Ken Norton Versus

[ThatOne]

Tim Witherspoon

Ernie Terrell

Zora Folley

Cleveland Williams

Joe Frazier

Floyd Patterson

[yancey]

Norton-Terrell.....zzzzzzzzzzzz

Norton-Folley.......Don't know. Never sure how good Folley really was. Norton by UD, if backed against a wall.

Norton-Williams.......a knockout by Big Cat, I guess, but wouldn't bet. I have never decided if Williams was really good or pretty overrated.

Norton-Frazier.......Frazier knocks out Kenny somewhere from the 7th to 9th, would definitely bet this one. Joe's pressure and resolve is too much for Norton and he breaks.

Norton-Patterson......Don't know. I'd be pulling for Floyd.

Norton had a pretty strange style, to my way of thinking. I have always thought he was a very good, but not great, boxer. Hard to figure him against some of these guys.

[dempseyfire]

Beats Terrell in a close fight

Norton-Folley: I think Folley springs a minor upset to take it on points

Norton-Williams: Hard one to gauge, 50/50. Forced to pick I go Norton simply b/c he's more proven at the upper levels and showed he could prevail in heavy gunfights.

Norton-Frazier: Frazier by TKO

Norton-Patterson: Norton by KO.

[Crease]

Ken Norton vs:
Tim Witherspoon - Norton by Unanimous Decision.
Ernie Terrell - Norton by Unanimous Decision
Zora Folley - Norton maybe by tko in the late rounds.
Cleveland Williams - Norton by close point decision.
Joe Frazier - Frazier by KO or TKO.
Floyd Patterson - Patterson by Unanimous Decision

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I like Witherspoon and Frazier to beat him. Kenny handles the rest. Terrell, Patterson & Folley are right in his wheelhouse.

[Goodnight, Irene]

I like Witherspoon and Frazier to beat him. Kenny handles the rest. Terrell, Patterson & Folley are right in his wheelhouse.

This mean he bests them easily?

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I wouldn't say that, it just means I'm confident in the outcome.

[elmersalsa]

Tim Witherspoon

Ernie Terrell

Zora Folley

Cleveland Williams

Joe Frazier

Floyd Patterson

Norton vs Witherspoon: Norton by late KO

Norton vs Terrell: Terrell was a bum. Norton by UD

Norton vs Folley: A hard fight for Norton. Norton wins by a close UD

Norton vs Big Cat Williams or the Truth Williams?: Either Williams, Norton beats them both.

Norton vs Frazier: The buck stops here for Kenny. Frazier would be too much for him.

Norton vs Patterson: Patterson has a puncher's chance, but Norton skills were better than Patterson's. Norton by late TKO.

[klompton]

Ken Norton gets so much mileage out of a split decision win over an out of shape and over confident Ali its ridiculous. Outside of that who did Norton beat that was a legit threat in his prime? Nobody. Id favor all of those guys to beat him. Id him an outside chance against a couple or three but Id favor all to beat him.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Ken Norton gets so much mileage out of a split decision win over an out of shape and over confident Ali its ridiculous. Outside of that who did Norton beat that was a legit threat in his prime? Nobody. Id favor all of those guys to beat him. Id him an outside chance against a couple or three but Id favor all to beat him.

Thats a pretty dishonest summation of Nortons career, & his encounters with Ali.

[klompton]

Then show me all these great prime fighters that he beat convincingly.

[elmersalsa]

Then show me all these great prime fighters that he beat convincingly.

He whupped the great Muhammad Ali 3 times...That is a fact.
TKO Jerry Quarry

[klompton]

Jerry Quarry was at the tail end of his career, out of shape, shot, AND a late sub. When both fighters were in their primes Norton ducked Quarry to the point he wouldnt even spar with him.

Norton did not beat Ali 3 times. The only time he beat him he caught Ali unmotivated, out of shape, broke his jaw, and still only managed a split decision.

So like I said, show me this deep resume that shows hes a lock to beat the four or five listed above.

[Rambo]

Then show me all these great prime fighters that he beat convincingly.

How many boxers like EVER have beaten a few 'great prime fighters' convincingly?

[crusader]

Ken Norton gets so much mileage out of a split decision win over an out of shape and over confident Ali its ridiculous. Outside of that who did Norton beat that was a legit threat in his prime? Nobody. Id favor all of those guys to beat him. Id him an outside chance against a couple or three but Id favor all to beat him.

Why would you favor Williams, Foley, and Terrell over Norton?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Then show me all these great prime fighters that he beat convincingly.

How many boxers like EVER have beaten a few 'great prime fighters' convincingly?

Yes.

George Foreman never beat a great, prime fighter. Not even one! Norton was excellent, Moorer capable, & Frazier close to his best, but no. George Foreman is no longer a great?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Then show me all these great prime fighters that he beat convincingly.

He didn't beat a lot of greats in their prime. However, that fails to change the fact that it's dishonest the way you've assessed his career. He won that first fight with Ali in what clearly should've been a UD. It was competitive, but so was Mosley-De La Hoya I --- & like that fight, it was an SD everyone knew Norton had won, without much doubt. You want to see a close fight, watch the second one --- Ali nicks it by the skin of his teeth! At a time when he's as motivated as he has been since facing Frazier two years earlier. With everything on the line, & possibly his career at a cross-roads, Ali gives everything & arguably loses that fight, in addition to dropping the first fight. That should speak volumes of Norton, & does.

Norton beat, & fought commendably against, some very capable fighters. He edged out the excellent Jimmy Young, barely lost to a young Larry Holmes when he was in the twilight of his career (though Holmes was injured, he was otherwise now in his prime, & Norton had clearly slipped), defeated other highly world-ranked opposition such as Henry Clark, Duane Bobick, & ageing versions of Jerry Quarry (I don't buy Quarry was as out-of-shape as is often repeated --- he'd just had a fight, no excuses about conditioning) & Jose Luis Garcia...yes, Norton's name is built on possibly beating Ali all three times, a bare-minimum of twice as I see it, but that in itself is something very, very few men could ever have done, even measuring upto the Ali of 1973.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Then show me all these great prime fighters that he beat convincingly.

He didn't beat a lot of greats in their prime. However, that fails to change the fact that it's dishonest the way you've assessed his career. He won that first fight with Ali in what clearly should've been a UD. It was competitive, but so was Mosley-De La Hoya I --- & like that fight, it was an SD everyone knew Norton had won, without much doubt. You want to see a close fight, watch the second one --- Ali nicks it by the skin of his teeth! At a time when he's as motivated as he has been since facing Frazier two years earlier. With everything on the line, & possibly his career at a cross-roads, Ali gives everything & arguably loses that fight, in addition to dropping the first fight. That should speak volumes of Norton, & does.

Norton beat, & fought commendably against, some very capable fighters. He edged out the excellent Jimmy Young, barely lost to a young Larry Holmes when he was in the twilight of his career (though Holmes was injured, he was otherwise now in his prime, & Norton had clearly slipped), defeated other highly world-ranked opposition such as Henry Clark, Duane Bobick, & ageing versions of Jerry Quarry (I don't buy Quarry was as out-of-shape as is often repeated --- he'd just had a fight, no excuses about conditioning) & Jose Luis Garcia...yes, Norton's name is built on possibly beating Ali all three times, a bare-minimum of twice as I see it, but that in itself is something very, very few men could ever have done, even measuring upto the Ali of 1973.

Nothing to add after this, excellent post.