SI Vault Pat Putnam October 08, 1979 And how sweet it was for
Larry, who in dismantling Earnie Shavers not only retained his
heavyweight title but also restored his tarnished reputation
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08, 1979  Holmes, Sweet Holmes   View CoverRead All Articles
View This Issue  The end of last Friday night's WBC heavyweight-
title fight in Las Vegas came not two minutes into the 11th
round, when Davey Pearl, the referee, stepped between tottering,
defenseless Earnie Shavers and champion Larry Holmes. No, the
bout was really over at the close of the seventh, when Shavers,
who had been taking a licking, unleashed one of his monumental
overhand rights—and hammered Holmes backward onto the canvas at
Caesars Palace.  This was the unbeaten Holmes' fourth defense of
his title, and at that moment it looked like there might never
be a fifth. When Shavers unloads—and connects—the hittee seldom
rises. This was Shavers' 66th professional fight and he had won
56 of them by ren