Earnie Shavers

Earnie Dee Shaver (August 31, 1944 – September 1, 2022),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> best known as Earnie Shavers, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1969 and 1995. A two-time world heavyweight championship challenger, he is most famous as one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight boxing history. He scored 70 knockout wins, including 23 in the first round, for a 76.7% overall knockout rate.

Shavers twice unsuccessfully challenged for the heavyweight championship, losing to Muhammad Ali in 1977 by a 15-round unanimous decision and to Larry Holmes in 1979 by a TKO in round 11. He hurt Ali in the second round and knocked down Holmes in the seventh round. Shavers defeated former world champions Vicente Rondón, Jimmy Ellis, and Ken Norton, as well as three-time European heavyweight champion Joe Bugner and top heavyweight contender Jimmy Young.

In 2001, Shavers released an autobiography, Welcome to the Big Time. After retiring from boxing, he continued to attend boxing events as a special guest, autograph signer, and motivational speaker.

Early life

Earnie Dee Shaver was born on August 31, 1944, in Garland, Alabama. He was one of nine children born to Curtis and Willie Belle Shaver, and worked on a cotton farm with his family. Shavers credited the strenuous labor on the farm for helping to build his muscular physique and formidable strength. While still a boy, his family was forced to flee their home after his father was threatened by the Ku Klux Klan, over money owed for a mule.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The family moved to Youngstown, Ohio. Shavers attended Newton Falls High School, where he excelled in track and football. He worked at the nearby General Motors assembly plant in Lordstown.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Amateur career

Shavers started boxing at the late age of 22. Before turning professional, he had a short but notable amateur career, winning the 1969 National AAU heavyweight title.<ref>Earnie Shavers Amateur Record at the BoxingRecords. Last updated : April 12, 2006.</ref>

In March 1969, National Golden Gloves director Tony Mange said Shavers "carries a hefty punch".<ref>Two Ohio Heavies To Bid for Titles by Paul O'Boynick (of The Star's Soorts Staff,) The Kansas City Times, March 18, 1969, p. 16.</ref> He had nine straight knockout wins before he was himself knocked out by the 230-pound (104 kg) West German Horst Koschemann.<ref>U. S. Boxers Take Germans Tonight by Steve Hoffman, Enquirer Sports Reporter, The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 27, 1969, p. 23.</ref>

Highlights

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Template:Gold1 Cleveland Golden Gloves, Cleveland, Ohio, 1968:

• Finals: Defeated Mike Boswell

National Golden Gloves, Salt Lake City, Utah, March 1968:

• 1/8: Defeated Dave Foley
• 1/4: Defeated Tommy Garrett by decision
• 1/2: Lost to Frank Steele TKO 3

United States National Championships, Toledo, Ohio, April 1968:

• 1/8: Lost to Chuck Haynes TKO

National Golden Gloves, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri, March 1969:

• 1/8: Defeated Bernard Roberts KO 1 Template:Small
• 1/4: Defeated Nick Wells by decision
• 1/2: Lost to Ron Draper by decision

Template:Col-2 Template:Gold1 United States National Championships, San Diego, California, April 1969:

• 1/8: Defeated Wayne McGee KO
• 1/4: Defeated Mose Hill Jr. KO 2
• 1/2: Defeated Otis Evans KO
• Finals: Defeated Charles Elder TKO 1 Template:Small

USA–FRG Duals, Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 1969:

• Lost to Horst Koschemann (West Germany) TKO 2 Template:Small

Ohio State Fair Amateur Boxing Tournament, State Fairgrounds, Columbus, Ohio, August 1969:

National Team Selection Eliminator, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, October 1969:

• Lost to Charles Elder by decision

Template:Col-end Shavers posted a 20–6 amateur record as a heavyweight and recorded 14 knockouts (with half of those losses also by knockout.)<ref>U.S., German Boxers Meet Here Friday, The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 22, 1969, p. 37.</ref>

Professional career

Early bouts

Known as the "Black Destroyer", Shavers won 44 of his first 47 fights by knockout; mostly against unremarkable opposition. This included 27 consecutive knockouts, of which 20 were in the first round. He suffered setbacks with a unanimous decision loss in his 3rd bout to Stan Johnson, who was a replacement opponent for Wayne West, and a 5th-round KO loss to then undefeated Ron Stander.

He began to rise to the upper ranks of the heavyweight division after he hired Cleveland-based promoter Don King to be his manager. His wins included one over a novice Jimmy Young who later became a world championship contender. Stepping up the class of his opposition, he came to public prominence with a first-round KO of one time WBA heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis. His progress was halted when he was KO'd in the first round by Jerry Quarry, which was followed by another loss to a journeyman Bob Stallings. Shavers then had a thunderous match with hard hitting Ron Lyle but was stopped after 6 brutal rounds. He then knocked out hard hitter Howard Smith and beat powerful prospect Roy Williams in a brutal back and forward battle in which Shavers was nearly knocked out, a match Shavers maintained was one of the toughest of his career.

Fighting champions

Shavers vs Ali

Template:Main Shavers fought Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden on September 29, 1977.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Coming into the bout, Shavers had a record of 54–5–1, with 52 knockouts. Ali nicknamed Shavers "The Acorn" because of his shaved bald head. The fight was shown in prime time broadcast television by NBC, which rarely did prime time fights (ABC tended to get the Ali fights) and had the judges' scoring announced after each round to help avoid any controversial decision. Ali's cornerman Angelo Dundee asked Baltimore matchmaker Eddie Hrica to watch the broadcast in the dressing room and signal on the scoring. In the second round, Shavers hurt Ali with an overhand right. Ali play-acted that he was seriously hurt, and Shavers hesitated. On the scorecard they exchanged rounds. Ali won the fifth decisively. By the 12th round, the almost 36 year old Ali, just had to survive the last three rounds to win. Shavers, whose stamina was suspect before the fight, came alive in the 13th round. In the 14th, he battered Ali about the ring. Before the 15th, according to Sports Illustrated boxing writer Pat Putnam, "Ali was on very wobbly legs." Realizing Ali needed to last three more minutes, Dundee told him, "You don't look so good. You better go out and take this round." In a furious final round, the two men tagged each other, but Ali closed strongly, nearly dropping Shavers in the last 20 seconds. He won a unanimous decision. The next day, Garden matchmaker Teddy Brenner encouraged Ali to retire by stating the Garden would never make another offer to host an Ali fight. Brenner also thought that Shavers deserved the nod against Ali. The fight made the cover of Sports Illustrated, with "ALI'S DESPERATE HOUR" featuring a photograph of Shavers scoring with an overhand right.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ali's fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco also urged Ali to retire after noting the punishment Ali had absorbed against Shavers. Ali later said Shavers was the hardest puncher he ever faced, comparing him favorably to Joe Frazier and George Foreman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ali also stated that "Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa" - a quip Ali had previously used to describe other hard-hitting opponents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Shavers vs Holmes

Shavers, being the No.3 WBC contender, then fought No. 4 WBC contender Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace for an elimination bout for the WBC world heavyweight title, the winner to face WBC heavyweight champion Ken Norton. The fight happened at Paradise, Nevada on March 25, 1978. Holmes won by a 12-round unanimous decision.

Shavers vs Norton

In a mandatory title challenge eliminator Earnie Shavers knocked out former champion Ken Norton in the first round. The victory is widely regarded as the best win of his career and earned him a bout with WBC champion Larry Holmes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Shavers vs Holmes II

Shavers and Holmes fought once again on September 29, 1979, again at Caesars Palace, this time for the WBC title. Shavers knocked Holmes down in round seven and apparently in round nine (the referee ruled it a slip). After Shavers took a series of punches in the eleventh round and seemed defenseless, the referee stopped the fight, awarding a TKO win for Larry Holmes. Holmes, known for his ability to take a punch, later said that Shavers's knockdown blow in the seventh round was the hardest he had ever taken in his career.

Later career

The Holmes rematch was the last big fight for Shavers. In 1980, in a wild slugfest he was stopped in the eighth round by durable prospect Randall "Tex" Cobb. Prior to the Cobb fight, Shavers had undergone eye surgery for a detached retina. (Since eye surgery was not nearly as refined then as it is today, the majority of boxers retired for good after that kind of injury. In the words of Duane Ford of the Nevada Athletic Commission, a detached retina for a boxer was like an AIDS diagnosis<ref>Duane Ford of Nevada State Athletic Commission, on the Sugar Ray Leonard's retirement.</ref>). Shavers had not fully recovered from the surgery when he came back for the Cobb fight. He never again fought for the world title. In 1982 he fought Joe Bugner, also on the comeback trail. Bugner was knocked down in the first, and was stopped by cuts in the second round.

Shavers continued to fight professionally for several years, retiring in 1995 after losing to Brian Yates. Many thought he should have retired after his upset loss to lower contender Bernardo Mercado. Shavers had a similar retinal eye injury as Sugar Ray Leonard.

Comeback

Shavers attempted two abbreviated comebacks - a fight in 1987, and two in 1995, in the second of which he was KO'd by Brian Yates in round 2. After this loss, Shavers retired for good.

Shavers has been named among the top-10 punchers in boxing history by The Ring and others.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Shavers finished his career in 1995 with a record of 76 wins (70 by knockout, 23 inside the first round, with 52 in the first 3 rounds), 14 losses (7 by knockout), and 1 draw.

Fighting style

File:Earnie Shavers (32679130644).jpg

Shavers at Celebrity Fight Night in Phoenix, 2017

Shavers was an exceptionally heavy puncher who stalked his opponents, setting them up for his thunderous right, which was responsible for many of his knockouts, although Angelo Dundee in a Sports Illustrated mid-1970s article said "He can get you out of there with any kind of shot", referring to Shavers's ability to inflict damage with a left hook, right cross or right uppercut. Several boxers famous for their tough chins had fallen to Shavers's punches, including Bugner and Ellis who were felled by his uppercut.

Shavers would throw punches against any legal area he could reach, exposed or covered, relying on his tremendous power to wear down his opponents and exploiting any opening. His fighting stance produced a short and powerful image. His chin was his weakness. He could however "box" as well as slug. Notably, he injured his right hand early in a 10-round match against rated craftsman Henry Clark and responded with a strong jabbing performance to beat Clark, himself noted for his jabbing ability, on points.

Video and book

Shavers published a video of highlights of his career in 1992 titled Earnie D. Shavers, The hardest one-punch hitter, and later an autobiography.

Life after boxing

File:ErnestShavers.jpg

Shavers in 2005

Shavers retired in 1983 after retinal problems were discovered. After retirement, he became an ordained Christian minister and moved to Phoenix, where he preached for many years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He moved to England to pastor a church there in the early 2000s. He was on the Benny Hinn TV show several times.

During the early 1980s while preparing for the feature film Rocky III, Sylvester Stallone explored the possibility of using a real heavyweight boxer in the role of James "Clubber" Lang by inviting Earnie Shavers to spar with him. Shavers initially refused to hit Stallone with anything other than a soft jab. This frustrated Stallone, who asked Shavers, "C'mon Earnie, show me something real." Earnie responded by punching him once near the liver, forcing an immediate retirement; Stallone later said: "that nearly killed me. I went straight to the men's room and threw up".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> However, according to Rhonda Young, the film's casting director, the reason why he was eventually not chosen for the part is that his voice was too high-pitched and not menacing enough (Joe Frazier was also considered).<ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Shavers visited Ali several times and he said that he, Ali, and George Foreman became very good friends over the years. Foreman, when asked about toughest and hardest punching opponent he ever met in the ring, said:<ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Template:Blockquote

Shavers accepted the invitation of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to preach at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

He also worked in Liverpool in the UK, as head of security at Hannah's bar, where he was very much respected. Until 2009, he worked at Yates' Wine Lodge in Liverpool "meeting and greeting". On occasion Shavers was a troubleshooting referee in professional wrestling after his retirement.

He was also a Patron of The Shannon Bradshaw Trust,<ref>Shannon Bradshaw Trust</ref> a children's charity based in Warrington, Cheshire, helping children with life-threatening conditions, and their families.

Shavers spoke to pupils at Barr Beacon Language College in Walsall. He also gave a speech on 26 February 2008 at The Streetly School in Walsall, which was based upon helping kids make the right decisions in life.

Personal life

Template:Unreferenced section Shavers was married to his high school sweetheart, Laverne Payne. They had five daughters, Tamara Shavers, Cynthia Shavers, Catherine Shavers-Long, Carla Shavers, and Amy Shavers-Perkins. He also has four daughters and one son from other relationships. He had 24 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Shavers made a guest appearance on the Irish TV program The Late Late Show hosted by Ron Lyle where the two fighters discussed their previous bout that had happened a month earlier. Shavers was a frequent visitor to the pub Roddy Bolands in Dublin. There is a signed picture of Shavers drinking a pint of Guinness on the wall there.

Death

Shavers died at age 78 on September 1, 2022, from a short illness at his daughter's home in Virginia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
91	Template:No2Loss	Template:Nowrap	Brian Yates	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Nov 24, 1995	Template:Small
90	Template:Yes2Win	76–13–1	Brian Morgan	Template:Abbr	8	Sep 19, 1995	Template:Small
89	Template:Yes2Win	75–13–1	Larry Sims	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	May 16, 1987	Template:Small
88	Template:No2Loss	74–13–1	George Chaplin	Template:Abbr	9 (10), Template:Small	Mar 1, 1983	Template:Small	Template:Small
87	Template:Yes2Win	74–12–1	Phil Clinard	TKO	5 (10)	Feb 18, 1983	Template:Small
86	Template:Yes2Win	73–12–1	Rahim Muhammad	PTS	10	Jan 29, 1983	Template:Small
85	Template:Yes2Win	72–12–1	Tony Perea	RTD	6 (10), Template:Small	Nov 5, 1982	Template:Small
84	Template:Yes2Win	71–12–1	Al Jones	KO	3 (8)	Dec 13, 1982	Template:Small
83	Template:Yes2Win	70–12–1	Phil Clinard	TKO	2 (8)	Oct 14, 1982	Template:Small
82	Template:Yes2Win	69–12–1	Chuck Gardner	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Sep 5, 1982	Template:Small
81	Template:No2Loss	68–12–1	Walter Santemore	UD	10	Aug 17, 1982	Template:Small
80	Template:Yes2Win	68–11–1	Billy Joe Thomas	KO	5 (10)	Jun 22, 1982	Template:Small
79	Template:No2Loss	67–11–1	James Tillis	UD	10	Jun 11, 1982	Template:Small
78	Template:Yes2Win	67–10–1	Danny Sutton	TKO	7 (10)	May 15, 1982	Template:Small
77	Template:Yes2Win	66–10–1	Joe Bugner	TKO	2 (10), Template:Small	May 8, 1982	Template:Small
76	Template:Yes2Win	65–10–1	Ali Haakim	PTS	10	Apr 22, 1982	Template:Small
75	Template:Yes2Win	64–10–1	Jeff Sims	KO	5 (10), Template:Small	Dec 11, 1981	Template:Small
74	Template:Yes2Win	63–10–1	Mike Rodgers	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Sep 9, 1981	Template:Small
73	Template:Yes2Win	62–10–1	Terry Mims	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Jul 29, 1981	Template:Small
72	Template:Yes2Win	61–10–1	Ted Wadkins	TKO	2 (10), Template:Small	Oct 17, 1980	Template:Small
71	Template:No2Loss	60–10–1	Randall Cobb	TKO	8 (10), Template:Small	Aug 2, 1980	Template:Small
70	Template:Yes2Win	60–9–1	Leroy Boone	UD	10	Jun 14, 1980	Template:Small
69	Template:No2Loss	59–9–1	Bernardo Mercado	TKO	7 (10), Template:Small	Mar 8, 1980	Template:Small
68	Template:No2Loss	59–8–1	Larry Holmes	TKO	11 (15), Template:Small	Sep 28, 1979	Template:Small	Template:Small
67	Template:Yes2Win	59–7–1	Eddie Parotte	TKO	3 (10)	May 25, 1979	Template:Small
66	Template:Yes2Win	58–7–1	Ken Norton	KO	1 (12), Template:Small	Mar 23, 1979	Template:Small
65	Template:Yes2Win	57–7–1	Harold Carter	KO	3 (10)	Dec 4, 1978	Template:Small
64	Template:Yes2Win	56–7–1	John Girowski	KO	4 (10), Template:Small	Oct 9, 1978	Template:Small
63	Template:Yes2Win	55–7–1	Harry Terrell	Template:Abbr	1 (10), Template:Small	Jul 20, 1978	Template:Small
62	Template:No2Loss	54–7–1	Larry Holmes	UD	12	Mar 25, 1978	Template:Small
61	Template:No2Loss	54–6–1	Muhammad Ali	UD	15	Sep 29, 1977	Template:Small	Template:Small
60	Template:Yes2Win	54–5–1	Howard Smith	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Apr 16, 1977	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	53–5–1	Roy Williams	KO	10 (10), Template:Small	Dec 11, 1976	Template:Small
58	Template:Yes2Win	52–5–1	Henry Clark	TKO	2 (10), Template:Small	Sep 28, 1976	Template:Small
57	Template:Yes2Win	51–5–1	Henry Clark	Template:Abbr	10	Mar 28, 1976	Template:Small
56	Template:Yes2Win	50–5–1	Tommy Howard	KO	3 (10), Template:Small	Nov 13, 1975	Template:Small
55	Template:No2Loss	49–5–1	Ron Lyle	KO	6 (12), Template:Small	Sep 13, 1975	Template:Small
54	Template:Yes2Win	49–4–1	Oliver Wright	TKO	3 (10), Template:Small	May 8, 1975	Template:Small
53	Template:Yes2Win	48–4–1	Rochell Norris	TKO	10 (10), Template:Small	Apr 9, 1975	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	47–4–1	Leon Shaw	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Feb 11, 1975	Template:Small
51	Template:DrawDraw	46–4–1	Jimmy Young	Template:Abbr	10	Nov 26, 1974	Template:Small
50	Template:No2Loss	46–4	Bob Stallings	UD	10	Nov 4, 1974	Template:Small
49	Template:Yes2Win	46–3	Roy Wallace	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	May 16, 1974	Template:Small
48	Template:No2Loss	45–3	Jerry Quarry	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Dec 14, 1973	Template:Small
47	Template:Yes2Win	45–2	Jimmy Ellis	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Jun 18, 1973	Template:Small
46	Template:Yes2Win	44–2	Harold Carter	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	May 12, 1973	Template:Small
45	Template:Yes2Win	43–2	Jimmy Young	TKO	3 (10), Template:Small	Feb 19, 1973	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	42–2	Leroy Caldwell	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Oct 25, 1972	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	41–2	A J Staples	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Sep 19, 1972	Template:Small
42	Template:Yes2Win	40–2	Vicente Rondón	UD	10	Aug 26, 1972	Template:Small
41	Template:Yes2Win	39–2	Lou Bailey	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	May 5, 1972	Template:Small
40	Template:Yes2Win	38–2	Bob Felstein	TKO	5 (10), Template:Small	Apr 22, 1972	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	37–2	Charley Polite	KO	3 (10), Template:Small	Apr 6, 1972	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	36–2	Elgie Walters	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Feb 15, 1972	Template:Small
37	Template:Yes2Win	35–2	Ted Gullick	KO	6 (10)	Feb 1, 1972	Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	34–2	Del Morris	KO	3 (10), Template:Small	Nov 28, 1971	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	33–2	Cleo Daniels	KO	2 (10)	Nov 23, 1971	Template:Small
34	Template:Yes2Win	32–2	Elmo Henderson	KO	4 (10), Template:Small	Oct 28, 1971	Template:Small
33	Template:Yes2Win	31–2	Charlie Boston	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Oct 16, 1971	Template:Small
32	Template:Yes2Win	30–2	Pat Duncan	KO	5 (10)	Sep 28, 1971	Template:Small	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	29–2	Richard Pittman	KO	1 (10)	Aug 11, 1971	Template:Small
30	Template:Yes2Win	28–2	Bill McMurray	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Jul 13, 1971	Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	27–2	Bill Hardney	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Jun 29, 1971	Template:Small
28	Template:Yes2Win	26–2	Chuck Leslie	KO	10 (10), Template:Small	Jun 10, 1971	Template:Small
27	Template:Yes2Win	25–2	Willie Johnson	TKO	4 (10), Template:Small	Apr 24, 1971	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	24–2	Mac Harrison	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Apr 21, 1971	Template:Small
25	Template:Yes2Win	23–2	Young Agabab	KO	1 (10)	Mar 24, 1971	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	22–2	Steve Carter	TKO	1 (10)	Mar 3, 1971	Template:Small
23	Template:Yes2Win	21–2	Dick Gosha	TKO	5 (10), Template:Small	Feb 17, 1971	Template:Small
22	Template:Yes2Win	20–2	Johnny Mac	KO	3 (10)	Feb 3, 1971	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	19–2	Nat Shaver	KO	1 (6)	Jan 15, 1971	Template:Small
20	Template:Yes2Win	18–2	Lee Estes	KO	2 (8)	Jan 6, 1971	Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	17–2	Bunky Akins	KO	1 (6), Template:Small	Dec 7, 1970	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	16–2	Johnny Mac	TKO	4 (8)	Nov 18, 1970	Template:Small
17	Template:Yes2Win	15–2	Johnny Hudgins	KO	1 (6), Template:Small	Oct 14, 1970	Template:Small
16	Template:Yes2Win	14–2	Don Branch	KO	1 (6)	Sep 12, 1970	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	13–2	Jim Daniels	KO	1 (10)	Aug 29, 1970	Template:Small
14	Template:No2Loss	12–2	Ron Stander	KO	5 (8), Template:Small	May 11, 1970	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	12–1	Frank Smith	TKO	4 (6)	Apr 14, 1970	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	11–1	Ron Asher	KO	1 (8), Template:Small	Mar 23, 1970	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	10–1	Art Miller	TKO	1 (6), Template:Small	Mar 10, 1970	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	9–1	Abe Brown	TKO	5 (6), Template:Small	Jan 27, 1970	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	8–1	Joe Byrd	TKO	3 (6), Template:Small	Jan 24, 1970	Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	7–1	Abe Brown	TKO	1 (6), Template:Small	Jan 7, 1970	Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	6–1	Gene Idelette	TKO	2 (6)	Dec 23, 1969	Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	5–1	Chico Froncano	KO	1 (4), Template:Small	Dec 18, 1969	Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	4–1	J. D. McCauley	KO	2 (4), Template:Small	Dec 4, 1969	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	3–1	Lee Roy	KO	3 (6), Template:Small	Nov 21, 1969	Template:Small
3	Template:No2Loss	2–1	Stan Johnson	Template:Abbr	4	Nov 13, 1969	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	George Holden	Template:Abbr	1 (6), Template:Small	Nov 11, 1969	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Silas Howell	Template:Abbr	1 (4), Template:Small	Nov 6, 1969	Template:Small

External links

• Template:Boxrec
• Template:IMDb name