Leroy Caldwell suffered second-round stoppage defeats to both George Foreman and Earnie Shavers, but one of them punched so hard that it felt like someone was hitting his toes with a hammer.
By the time he faced Caldwell in 1971, Foreman was a relatively unknown quantity but had been quietly building his reputation as a vicious puncher.
It was then under three years later that ‘Big George’ claimed the WBC world heavyweight title, dethroning Joe Frazier with an emphatic two-round demolition job.
Not long after that, Foreman secured another second-round finish, this time against Ken Norton, before suffering an eighth-round knockout defeat to Muhammad Ali in 1974.
It is hardly surprising, then, that Foreman, along with formidable contender Shavers, is now considered one of the greatest heavyweight punchers of all time.
Unlike his fellow knockout artist, though, Shavers did not quite manage to become a world champion after securing title shots against Ali and Larry Holmes.
But even so, the ‘Black Destroyer’ is widely regarded as the most powerful fighter in history, with his first-round finish over Norton in 1979 representing a particularly compelling sprinkle of evidence.
Before his two world title fights, Shavers collided with Caldwell in 1972 and ended their contest in typically destructive fashion.
As a result, Caldwell told The Mayweather Channel that Shavers was a ‘way bigger’ puncher than Foreman.
“Shavers hit way harder than Foreman, and it’s a different type of punch. Shavers hit me so hard, it felt like someone was hitting each one of my toes with a hammer.
I didn’t know nothing until they took my gloves off. I don’t believe no boxer in the world hit as hard as Shavers.”
During his career, Shavers often accused Foreman and Frazier of swerving him, though his power never gave them much of a reason to enter such dangerous territory.
