Earnie Shavers, boxer.
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Lauded by his opponents for his overwhelming power, Shavers fought in two heavyweight title fights, suffering defeats in each. In 1977, he lost to Muhammad Ali for the WBA and WBC belts at Madison Square Garden via unanimous decision, but earned the GOAT’s praise after the bout.
“Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk in Africa,” Ali said after the fight.
I am seeing reports that Frank Drake, noted astronomer (famous for the Drake Equation) has died, but I don’t have a reliable source to link to.
Barbara Ehrenreich, author. (Nickel and Dimed.)
I remember the days of watching heavyweight boxing on television, usually on ABC wide world of sports. And the match between Shavers and Ali was brutal. The one thing that I remember Ali always did was to mock the fighter he was fighting before the match.
He came up with the nickname for Earnie Shavers, the Acorn, because of his shaved head, looking like an Acorn.
When Muhammad Ali was in his prime, his hands were faster than even the light weight fighters. He really was the greatest boxer that I ever saw. He overstayed his time, and became a parody of himself the last few bouts, something that was sad to see. But now, knowing about him and what he went through for his faith, even though it is not mine, I feel a pride for him, and the stance he took. And I wonder if I would have been able to take that stance.
Boxing back then somehow seemed a more gentlemen’s sport. The MMA and such are just so brutal and barbaric to me, that I never could get into watching them.
I know exactly what you mean, because I feel the same way. I remember watching TV boxing, and also remember reading a little about “the sweet science” when I was younger.
Now, with what we know about repeated head blows…I don’t know, man.
I don’t want to sneer at or badmouth MMA fans and athletes, but I can’t watch or get into the sport. For better or worse, it feels to me like a form of human cockfighting.