RIP Ken Norton, Heavyweight Champ: Defeated Ali in His Prime

“I’m sure he’s in heaven now with all the great fighters. I’d like to hear that conversation.” – Ken Norton Jr. on his father’s passing.

Ken Norton

 Ken Norton, Sr. died on Wednesday September 18, 2013, one of the great fighters of the 1970’s and one of the great fighters of all time.  Norton got into boxing late, picking it up in the Marine Corps.  He wasn’t a child prodigy like Ali who won Olympic gold.  He wasn’t raised in gyms in Philadelphia like Frazier or in Houston like Foreman.  I remember seeing an old interview when Norton said that since he didn’t grow up in boxing, he never got used to the dawn to dusk training of the other greats and had to will himself up in the morning to run.  But run he did. And he fought like a force of nature.  He had a cross-armed “crab” defense, and he threw jabs from below, under the guard of traditional fighters. 

Ali didn’t see the jabs coming.  He didn’t see Norton coming, either.  Ali reportedly hurt his ankle before their first fight in Norton’s adopted town of San Diego, but according to former Ali business manager Gene Kilroy “Ali said it’s not going to be that tough.”  (See Obituary in Houston Chronicle)

AP photo: Norton v. Ali

Norton wasn’t highly regarded by the boxing press, either. He’d reeled of 16 consecutive victories to start his career, all in California.  He lost the seventeenth to an experienced fighter (he later avenged the loss, the mark of all great fighters), then reeled off 13 more victories before facing Ali, who was in his prime and coming off his loss to Frazier in their first, epic bout.

Norton broke Ali’s jaw early.  Ali spent the fight eating the low-slung jab, Norton constantly coming forward.  Maybe this got Ali ready for Foreman’s attack in Zaire.  Norton visited Ali in the hospital.  Ali said he didn’t want a rematch.  He got two, and won two decisions, figuring out Norton’s jab and unorthodox style.  The fights were close.  Norton thought he won all three. He had a good argument.

Norton couldn’t figure out Foreman, who never had trouble with fighters who came at him. Ernie Shavers, the hardest hitting fighter in history, took Norton out in one round.  But Norton would fight and beat Jimmy Young and Gerry Quarry, two greats.  Leon Spinks wouldn’t fight him, abdicating the title. 

Perhaps Norton’s greatest fight was against Larry Holmes.  It was all action the whole way and one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all time.  Norton would lose the decision, but it could have been his.

Norton fought the best of his era, which was the best era of heavyweights of all time.  Though he lost decisions to hall of famers, and lost by knockout to two of the greatest punchers of all time (Shavers and Foreman), he fought them hard and showed tremendous courage and skill throughout his career. He was a great fighter, one of the greatest.  He’s in the Hall of Fame, and rightfully so.

See also Maxboxing