Las Vegas, 23rd March 1979 – The Las Vegas Hilton Pavilion witnessed a stunning demolition job as Earnie Shavers flattened former heavyweight champion Ken Norton in less than two minutes of the opening round. In front of 5,376 spectators and a national television audience on ABC, Shavers produced what many regard as the most emphatic victory of his career.

Norton entered the eliminator as the World Boxing Council’s number one contender, with Shavers ranked just behind him. The bookmakers had made Norton a clear 9-5 favourite, yet the contest did not unfold according to expectation. Shavers, long recognised as one of the division’s hardest hitters, wasted no time in proving that reputation fully deserved.

From the opening bell, Shavers launched a furious assault. Norton, attempting to employ a cautious defensive approach, was immediately pressed back to the ropes. The former champion relied on his cross-armed guard, a style that had carried him through many previous wars, but it offered little resistance to the accuracy and force of Shavers’ blows.

A fierce left hand to the body, followed by a crunching shot to the head, visibly shook Norton. With his legs betraying him, he found himself trapped as Shavers maintained a ruthless pace. A hook smashed into his temple, followed almost instantly by a right hand that deposited him on the canvas.

Showing immense courage, Norton beat the referee’s count, but his balance was gone. Shavers stormed forward once more, unleashing a brutal right uppercut that sent Norton crashing to the floor for a second time. This time, although Norton again attempted to rise, trainer Bill Slayton signalled that enough was enough. Referee Mills Lane duly waved the contest over at one minute and fifty-eight seconds of the first round.

The knockout secured Shavers not only the eliminator but also the most celebrated triumph of his long career. A fighter often doubted for his stamina, he required no such reserves on this night. His punching power, ranked amongst the greatest in heavyweight history, decided the matter before Norton had time to adapt.

For Norton, it was a crushing setback. At 35, and only a fight removed from his epic clash with Larry Holmes, he looked in magnificent physical condition but was unable to withstand the concussive power of Shavers. The defeat marked the beginning of the end for the former champion, whose resilience against the division’s biggest punchers had always been suspect.

As for Shavers, this first-round destruction of a leading contender stands as a definitive moment in heavyweight history—a reminder of what happens when one of boxing’s most ferocious hitters connects cleanly.