Five years before I was an eager amateur, climbing into Gleason's Gym ring against this world-ranked puncher and feeling thrilled to have survived three rounds with him. Now he was all that stood between me and my chance at the Heavyweight Title.
Outside the ring, Shavers was one of the most likeable guys in all of boxing. And he was my friend. Over the years we'd sparred a bunch of rounds and hung out together. I'd found him to be an unassuming kind of guy with a nice sense of humor. Earnie was easy to be around, but push come to shove, make no mistake, he was all man.
I remember one time a bunch of us were playing cards in a Cleveland hotel room and, with thousands of dollars on the table and Earnie riding a winning hand, one of the guys tried to claim a mixed deal on account of an exposed card. Earnie wasn't buying bullshit. With one of his big-knuckled hands, he picked up the money and with a glare that might have made Sonny Liston nervous, said "This money belongs to me. Anybody says different, come and get it". Nobody said different. Not me. Not nobody."
(Larry Holmes)
