Roy Remembers a Few of the TRUE 70’s Heavyweight Contenders

By Roy Bennett (Who else would it be by?)

The brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko have reigned supreme over the heavyweight division for the last decade. Deontay Wilder only recently got a crack at the WBC bauble because big brother Vitali gave it up. Although the title defenses piled up, their Eastern European style of stand tall “robotic” boxing never went down well in the U.S. and fans longed for one of their own to return the richest prize in sports to American shores. Fans often talk about the 1970’s being a “Golden Age” for heavyweight boxing. But how would some of the 1970’s heavyweights have fared in today’s heavyweight division?

1970’s Heavyweight Boxing in Focus

Muhammad Ali was returning from three years enforced exile (1967-1970) for refusing to be inducted in to the U.S. Military, and his anti Vietnam War views had infuriated the establishment. He had been stripped of his title, threatened with imprisonment, and had his passport revoked. As a result his prime boxing years were lost to him forever. Philadelphia’s Smokin’ Joe Frazier laid claim to the undisputed world heavyweight championship during his absence by beating Jimmy Ellis in four rounds in February, 1970. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier would eventually meet to decide who the true champion was in March, 1971. And a murderers row of heavyweight contenders vied to face the winner.

All were hard men. Some, like Floyd Patterson the former title holder, had emerged from the decaying inner city ghettos via juvenile correction programs. Others, like the big punching Ron Lyle, had passed through the prison system and fought their way up the ranks. Earnie Shavers, Ken Norton, and Jimmy Young also fought their way into title contention and would earn their chance to fight for heavyweight world championship glory.

Here are just a few to look back at……

Earnie Shavers – 74-14-1, 68 KO’s

Earnie Shavers rarely took any prisoners. Sixty eight knockouts in seventy four wins is a clear indication of that fact. Shavers wanted to get you out of there and he usually only needed one clean shot to do it. He used economical footwork to cut down the ring as he stalked his foes, and his shining bald head would bob left and right to avoid getting hit with return fire. When he found his range and unleashed his vaunted right hand his opponents knew immediately how dangerous he was. One mistake and they would find themselves staring up at the ring lights. The 1980’s heavyweight contender/title challenger and RSR Supporter/Fan James “Quick” Tillis once described Shavers punching power thus, “Earnie Shavers hit so hard he could turn goats milk into gasoline.”

And Randall “Tex” Cobb, another 80’s heavyweight contender, weighed in with his take,”Nobody hits like Shavers. If anybody did I’d shoot him.”

Needless to say a fighter with this kind of legendary punching power does not bode well for any of today’s top heavyweights. I can see Wladimir Klitschko trying to spoil his way through this one. Leaning on Shavers, tying up his arms and trying to hold at every opportunity that presented itself.

Shavers was only a smidgen taller than six feet tall and comparatively short, but he carried enough power in his punches to render any physical advantages Klitschko would have enjoyed null and void. Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, and Jimmy Ellis all felt the bone crunching dynamite Shavers carried in both fists. Earnie Shavers struck fear into the hearts of many men with his ability to rob them of their consciousness. Klitschko could not afford to let Shavers get a bead on his chin or it would spell disaster. Could Shavers have reached him? Probably. At least once in a twelve round fight. And one clean shot would’ve been all he needed.

Ken Norton –  42-7-1, 33 KO’s (Norton actually did win the WBC Heavyweight Title when Leon Spinks was stripped of it for fighting Muhammad Ali)

This San Diego, California native was a former U.S. Marine. Ken Norton was a tremendously impressive physical specimen. He was in the kind of shape you rarely see heavyweight boxers in today.
His defeat of Muhammad Ali in 1973 was the finest performance of his career. The great Eddie Futch trained him for that fight in which Norton weighed 210 lbs. He was a small heavyweight by today’s standards, but he knew how to bring the heat and apply his own particular brand of steady offensive pressure. Norton’s fight against Larry Holmes is one of the best heavyweight fights you will ever see and proves “The Fighting Marine” could go a fast hard fifteen rounds at a torrid pace. I maintain we’ll never see another heavyweight fight like that again. Why? Because today’s super sized heavyweights are too big and don’t train hard enough to maintain that kind of intensity and tempo. Ken Norton was a big and very strong 1970’s heavyweight. He’d trundle forward behind a cross arm defense applying pressure behind a hard jab, pounding hooks to the body and head.

However, he didn’t fare well against imposing aggressive fighters with power like George Foreman, Earnie Shavers, and at the tail end of his career, Gerry Cooney. Norton seemed to shrink against these boxers and allowed himself to get trapped on the ropes where he paid the terrible price that went with it. Crushing KO defeats in all three encounters. But let it be said that at his peak Ken Norton was a hard night’s work for all but the biggest punchers in heavyweight history. Whether he wanted to or not, Wladimir Klitschko would’ve been forced to fight. He’d have to keep Norton at long range and failing to do so, he’d have to grab and hold. You’d need a good referee in this one to keep the action flowing. Despite his size Klitschko is too cautious and gun shy to do to Norton what Foreman and Shavers did. Norton could win a decision here, if he could fight his way inside by out working Klitschko at close range.

Jimmy Young – 34-19-2, 11 KO’s

Wait a minute. Don’t let his patchy ring record fool you. Jimmy Young was a quality operator. In the 1970’s all the world rated top ten heavyweights had losses. The division was that deep with talent, remaining undefeated was impossible. If you wanted to move up the ranks you had to fight quality opposition. No ifs, buts, or maybes. Yes, it was a different era with higher standards. Young knew how to look after himself in the ring because he came up the hard way. He began boxing in 1969. He went 7-4 in his first eleven bouts including a knockout loss to Earnie Shavers. After that Jimmy Young developed into a wonderful boxer and defensive wizard who went on to beat dangerous big punching contenders like Ron Lyle and George Foreman.

Young was smart, slick and very relaxed in the ring. He was not a big puncher but he made up for his lack of a one shot equalizer with his ability to maneuver his opponent out of position and counter punch effectively. He utilized a pecking jab, subtle moves, and little shots inside to pile up points. He was elusive, but he wasn’t a runner. He was an adept counter puncher. He’d make you miss and sting you with accurate shots to the head or body. Young was skilled at slipping inside your shots and landing his own. He was smooth and agile with it and didn’t give opponents many angles to hit him cleanly. In this era of super heavyweights closer to seven feet tall and weighing around 230-250 pounds, Young may have been too small to win a title today but then again his brand of slick pugilism might have made the current crop of giant heavyweights look positively ponderous in comparison. However, lack of a true knockout punch, would probably have prevented him from winning top honors in today’s game.

Once upon a time the heavyweight champion stood astride the sporting landscape like a giant colossus. He was respected as the finest example of manly athletic prowess the world over. Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, and Muhammad Ali all had that kind of aura surrounding their achievements, and at their best they generated a level of excitement whenever they climbed into the ring unseen in other sporting arenas.

Those days are gone forever. But not only do we have the stories of the great champions of the past, we also have the stories of the men who tried to take their place at the top of the sporting mountain. And sometimes they’re just as entertaining.