BoxRec

Theres your headline, folkes.

Jesse Willard vs. Earnie Shavers. 15 rounds.

This feels like some kind of trap...

?

70's rules, Shavers by a 1st round stoppage. Willard's era, Shavers in no more than 3 rds.

Shavers wasnt even a destitute mans Dempsey.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Shavers wasnt even a destitute mans Dempsey.

Let's see. 1-0-1 with a KO over Young. Controlled his fight against Lyle before running out of gas, stopped Norton in one round, and came close to pulling an upset over Ali. Anyone with any objectivity would accept the fact that Shavers was right in the same class with the other top punchers of the 70's, all of whom were flawed, but one one of whom was lucky enough to back his way into a title fight against a less than peak Frazier.

Of course people who live in fantasy worlds ignore the facts and think their own biased judgment somehow trumps what actually happened in the ring.

Oh yes, a prime Willard would have been a very tough fight for Shavers.

Willard has an awful style for Shavers . . durable and big with a fine jab and a big punch himself. Typical Shavers fight in which he hurts Jess early but tires out and ends up getting KO'd later on in the fight. Similar to his fights with Stander and Mercado.

The Great John L wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Shavers wasnt even a destitute mans Dempsey.

Let's see. 1-0-1 with a KO over Young. Controlled his fight against Lyle before running out of gas, stopped Norton in one round, and came close to pulling an upset over Ali. Anyone with any objectivity would accept the fact that Shavers was right in the same class with the other top punchers of the 70's, all of whom were flawed, but one one of whom was lucky enough to back his way into a title fight against a less than peak Frazier.

Of course people who live in fantasy worlds ignore the facts and think their own biased judgment somehow trumps what actually happened in the ring.

Oh yes, a prime Willard would have been a very tough fight for Shavers.

I stopped reading when you brought Young into the discussion. Thanks for letting us know you don't know the first thing about either fight.

dempseyfire wrote:Willard has an awful style for Shavers . . durable and big with a fine jab and a big punch himself. Typical Shavers fight in which he hurts Jess early but tires out and ends up getting KO'd later on in the fight. Similar to his fights with Stander and Mercado.

I tend to move toward this line of thinking. Watching Willard's decimation at Dempsey's hands, it's clear that Dempsey's combinations, & the swiftness of his assault, play a big part in the champion's downfall. He puts heavy shots, left & right, back-to-back to string out the damage & minimise Wilard's recovery. Shavers could not do that, & he was a fairly vulnerable fighter himself (unlike the battle-hardened Dempsey).

I think Willard would get him, but I'd be keenly interested to see the big man's reaction to Shavers' best shot, given he was such a stationary target.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:

dempseyfire wrote:Willard has an awful style for Shavers . . durable and big with a fine jab and a big punch himself. Typical Shavers fight in which he hurts Jess early but tires out and ends up getting KO'd later on in the fight. Similar to his fights with Stander and Mercado.

I tend to move toward this line of thinking. Watching Willard's decimation at Dempsey's hands, it's clear that Dempsey's combinations, & the swiftness of his assault, play a big part in the champion's downfall. He puts heavy shots, left & right, back-to-back to string out the damage & minimise Wilard's recovery. Shavers could not do that, & he was a fairly vulnerable fighter himself (unlike the battle-hardened Dempsey).

I think Willard would get him, but I'd be keenly interested to see the big man's reaction to Shavers' best shot, given he was such a stationary target.

Great summation

Maybe Willard by a KO, here.