This is from Janitor: "The thing about Louis is that most of his opponents said that somebody else hit them harder like Max Baer or Curtis Shepard." As we all know Shavers's opponents frequently picked him as the most powerful puncher. This in an era where the HWs in general were bigger (and probably more powerful) than in Louis's. I think that you probably will find the hardest puncher among the 90's crop, though. Lewis, Morrisson, Tyson (who hit harder post prison), Briggs, Tua etc were all brutal punchers. They were massive guys and some of them had really good handspeed as well. Corrie Sanders straight left is also undoubtly one of the hardest punches ever IMO. Wladimir's right is in the ballpark, as well.