Former heavyweight champ Ken Norton dies aged 70
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Former heavyweight champion Ken Norton, who beat Muhammad Ali and then lost a controversial decision to him in Yankee Stadium, died Wednesday at a local care facility, his son said. He was 70.
Norton had been in poor health for the last several years after suffering a series of strokes, a friend of the fighter said.
"He's been fighting the battle for two years," said Gene Kilroy, Ali's former business manager. "I'm sure he's in heaven now with all the great fighters. I'd like to hear that conversation."
Norton broke Ali's jaw in their first bout, beating him by split decision in 1973 in a non-title fight in San Diego. They fought six months later, and Ali narrowly won a split decision.
They met for a third time on Sept. 28, 1976, at Yankee Stadium and Ali narrowly won to keep his heavyweight title.
Norton would come back the next year to win a heavyweight title eliminator and was declared champion by the World Boxing Council. But on June 9, 1978, he lost a bruising 15-round fight to Larry Holmes in what many regard as one of boxing's epic heavyweight bouts and would never be champion again.
Norton finished with a record of 42-7-1 and 33 knockouts. He would later embark on an acting career, appearing in several movies, and was a commentator at fights.
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RIP
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I first met Kenny the day before the second Ali vs Frazier fight. He was staying across the hall from my brother and I at the Statler-Hilton. He took a lot of time to talk to us (and welterweight contender Hedgemon Lewis got impatient, saying, "C'mon, Ken. We got places to go." Kenny said, "It can wait until after I talk with these guys."
I remember the sharp, tailored outfit he wore, and especially a huge diamond ring.
Actually, that cross-arm defense was perfected by the 'Ole Mongoose, Archie Moore. And if you look back to the last two fights that young Cassius Clay had before challenging Sonny Liston -- both of which made most "experts" sure Clay would be murdered by the Big Bear -- Doug Jones (a blown-up light heavyweight) used that cross-arm defense to give Clay hell (Ali won a "disputed" decision), and England's Henry Cooper famously decked Clay. But Jones set that blueprint for fighting The Champ.
How Kenny was different was in how he dragged his right foot. That gave him the balance needed to throw the lifting jab that frustrated Ali. However, it reduced Kenny's ability to move backwards -- hence, he had been kayoed once before fighting Ali by a big puncher, and would continue to be knocked out by the hard-punching, aggressive heavyweights.
One of the fascinating, though little-known today, chapters of Norton and Ali came back during The Champ's forced retirement years. Of course, he went to various gyms, even when it looked like his future was grim. One day, he sparred the young Norton, and had a tougher time than expected. The next day, Ali came back, insisting Kenny spar him again. Norton said no, the next time I get in the ring with you, I'm getting paid for it. He was confident he could beat Ali in a fight -- based on everything coming off his jab -- and wasn't going to let Ali try to solve that puzzle.
