Ken Norton

2011-12-29T23:29:19Z

Metrónomo:

[[file:Norton.Ken.jpg|left||250px|thumb|Ken Norton]]
[[file:Ibhof-logo.jpg|thumb|right|Class of 1992 Modern Category Hall of Fame bio:[http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/modern/norton.html click]]]
[[File:WBHF Logo.jpg|right|thumb|200px|World Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee]]
<boxer>000168</boxer>
'''Trainer:''' [[Bill Slayton]] (1973-) 

'''[[:Category:Ken Norton Gallery|Ken Norton Gallery]] 

'''Kenneth Howard Norton''' is a former [[WBC]] Heavyweight Champion from Jacksonville, Illinois. He is best known for his trilogy with three-time World Heavyweight Champion [[Muhammad Ali]].

Born on August 9, 1943, Norton was an outstanding athlete at Jacksonville High School. He was a member of the state championship football team and was selected to the all-state team on defense as a senior in 1960. His track coach once entered him in eight events: He placed first in five events and second in three. As a result, the "Ken Norton Rule" was instituted in Illinois high school sports, which limits participation of an athlete to a maximum of three track and field events. After graduating from high school, Norton went to Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) on a football scholarship and studied elementary education.

Norton started boxing when he was in the United States Marine Corps. He compiled an amateur record of 24-2 and won the All-Marine Heavyweight Championship three times. Norton turned professional in 1967. He developed a style similar to [[Archie Moore]] - using a cross-armed defense. Norton attributes the motivational book ''Think and Grow Rich'' by Napoleon Hill, as being very inspirational for him during his boxing career. Norton discussed in his autobiography, ''Going the Distance'', that he was given ''Think and Grow Rich'' after he suffered his first boxing defeat to [[Ken Norton vs. Jose Luis Garcia (1st meeting)|Jose Luis Garcia]] in 1970 and it changed his life. He then went on a fourteen fight winning streak, including an upset victory over [[Muhammad Ali]] by [[Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton (1st meeting)|split decision]] to win the NABF Heavyweight Crown in 1973. (Ali's only loss coming into his first bout with Norton was to Smokin' [[Joe Frazier]] and Ali would later go on to defeat [[George Foreman]] to regain the heavyweight title in 1974). Norton fractured Ali's jaw and became the second boxer to defeat "The Greatest" in his pro career. They fought again six months later, and Ali beat Norton by a 12-round [[Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton (2nd meeting)|split decision]].

Norton fought George Foreman for the World Heavyweight Championship in 1974. Foreman stopped Norton in the second round to increase his record to 40-0 with 37 knockouts. In 1975, Norton avenged his 1970 loss to Jose Luis Garcia with a 5th round knockout.

In 1976, Norton fought Ali for the third and final time. Ali retained the World Heavyweight Championship when he defeated Norton by a controversial 15-round [[Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton (3rd meeting)|unanimous decision]]. The January 1998 issue of ''[[Boxing Monthly]]'' listed Ali-Norton III as the fifth most disputed title fight decision in boxing history.

In 1977, Norton knocked out previously unbeaten [[Duane Bobick]] in one round and beat [[Jimmy Young]] in a 15-round split-decision in a WBC title-elimination fight. With the win over Young, Norton became the mandatory challenger for the winner of the upcoming fight between Ali and [[Leon Spinks]]. Spinks defeated Ali for the World Heavyweight Championship, but instead of making his first defense against Norton, Spinks chose to have an immediate rematch with Ali. As a result, the WBC stripped Spinks of the title and awarded it to Norton by virtue of his victory over Young.

In his first title defense, Norton lost the WBC title via a 15-round [[Ken Norton vs. Larry Holmes|split decision]] to [[Larry Holmes]] in 1978. The September 1998 issue of ''[[The Ring Magazine|The Ring]]'' listed the final round as one of the "12 Greatest Finishes of All Time." Holmes-Norton is ranked as the 10th greatest heavyweight fight of all time by Monte D. Cox, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization. Holmes went on to become the second longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion in the history of boxing, behind Joe Louis.

Ken Norton once said "In boxing, and in all of life, nobody should ever stop learning!" [The Ring Magazine, Sept. 1976].

== Boxing Factoids ==
* The 1998 Holiday Issue of ''[[Ring Magazine|The Ring]]'' ranked Norton as the 22nd greatest heavyweight of all-time.
* Norton received the [[Boxing Writers Association of America]] J. Niel Trophy for "Fighter of the Year" in 1977.
* Norton, a proponent of motivational author Napoleon Hill's writings (e.g. ''Think and Grow Rich'' as noted above and ''Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude'' by Hill and W. Clement Stone) also received the "Napoleon Hill Award" for positive thinking in 1973.
* Ken Norton was twice voted "Father of the Year" by the ''Los Angeles Sentinel'' and the ''Los Angeles Times'' in 1977.
* Norton appeared in popular TV series (such as ''The A-Team'' in a 1983 episode and ''Knight Rider'' in a 1986 episode), acted in approximately twenty motion pictures, worked as a television and radio sports commentator, and was a member of the Sports Illustrated Speakers Bureau until suffering temporary brain and permanent physical damage in an auto accident in 1986.
* The character of "Apollo Creed" in [[Rocky (Film)|Rocky]] was initially going to be played by Norton. However, when he pulled out, Carl Weathers was selected.
*His son, Ken Norton Jr., became a star linebacker in the National Football League, winning Super Bowl rings with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. He is now the linebackers coach at the University of Southern California.
* Autobiography: ''Going The Distance: The Ken Norton Story''
* 1989 inductee into the [[World Boxing Hall of Fame]]
* 1992 inductee into the [[International Boxing Hall of Fame]]
* 2004 inductee into the [[United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame]]
* 2008 inductee into the WBC Hall of Fame
* 2011 inductee into the California Sports Hall of Fame

== External Links ==
*[http://www.sdhoc.com/awards/hall-of-fame/boxing/ken-norton/] San Diego Hall of Champions' page about Ken Norton
*[http://www.usmc-mccs.org/sports/hof/2004-norton.cfm] Marine Corps Community Services: Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame's page about Ken Norton
*[http://www.wbhf.org/] World Boxing Hall of Fame
*[http://www.fanbase.com/5-Ken-Norton?r=1&r=1] Ken Norton's page at Fanbase

== Reference Sources ==
*[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v7osAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KhMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2373%2C1808762] No. 1 Contender, 1978 N.Y. Times News Service
*[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XuAjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fykEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2358%2C2878012] Norton-Young Bout May Be for the Title, The Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 5, 1977
*[http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19730807&id=omoQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3YsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5142,814605] The Jim Murray Column, 1973 Los Angeles Times
*[http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-26/sports/sp-7367_1] Ken Norton Is Now Fighting Back: Former Champ Is Learning to Talk Again After 1986 Car Accident, 1987 Los Angeles Times
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=s9MDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA152&dq=ken%20norton&pg=PA152#v=onepage&q&f=true] The Man Who 'Whupped' Muhammad Ali, Ebony (magazine) June, 1973
*[http://edmagiktv.blogspot.com/2010/08/ken-norton-former-heavyweight-champion.html] Ken Norton-Former Heavyweight Champion Of The World Seeks The Truth, 2010 ED MAGIK TV
*Autobiography: Going the Distance, Norton, Ken; et al. (2000). Sports Publishing, Champaign, IL
*Biography: Believe: Journey From Jacksonville, Norton, Ken; Hennessey, Donald, Jr. & Amodeo, John (2009). 1st World Publishing, Fairfield, IA
*The Ring Magazine [page 43], September, 1976
*[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=naRhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8H0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7021%2C121802] Norton: Nobody to Somebody, UPI, April 2, 1973
*[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CGFQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e1gDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6803%2C1164072] The New Champion, AP, March 20, 1978
*[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pJ1fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xDEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6305%2C6726456] Norton Has Philosophy Of Success, AP, July 28, 1973
*[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R89OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-gEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5103%2C2240102] Hypnotist Aided Norton - Confidence Key To Upset Of Ali, AP, April 2, 1973
*[http://www.myrecordjournal.com/latestnews/article_471bc80d-7077-5232-9d79-3429791a6566.html] The man who broke Ali's jaw is in Meridan, Record-Journal, November 15, 2008
*[http://www.californiasportshalloffame.org/inductees/2011/boxing/Ken-Norton.php] California Sports Hall of Fame
*[http://www.saddoboxing.com/296-rocky-norton-creed.html] Rocky the Movie: The Kenny Norton Story of the Real Apollo Creed? by Joseph de Beauchamp, Boxing News - Saddo Boxing

{{start box}}
{{Succession box|
before=[[Leon Spinks]] Stripped|
title=[[WBC Heavyweight Champion]]|
after=[[Larry Holmes]]|
years=1978 Mar 29 – 1978 Jun 9
}}
{{end box}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Ken}}

[[Category:African American Boxers]]
[[Category:World Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:American World Champions]]
[[Category:IBHOF Members]]
[[Category:World Boxing Hall of Fame Members]]
[[Category:NABF Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:Actors]]

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Ken Norton