BoxRec

over the christmas period my cabel provider has a free channel that is just classic boxing matches. i just finished watching Leonard - Herans II (one of the best fights i have ever seen)
anyway, i just watched the ali norton trilogy as well
the first fight was booring as. nothing to say about it

before the second fight however the presenters said veiwers should score the bout themselves because the real result was contreversial.
i scored it 115-113 Ali, i saw no controvery at all, but if Ali didnt have such a good last round he would have been in trouble...

the third fight was differnt though, i knew who won the fight before i watched it but i had never seen it before. i didnt score this one but after the fight i was in pullzed as to how anyone could score that fight for ali...
one of the worst decisions i have ever seen
just a thought.
okay now im off to watch Leonard v Hagler
merry fuckin christmas

Norton was Ali's must difficult opponent; (he learnt how to deal with Frazier, even if it was illegal holding tactics) he never solved Norton at all.

He lost the 1st, the 2nd was so close, it could have gone either way & Norton won the 3rd but was robbed.

To be fair, Ali was well past his best (as with the Frazier trilogy) & would have dealt with Ken easily from 1963 - 1967.

Norton should have got the nod in the first fight (perhaps) and definitely in their 3rd contest -

The second fight I agree the Ali won a close decison.


As for the comment that Ali "solved" Fraizer.......I can see that sentiment to a point.... BUT ...the fact is when both men fought each other in their primes and undefeated....it was Frazier who came out clearly on top - Frazier never seems to get his due with regard to that actually reality.

Ali had a number of very close dec go his way......but that was back during a time....where one had to TAKE a champions belt.....more so then today where you can just jab and run and point someone's title from them.

meade95 wrote:Norton should have got the nod in the first fight (perhaps) and definitely in their 3rd contest -

The second fight I agree the Ali won a close decison.


As for the comment that Ali "solved" Fraizer.......I can see that sentiment to a point.... BUT ...the fact is when both men fought each other in their primes and undefeated....it was Frazier who came out clearly on top - Frazier never seems to get his due with regard to that actually reality.

Ali had a number of very close dec go his way......but that was back during a time....where one had to TAKE a champions belt.....more so then today where you can just jab and run and point someone's title from them.

Yes, Ali did win some very close fights, as did many of the great fighters in history.

IMHO, the first Norton fight wasn't really close, except in the eyes of the judges. Norton put a pretty good wippin on Ali in that fight and I really have a hard time seeing how anyone could call it close. The second and third fights were close, especially the 3rd, which I thought Norton won when I first saw it, but in subsequent viewings I think it could have gone either way.

Decagon wrote:People don't understand that Frazier's prime was from 1966 to 1971, not 1971 to 1976.

i agree, frazier was never the same after that first ali fight

Decagon wrote:People don't understand that Frazier's prime was from 1966 to 1971, not 1971 to 1976.

i agree, frazier was never the same after that first ali fight, notice how frazier puts on 10lb and that 10lb is not muscle, its excessive weight.

Frazier weighed only 209 for the Ali rematch in 1974.

Cojimar 1945 wrote:Frazier weighed only 209 for the Ali rematch in 1974.

frazier was not the same peak 204lb fast quick reflexes frazier after the 1st ali fight. in fact, eddie futch wanted frazier to retire after the ali fight because he knew frazier wasnt the same anymore.

To be fair, Ali was well past his best (as with the Frazier trilogy) & would have dealt with Ken easily from 1963 - 1967.

easily??.. no way!!!

cultus wrote:

To be fair, Ali was well past his best (as with the Frazier trilogy) & would have dealt with Ken easily from 1963 - 1967.

easily??.. no way!!!

Ali had legs between 1963 & 1967. Between 1973 & 1976, his legs had gone.

He would have danced & befuddled Norton in the 60's.

Me thinks that Nortons style would have troubled Ali at any stage of his career. It would have been a tough matchup for any version of the Greatest.