Earnie Dee Shaver (born August 31, 1945), best known as
Earnie Shavers, is an American former
professional boxer and two-time world
heavyweight title challenger. He is considered by most boxing experts to be the hardest-punching
knockout artist of all time. Having knocked out or
stopped fifty of his opponents inside three rounds, his one-punch power remains legendary in the boxing community. In a career spanning 26 years, Shavers defeated three world champions in
Vicente Rondón,
Jimmy Ellis and
Ken Norton, as well as top contenders such as
Jimmy Young and
Joe Bugner. Shavers' status as the hardest puncher of all time was backed up by former opponents such as Norton, Young, Bugner,
Ron Lyle,
Muhammad Ali,
Larry Holmes, and
James Tillis.