The boxing world recently lost one of the greatest legends of the sport, Earnie Shavers, in September. Shavers was known to be one of the hardest hitters in heavyweight history and the boxing community continues to remember his contribution. Recently, Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal mourned the passing of Shavers with the boxing fraternity with a heartwarming tribute.

Shavers passed away at the age of 78 following a short illness in September. He was active in the boxing ring between 1969 and 1995. The legendary boxer won two world heavyweight championships during his glorious career that spanned nearly three decades.

Shaquille O’Neal remembers Earnie Shavers

Months after his passing, Shaquille O’Neal paid a tribute to Earnie Shavers with a recent Instagram story. O’Neal shared a reel on his official Instagram account featuring boxing legends, including Mohammed Ali and George Foreman, claiming that Shavers was one of the hardest hitters in the sport.

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The boxing legend fought in 90 fights and won 75 of them. He won 69 games in knockouts and 23 of those wins came in the first round. Shavers only lost 14 fights in his long career. He challenged Mohammad Ali in 1977 and Larry Homes in 1979 for the heavyweight championship. But unfortunately, Shavers had to face defeat on both occasions.

After his retirement, Shavers also released his autobiography named ‘Welcome to the Big Time’ in 2001, serving as an inspiration for many sporting generations. Thus, the boxing world remembers the crucial contribution as fans mourned the legendary boxer’s death alongside Shaquille O’Neal.

Fans mourn the boxing legend’s passing

Fans felt that the sport of boxing will never be the same after the passing of Earnie Shavers. One of them wrote, “Earnie Shavers was the business that guy hits hard.”

Fans have always been in love with Shavers’ ability to take down his opponents with his hard-hitting punches. Here are some of the reactions from the fans.

“…Even boxing will Never be the same!!”

“Ali told me that in 1989, he said it hurt your whole body when he hit you.”

“…You might beat Earnie, but the beating you receive trying to do it leaves you either impaired or long-term residual damage. His punch was literally like the Kiss of Death…”

“The Black Destroyer was his nick name!!!”

“#legend RIP #warrior”

“Shavers, boom.”

“One shot to Stallone.”

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Thus, Shaquille O’Neal joined the mourning boxing fans to pay a tribute to Earnie Shavers.