He was a pugnacious boxer who was famous for his very powerful punches. “When Shivers hit me bells and whistles,” said the legend Muhammad Ali
Boxer Ernie Shivers, who was considered one of the hardest punchers in boxing, has died at the age of 78. He had a record of 74-14-1, with 68 of those 74 wins coming by way of knockout.
The cause of his death is unknown, but according to various reports, he passed away on Wednesday.
The legendary fight of Earnie Shavers against Muhammad Ali
Ernie Shivers fought twice for the world heavyweight title, losing both bouts. In 1977, he was defeated by Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden in a historic match.
“Ernie hit me so hard it scared my relatives back in Africa,” admitted Muhammad Ali, who won the 15-round fight by unanimous decision.
Ali, in his autobiography, confessed that when Shivers hit him, he heard “bells and whistles” afterwards.
No knockout punch to Larry Holmes
The second time Shavers fought for the world heavyweight title in 1979, he lost by TKO to Larry Holmes in Las Vegas. Holmes managed to survive one of Shavers’ famous punches.
“I always tell Ernie he hit me pretty hard,” Holmes said.
“If he hadn’t hit me so hard, he would have knocked me out for sure. That punch actually woke me up when I fell to the floor.
Stallone: ​​It’s the closest I’ve ever been to death
In 1982, when his career was already on the wane, Shavers auditioned for the movie Rocky III starring Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa.
In a fight with Stallone, the actor asked Shavers to hit him for real. Shivers threw one of his famous punches with his left, which was not his strongest hand.
This is the closest I’ve ever come to death,” said Stallone, who had to be escorted to the bathroom to vomit, as reported by Jot Down.
After this punch, the role of Clubber Lang went to the popular fighter Mr. T.
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