Earnie Shavers (born August 31, 1945) is a former professional boxer. At the peak of his professional career, Shavers challenged for the world heavyweight championship on two occasions against Muhammad Ali in September 1977 and Larry Holmes in September 1979, losing on both attempts. Despite this, Shavers was much respected for his punching power, and is often regarded as one of the hardest punchers of all time. Shavers has defeated two heavyweight world champions in Jimmy Ellis and Ken Norton, as well as top contenders such as Jimmy Young and Joe Bugner. Shavers currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He released an autobiography about his life and fight career called "Welcome to the Big Time" in 2002.