The late-great George Foreman once revealed the one fighter that he was happy to have not faced during his career.
‘Big’ George is regarded by so many as being one of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history, standing out for his incredible punching power and toughness which played a vital role in his overall success.
Foreman rose to stardom when he sensationally knocked out Joe Frazier in the 2nd round of their 1973 showdown, capturing the unified WBC and WBA heavyweight titles from the grasp of ‘Smokin Joe’.
The Texas-native went on to face a number of iconic heavyweights, including the likes of Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton and Michael Moorer, defeating the latter in 1994 to become the oldest world heavyweight champion ever, a feat which still remains to this day.
However, in a resurfaced YouTube clip, Foreman admitted his relief in not having to face Earnie Shavers during his tenure, who is best known for his thunderous punching power.
“I never fought Earnie Shavers. Thank goodness.”
“Nobody can hit like Earnie Shavers. He had a crunch punch and he was like a welterweight, if he caught you then you were going to take a stroll down memory lane. He was the best at executing a punch.”
Shavers challenged for the world heavyweight championship twice during his tenure, although he fell short on both occasions against Ali and Holmes respectively.
‘The Black Destroyer’ impressively knocked out 70 of the 76 fighters he faced as a professional, which remains one of the greatest win-to-knockout ratios in heavyweight boxing folklore.
