{"id":62536,"date":"2016-08-25T12:34:45","date_gmt":"2016-08-25T17:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=62536"},"modified":"2016-08-25T12:35:34","modified_gmt":"2016-08-25T17:35:34","slug":"somebodys-knockin-remembering-earnie-shavers-vs-howard-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=62536","title":{"rendered":"Somebody\u2019s Knockin\u2019:  Remembering Earnie Shavers Vs Howard Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"polls-1490\" class=\"wp-polls\">\n\t<form id=\"polls_form_1490\" class=\"wp-polls-form\" action=\"\/index.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t<p style=\"display: none;\"><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"poll_1490_nonce\" name=\"wp-polls-nonce\" value=\"d231a0e659\" \/><\/p>\n\t\t<p style=\"display: none;\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"poll_id\" value=\"1490\" \/><\/p>\n\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Do you think Earnie Shavers could be a Heavyweight Champion today?<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"polls-1490-ans\" class=\"wp-polls-ans\"><ul class=\"wp-polls-ul\">\n\t\t<li><input type=\"radio\" id=\"poll-answer-3844\" name=\"poll_1490\" value=\"3844\" \/> <label for=\"poll-answer-3844\">Yes<\/label><\/li>\n\t\t<li><input type=\"radio\" id=\"poll-answer-3845\" name=\"poll_1490\" value=\"3845\" \/> <label for=\"poll-answer-3845\">No<\/label><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><input type=\"button\" name=\"vote\" value=\"   Vote   \" class=\"Buttons\" onclick=\"poll_vote(1490);\" \/><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"#ViewPollResults\" onclick=\"poll_result(1490); return false;\" title=\"View Results Of This Poll\">View Results<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"polls-1490-loading\" class=\"wp-polls-loading\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-polls\/images\/loading.gif\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading ...\" title=\"Loading ...\" class=\"wp-polls-image\" \/>&nbsp;Loading ...<\/div>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=62536\" rel=\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=62536\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-62537 size-full\" style=\"margin-right: 10px;\" src=\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/200px-Shavers79.jpg\" alt=\"200px-Shavers79\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>By Kevin \u201cThe Voice\u201d Kincade<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to believe now; but at the beginning of 1977, Earnie Shavers appeared nowhere in Ring Magazine\u2019s Top Ten. He just wasn\u2019t there. Without being in the board room or wherever these decisions are made, it is impossible to say for sure why Earnie wasn\u2019t ranked; but one can speculate.<\/p>\n<p>The first time Earnie had knocked on the door to a title shot was when he knocked former WBA Champion, Jimmy Ellis senseless in two minutes and thirty-nine seconds in Madison Square Garden in June of 1973. Rumors of \u201cThe Dark Destroyer\u201d had been heard in boxing circles; but once he had Ellis on the canvas with a look on his face that can only beg the question, \u201cDid anyone get the number of that truck?!\u201d\u2026.did the public really take notice.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The mystique didn\u2019t last long, though. Six months later he was back at the scene of the crime to test his mythical power against Jerry Quarry. Quarry, at the time, was in the midst of a comeback. He\u2019d retired in 1972 after Ali humiliated him on the way to an easy 7th round TKO; but Quarry, still a young man at 28, decided to give it one more go. He\u2019d already given 19-0 Ron Lyle a boxing lesson in Lyle\u2019s first defeat back in February and had won all three fights this year. The bout with Shavers in December of \u201873 was one of those, \u201chow good is he Vs how good is he, still\u201d kinda fights.<\/p>\n<p>Quarry was supposed to be Lyle\u2019s \u201copponent\u201d and now he was in the same position against another up and comer, in Shavers. This was Earnie\u2019s big chance. If he blew Quarry away like he did Ellis, the fans would be demanding Foreman give him a shot, or at least a shot at Frazier or Ali.<\/p>\n<p>True to form, Earnie came out swinging. This was a showcase bout for him and he wanted to win impressively. The trouble was Jerry had solid skills, a granite jaw, and a counter left hook which would put you in La La Land, if you weren\u2019t careful. Earnie was anything but careful.<br \/>\nShavers went after Quarry as if he had no respect for Jerry\u2019s power; and he paid dearly for it. After withstanding the early assault of withering blows, Jerry saw an opening and took it; and then proceeded to take Shavers out\u2026in two minutes twenty-one seconds\u2026..less time than Shavers had done away with Ellis. The bubble burst.<\/p>\n<p>The next two years had ups and downs as Earnie picked up 4 Wins, a draw to Jimmy Young, whom he had stopped in 3 the first time they\u2019d met, and a points loss to 21-24 Bob Stallings, which certainly did his reputation no good.<\/p>\n<p>When he climbed into the ring in Denver, Colorado with Ron Lyle in September of \u201875, he needed a win badly. Lyle was ranked and had just lost on a somewhat controversial stoppage to Ali, after he\u2019d been winning the fight. A win over Lyle would get people talking again; and he nearly had it in Round 2 when he sent Lyle into the Dream Room with a monstrosity of a left hook. Unfortunately for Shavers, the knockdown occurred towards the end of the round and Lyle, somehow, was able to make it to his feet. Four rounds later, it was Shavers who felt the power of Lyle\u2019s left hook; and that was that.<\/p>\n<p>Since the loss to Lyle, Shavers had racked up four more wins. He\u2019d shown guts and resolve decisioning Henry Clark in Paris with an injured right hand. He then got Clark again on the Ali-Norton III undercard at Yankee Stadium, which was great exposure and took him out in impressive fashion in the 2nd. Then, in his last bout in December of \u201976, he came back dramatically from the brink of a knockout loss in Round 10 to anestitize his opponent, gym legend, 23-5, 6\u2019 5\u201d 231 lb. Roy \u201cTiger\u201d Williams, who had never been knocked out.<br \/>\nStill, wins over Clark and Williams weren\u2019t enough to get him ranked because they weren\u2019t. However, Howard \u201cKayo\u201d Smith was.<\/p>\n<p>Like Shavers, Smith was also a puncher, hence the nickname. Smith was 16-1 with the only loss on his record coming in his 4th pro fight. He\u2019d stepped into the rankings after his hard fought, decision win over 19-0-1 Johnny Boudereaux in June of 76. In his last fight, he\u2019d gotten off the <a href=\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=62536\" rel=\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=62536\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-62538 size-full\" style=\"margin-left: 10px;\" src=\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/200px-SmithHoward.jpg\" alt=\"200px-SmithHoward\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>canvas to decision the always wily Henry Clark. There was much anticipation of this showdown at \u201cThe Aladdin\u201d as hopes were high for a Foreman-Lyle type of blockbuster. An impressive win over Shavers was guaranteed to catapult Smith into championship consideration.<\/p>\n<p>The 31 year old 53-5-1 Shavers was now in the position of \u201copponent\u201d to his 6\u2019 3\u201d, 30 year old rival. He was the dragon to be slain to launch another man\u2019s championship aspirations. Earnie had lost all of the big ones. Whenever he\u2019d been put in the position to advance to the next level, disaster had struck. He had to know if he lost to Howard Smith, there would be no more \u201ctomorrows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, that\u2019s what it takes; that point of no return, that point of \u201cno more chances\u201d. Earnie wasn\u2019t a great boxer. He didn\u2019t have that much speed of hand or of foot. His stamina had been in question from day 1. However, Earnie did have one asset, one gift, one thing that money can\u2019t buy.<\/p>\n<p>Power. Pure, raw, natural, unadulterated jaw crunching, neck-breaking power.<\/p>\n<p>From the outset, Earnie was looking for his opportunity; but he wasn\u2019t forcing it. He\u2019d learned from his early mistakes about jumping right on a man who could punch also; and Smith could punch. Earnie knew that from the days they\u2019d sparred together. Still, while \u201cKayo\u201d had a punch, while \u201cKayo\u201d did have 10 KO\u2019s, he\u2019d also gone the distance six times in his sixteen wins. Shavers had only heard the final bell twice in 53 victories.<\/p>\n<p>Twice in Fifty-Three wins.<\/p>\n<p>That number would stay the same when he notched up win # 54. For the first two minutes of Round 1, the men sparred, feeling each other out. Smith landed some good punches as Earnie had him pinned along the ropes. Then thunder landed in the form of a left hook and, suddenly, Smith\u2019s legs were stepping in potholes. He fell back into the corner with the \u201cDark Destroyer\u201d in hot pursuit. A vicious volley of punches and Smith was on the canvas.<\/p>\n<p>Howard got up on unsteady legs, only to be hammered down once more like an unruly nail. Still, up he rose, in denial, telling the referee, \u201cI\u2019m alright.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shavers could smell it.<\/p>\n<p>Howard went down one more time from the sheer fact that his legs no longer wanted to remain upright. Earnie didn\u2019t even land a punch. Fortunately for \u201cKayo,\u201d the round ended. The look on his face as he stumbled to his corner was one of utter disbelief.<\/p>\n<p>The second round started with Shavers applying pressure; but not having much success. Smith was now blocking the shots, slipping, rolling, and countering. Had Earnie punched himself out again? Was disaster going to rear its ugly head once more when was so close to victory? Was history going to repeat itself, yet again?<\/p>\n<p>Smith had been counterpunching well with his back along the ropes. Then, somewhere along the two-minute mark, Smith landed a vicious counter hook which sent Earnie backwards towards the center of the ring. Smith emerged off the ropes and quickly crowded Shavers to lessen his power. Shavers immediately grabbed Howard around the back of the neck and proceeded to rip right uppercuts until the referee jumped in and gave him a quick lecture on the rules.<\/p>\n<p>As soon as the talking was over, Earnie launched a right which just missed Smith\u2019s head and now it was Howard who returned the favor. With one hand around Earnie\u2019s neck and hitting him to the body at the same time, he guided his opponent back with him to the ropes, which proved to be fatal.<\/p>\n<p>No sooner had his back touched the strands, then he dropped his left hand from around Earnie\u2019s neck. Shavers quickly followed with a right which landed solid. After three more shots, the referee stepped in to separate the men and Smith walked off, as if in a dream, until he strolled right down into the canvas.<\/p>\n<p>It was over.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, after so many missed opportunities and blown chances, Earnie Shavers was knocking at the door of the Heavyweight Championship.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pFExlqFFtsg\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>[si-contact-form form=&#8217;2&#8242;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Kevin \u201cThe Voice\u201d Kincade It\u2019s hard to believe now; but at the beginning of 1977, Earnie Shavers appeared nowhere in Ring Magazine\u2019s Top Ten. He just wasn\u2019t there. Without being in the board room or wherever these decisions are made, it is impossible to say for sure why Earnie wasn\u2019t ranked; but one can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[15720],"class_list":["post-62536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-somebodys-knockin-remembering-earnie-shavers-vs-howard-smith"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62536"}],"version-history":[{"count":-2,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62536\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}