Ken Norton vs. Boone Kirkman
Ken Norton 218 lbs beat Boone Kirkman 212 lbs by RTD in round 7 of 10
- Date: 1974-06-25
- Location: Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Referee: Pat McMurtry
Norton Rips Kirkman
SEATTLE (AP) — Fifth-ranked Ken Norton of San Diego, hitting almost at will, stopped Boone Kirkman of Renton, Wash., in the eighth round of their scheduled 10-round heavyweight fight Tuesday night.
Norton pounded Kirkman's jaw with left and rights throughout the seventh round and as the bell sounded Kirkman was flat on his back. He was unable to answer the bell for the eighth round.
Kirkman, at 212 pounds, was the aggressor in the opening round. He bored in mercilessly with hard body punches that slowed Norton only temporarily.
From then on, Norton began getting to Kirkman's face with left jabs and hooks, and by the third round, Kirkman was bleeding from the nose.
Norton, 218, took over the aggressor's role and took advantage of Kirkman's failure to cover up.
Kirkman, apparently trying to wait for the big blow that would put down his taller and heavier opponent, ran out of time. He also appeared to tire and was at least a step behind.
There were no other knockdowns in the fight, although Kirkman slipped briefly to his knees in the third round.
Even though it was obvious Kirkman was getting the worst of it, thousands of fans in the Seattle Coliseum screamed, "Boom! Boom!" the nickname the Renton brawler earned while compiling a 32-3 record, including 23 knockouts.
Norton, who like Kirkman was knocked out in his last fight, appeared undisturbed by the partisan fans. He had said before the fight he would prove he was the better boxer. Even when the brawling Renton boxer had him tied up on the ropes, Norton's left was constantly finding Kirkman's face and jaw.
Norton went into the fight with a 29-3 record, 22 of his wins by knockout. Kirkman's record previouusly was 32-3, includiing 23 knockouts.
The fight produced a record indoor gate of $98,335, but the attendance of 11,093 was not a record.