Ken Norton: The Black Hercules

In his autobiography, George Foreman describes the anxiety that filled him as he looked across the ring at Ken Norton before their 1974 title fight. Norton had a 1-1 record with Muhammad Ali, breaking his jaw in the first encounter and suffering a very narrow loss in the rematch. But even more disturbing was how Norton looked. At a time when heavyweights were fit, but rarely chiseled, Norton's physique looked like it came straight out of a comic book. That was how Norton got his ring name: The Black Hercules.

Norton was always a superlative athlete. Growing up in Jacksonville, Illinois, he competed in track and field events and placed first in all eight events he entered. This resulted in the "Ken Norton Rule" for Illinois high school sports, limiting an athlete to a maximum of three track and field events. He then went to Truman State University on a football scholarship, and later enlisted in the Marine Corps.

It was in the Marines that Norton learned how to box. Despite his athletic talents, Norton did not have an outstanding amateur career. While he went to the AAU Nationals, he did not win the championship. Nor did he go to the Olympics. He turned pro in 1967 and had an equally undistinguished pro career. Over the next five years, he amassed a record 29-1 against thoroughly average opposition. It was easy to overlook Norton at that point in his career, which is exactly what Muhammad Ali did in March 1973.

The Jawbreaker

Before Ali, Norton's fought 7-6-1 Charlie Reno for $300. No one in the Ali camp expected much from Norton; they were focused on a rematch with then-champion Joe Frazier, but they were overlooking a few things. Both Norton and Frazier were trained by the great Eddie Futch, and Norton had been sparring with Frazier regularly. In the process, he improved rapidly. A great athlete, Norton had room for growth.

Norton stood 6'3" and weighed around 218lbs at his best. By the standards of the day, that made him a big, lean heavyweight. He wielded a good, hard jab and a smashing overhand right, and used the peculiar cross-armed style of guard that was later adopted by George Foreman in his second career. The cross-armed guard improves protection of the head, while leaving the body less well-protected.

Futch instructed Norton to back Ali up with his jab, and Norton did exactly that. Snapping the jab, Norton pushed Ali into a corner, and nailed Ali on the jaw with a hard right. The blow struck exactly where Ali had recently had a pair of teeth pulled, snapping the jawbone. Bravely, Ali continued to fight, but lost a split decision and his NABF title (the North American regional belt).

Ali's post-Frazier winning streak was broken along with his jaw, and all by a guy nobody had ever heard of. Getting back in the ring and avenging his defeat was essential, so Ali vs. Norton II took place less than six months later. Ali trained hard and turned up in much better shape, but the result showed the world that Norton's victory was no mere fluke, as Ali was only able to marginally improve his performance on the awkward and athletic Norton. The fight was very close, forcing Ali to change tactics from boxing Norton to standing and slugging with him in the final rounds. Ali's switch to brawling won him the final round, which was just enough to earn him a narrow split decision victory. Norton had lost, but his reputation as a solid, top ten contender was firmly established.

He Always Lost to Big Punchers

Coming off the narrow loss to Ali, Norton went straight to challenging for the world heavyweight title in 1974. While Norton had been engaged with Ali, Joe Frazier had lost the crown to "Big" George Foreman. Despite his initial misgivings, Foreman crushed Norton in two rounds, knocking him down three times. It revealed what was to be Norton's great flaw as a top heavyweight: he never did very well against anyone who could make him back up. Invariably, whenever he fought someone with the artillery to put him in reverse, Norton wound up flat on his back.

Norton quickly bounced back from his knockout loss, meeting Jerry Quarry to get back the NABF belt in 1975. Norton won the belt by stopping Quarry on cuts in the 5^th. He then avenged his loss to the only man to defeat him before Muhammad Ali, the capable journeyman Jose Luis Garcia, knocking that fighter down in the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th rounds before finally stopping him. He also took a detour from boxing to appear in the notorious, racially-charged and sexually explicit film Mandingo.

Norton continued to campaign as the NABF champion and top contender until he finally got his second world title shot: a rubber match with Muhammad Ali, who had beaten Foreman in 1974 in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle." The fight was the last great boxing match to be staged in Yankee Stadium, and to top it all off the NYPD was on strike, which meant security was poor and Yankee Stadium hosted a pretty rough crowd. Norton won the first half of the fight; Ali won the second half. The fight was dead even going into the last round, but critically Norton's corner did not see it that way. Perhaps remembering Ali coming out to trade his way to a narrow victory in the last round of their second encounter, and thinking they were comfortably ahead on points, Norton's people told him to take it easy. Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, told him to go out and give it everything. The result was Ali won a close-but-unanimous decision.

The Greatest Round in Heavyweight History

Norton remained a formidable and top contender in the late 1970s. After two tune-up fights in 1977, he met the slick and skilled Jimmy Young late that year. This bout was to establish the mandatory challenger to the WBC title, ½ of the world heavyweight crown. Norton was able to beat the fast, crafty boxer Young on points, carrying a close split decision win. However, before Norton could meet Muhammad Ali for a fourth time, Ali lost the title to tyro Leon Spinks. Spinks, rather than face Norton as ordered, chose a more lucrative rematch with Ali. The result was the heavyweight title was split for the first time since Ali had been stripped of it for draft evasion more than a decade before, and the WBC gave its half to Ken Norton.

Norton's first defense was against longtime Ali sparring partner Larry Holmes. They met in June 1978 in Las Vegas in one of the all-time classic heavyweight fights. After 14 brutal rounds, the fight was very close. Holmes was young and hungry. Norton remembered all those critical bouts he had taken away from him in the last round. The two fighters came out and traded hard power shots in the center of the ring for all three minutes of the 15^th and final round. With one minute to go, Norton dramatically knocked out Holmes's mouthpiece with a vicious uppercut. Holmes continued to battle without it, staggering Norton seconds later. In a battle of wills, Holmes came out just barely on top. Norton had lost yet another narrow split decision. Whether it was because Holmes wanted it just a little more, or simply had the edge of youth is still a matter for debate. The end went down in The Ring as one of the 12 greatest finishes of all-time, and was the greatest final round in heavyweight history.

Post-Script

Norton started his comeback after the Holmes loss, but hit a big hiccup immediately in the form of the hardest hitter of all time, Earnie Shavers. Shavers destroyed Norton in 1979 with a shocking 1^st round knockout, firmly establishing Norton's weakness with big punchers. Norton then met Canadian fringe contender Scott LeDoux, was knocked down twice, and barely held LeDoux to a draw. In 1981 he was crushed by another big puncher, the rising Gerry Cooney, and called it a day.

Norton remains unique in boxing history. Because he was awarded the WBC title by fiat, and lost all three of his world title bouts, he holds the anomalous position of having been the only heavyweight champion in history who had never won a title fight. Past that quirky distinction, he stands as one of only two men to have defeated Muhammad Ali in his prime, and to have fought Ali three times, sharing that status with Joe Frazier. He was also a two-time NABF champion. While Norton was notoriously vulnerable to big punchers, the other three losses he suffered in his prime were razor-thin and at the hands of two of the all-time great heavyweight champions: Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.

Norton enjoyed a short second career as a character actor until the mid-1980s, when he was involved in a terrible auto accident and suffered temporary brain and permanent physical damage. Norton was inducted in the Boxing Hall of Fame, and was twice voted "Father of the Year" by Los Angeles area newspapers. His son, Ken Norton, Jr. became a linebacker in the NFL, playing and winning in three consecutive Super Bowls (twice with the Cowboys and once with the '49ers).