Age; 31 years, 8 months} brought in a record of 53-5-1 {51 KO's}
and was at the 'peak' of his career.

Howard Smith {Age; 30 years, 3 months} came in with a record of 24-1-0 {18 KO's}
and was coming into his own as a Heavyweight Challenger.