Frankie G. Boxing/Fitness

'Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that's in rhythm or you're in trouble. Your rhythm should set the pace of the fight. If it does, then you pe*****te your opponent's rhythm. You make him fight your fight, and that's what boxing is all about.'

- Sugar Ray Robinson

'There's never been a boxer better than Joe Louis. You'd take one shot from him and you were sure he'd have seven or eight more coming for you. Certainly Muhammad Ali was the greatest man ever to fight, but not the greatest boxer.' - George Foreman

'I used to tease Joe Louis by reminding him that I was the greatest of all time. But Joe Louis was the greatest heavyweight fighter ever.' - Muhammad Ali

'I define fear as standing across the ring from Joe Louis and knowing he wants to go home early.' - Max Baer

'Joe Louis, to me, was the finest human being God put on this earth in every way.' - Angelo Dundee

'Joe Louis is the greatest heavyweight champion of all time.' - Joe Frazier

'Every time I hear the name Joe Louis my nose starts to bleed.' - Tommy Farr

'When you're a great finisher, you’ll become popular. Joe Louis was a great finisher.' - Mike Tyson

'He was a credit to his race – the human race.' - Jimmy Cannon

'Work hard in silence. Let your success be your noise.'

- Angelo Dundee

On this day...

'Nobody hits like Shavers. If anybody hit harder than Shavers, I'd shoot him...Earnie could punch you in the neck with his right hand and break your ankle.' - Randall 'Tex' Cobb

'Earnie hit me harder than any other fighter, including Mike Tyson. He hit me and I was face down on the canvas hearing saxophonist Jimmy Tillis.' - Larry Holmes

'Hey man, that's the hardest I've ever been hit in my life. And George Foreman could punch, but none of them could hit like Earnie Shavers did. When he hit you, the lights went out. I can laugh about it now, but at the time, it wasn't funny.' - Ron Lyle

'Earnie hit me so hard, he shook my kinfolk back in Africa.' - Muhammad Ali

'Shavers hit so hard he turned horse p*ss into gasoline! He hit me so hard he brought back tomorrow. When he hit me… I was seeing pink rats and cats and animals smoking ci******es. I was in the land of make-believe.' - James Tillis

'It was like someone was hitting me with a sledgehammer.' - Leroy Caldwell

'Earnie wasn't a really good boxer, but God, his power was amazing.' - Angelo Dundee

'His punching power isn't thunderous, it's murderous.' - Bert Sugar

On this day in 1944, the two time Heavyweight World Championship challenger and the man possessing one of the most feared set of fists in history was born. That man was none other than Earnie Shavers.

Despite not managing to capture the crown, Shavers provided boxing fans with hours upon hours of legendary fight footage, with him having shared the ring with numerous Heavyweight legends including Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, Jimmy Ellis, Ron Lyle and Jerry Quarry.

Please join us in congratulating Earnie on celebrating his 77th birthday today.

Happy Birthday Earnie, Many Happy Returns.