| "I had all the material things but that peace wasn’t there" | | Earnie Shavers |
Renowned as “sports hardest ever puncher” boxer Earnie Shavers was in Jersey recently supporting a boxing event between clubs representing the island and New Jersey, U.S.A. Earnie “Black Destroyer” Shavers famously fought Muhammed Ali for the Heavyweight World Title at Maddison Square Garden, loosing out on a points decision. Since retiring from the sport he has swapped the ring for the pulpit, and BBC Jersey’s Richard Collinson spoke to Earnie Shavers about how he made the transition from boxing legend to preacher.
Listen to Richard Collinson's interview with Earnie Shavers in full by clicking on the link below:
 Earnie Shavers Interview >
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“I had everything that you can dream about having; a mansion, Rolls Royces, money, my wife and kids,” Earnie said, “but I knew there was something missing…I had all the material things but that peace wasn’t there” In 1980 Earnie believes that God “got his attention” by allowing him to loose all his worldly possessions, and a few years later he took the decision to give his life to Lord, a decision he feels has changed his life “by a million percent!”. “I couldn’t have chosen a better decision than to become a Christian, I wish I’d done it sooner. It’s a great peace of mind I have.” Since devoting his life to Evangelism he has permanently moved from the USA to the UK to continue his religious work, however he still has a passion for his sport and believes that there is a compatibility between boxing and religion: “It’s compatible because as a fighter it’s all depends on you - if you don’t do it, it don’t get done. As a Christian – if you don’t do it, it don’t get done…you have support for you, but you’ve got to do it yourself to make it work.” | 
