Man, do I need to study up on my boxing history. :duh: It's funny 'cus I've had this book sitting up in my office at work called "A Pictorial History of Boxing." 384 pages and no mention of Shavers. I need to find better books.
Shavers' record, especially in certain key fights, will not be numerically impressive. He was basically a big, very tough, very, very strong journeyman with a pair of hands like cinder blocks. Chances are you could outbox Shavers, if you were a Holmes or Ali, but he was going to make you pay in your body, and if he caught you square in the face, you were going to feel what being a part of the NASA program was like.
A hometown hero, Ron Stander, KO'd Shavers back in the day. Later, Stander was able to get Frazier to come to Omaha for a title fight. Incidentally, Shavers fought his last winning bout here in Omaha about 10 years ago at the age of 50!
I picked up a xxx for $8 at famoussmoke.com, it was the only opus x and it was the only size they had. They don't have a great singles selection, but the availability changes daily. They have the best online prices I've seen. Shipping has always been between $6-7 and usually within 2 days. Just a little FYI.