Earnie Shavers, a renowned boxer who had a score of 74-14-1, died. He was 78.

Deadline quoted the reports shared by multiple news outlets (including Yahoo!), confirming that Shavers died on Thursday.

His family is yet to release an official announcement regarding his death, but the cause of death remains unknown as of press time. His bereaved loved ones are facing the darkest time of their lives with his passing, especially since the boxer passed away a day after celebrating his 78th birthday.

Organizations and fans paid their heartfelt tributes to the late boxer, honoring him as one of the hardest punchers in the history of the sport.

Super 70s Sports' Twitter page wrote, "Super Sky Point to Earnie Shavers, who put more people to sleep than Ambien and hypnosis combined. How Larry Holmes got up from this perfect right hand from arguably the hardest-punching heavyweight who ever lived is beyond me. #RIP"

Earnie Shavers' Boxing Legacy

Shavers had decades of career as a boxer, rising to fame during the 1970s. He famously started his career professionally in 1969 and officially retired in 1995 after setting a 74-14-1 record. Sixty-eight of his winds were knockouts.

Among his contenders, Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes were the ones who tested him for the heavyweight title.

Unfortunately, Shavers lost to Ali during their 1977 fight at Madison Square Garden. Still, the legendary boxer was impressed with his skills. Larry Holmes and Ken Norton also shared the ring with him.

One of his most notable fights happened in 1979 when he fought against Holmes for the WBC belt. At that time, he managed to knock Holmes down.

After the fight, Holmes admitted that Shavers' punch was the hardest he ever received in his win. That punch caused him to win in March 1979 when he knocked out Ken Norton in the first round.

In addition, Shavers also scored wins when he competed against Jimmy Elis and Jimmy Young.

Despite those victories, he went through ups and downs in his career as he announced and canceled his retirement multiple times. He quit for the first time in 1983 but came back in 1987.

After one fight, he retired again before returning in 1995 and scored another win before Brian Yates stopped him from competing at the age of 51.

Details about Earnie Shavers' funeral are yet to be publicized.