Ken Norton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ken Norton
Norton in 1976
Statistics
Real name	Kenneth Howard Norton Sr.
Nickname(s)	The Black Hercules The Jaw Breaker The Fighting Marine
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in
Reach	80 in
Born	(1943-08-09)August 9, 1943 Jacksonville, Illinois, U.S.
Died	September 18, 2013(2013-09-18) (aged 70) Henderson, Nevada, U.S.
Boxing record
Total fights	50
Wins	42
Wins by KO	33
Losses	7
Draws	1

Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (born August 9, 1943 – died September 18, 2013) was an American professional boxer. He competed from 1967 to 1981. In 1978, he held the WBC world heavyweight championship.

Norton is most famous for his exciting fights against Muhammad Ali. Norton won their first match, but lost the next two. He also had a very tough fight with Larry Holmes in 1978, which he lost by a small margin.

Norton stopped boxing in 1981. He was honored in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

Early Life and Sports

Ken Norton was an amazing athlete when he was young. He went to Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Illinois. In 1960, he was chosen for the all-state football team.

His track coach once put him in eight different events. Norton won seven of them! Because of this, a new rule was made in Illinois high school sports. It's called the "Ken Norton Rule." It says that an athlete can only be in a maximum of four track and field events.

After high school, Norton went to Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University). He had a scholarship to play football. He studied to become an elementary school teacher. Norton once said that if he hadn't become a boxer, he would have been a teacher or a police officer.

Becoming a Boxer

After college, Norton joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He served from 1963 to 1967. While in the Marines, he started boxing. He had a great record of 24 wins and only 2 losses. He won three all-Marine heavyweight titles.

He became one of the best boxers to ever fight for the Marines. He also won other important amateur boxing titles. After the National AAU finals in 1967, he decided to become a professional boxer.

Professional Boxing Career

Norton started his professional career with many wins. Some were against less experienced fighters, and others were against rising stars. In 1970, he had a surprising loss to Jose Luis Garcia. But five years later, Norton beat Garcia in a rematch.

Norton said a book called Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill changed his life. He read it before fighting Muhammad Ali. He said, "I was a green fighter, but yet I won, all through reading this book." After reading it, he went on a 14-fight winning streak. This included his big win over Muhammad Ali in 1973.

Norton said words from the book inspired him to beat Ali: "Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can."

Big Fights

Norton vs. Ali I and II

Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton were both top boxers in the mid-1970s. But they never fought Joe Frazier. This was partly because they shared the same trainer, Eddie Futch. Also, they were good friends and didn't want to fight each other.

On March 31, 1973, Muhammad Ali was expected to win easily against Norton. Ali was a big favorite. But Norton won the fight in San Diego. He won by a "split decision," meaning the judges were divided. In this fight, Norton broke Ali's jaw in the second round. This was only Ali's second loss in his career.

Almost six months later, on September 10, 1973, Ali and Norton had their second fight. Ali won this one by a close split decision. Some people thought Norton might have trained too hard for this fight. It was a very tough battle with many strong punches.

Norton vs. Foreman

In 1974, Norton fought George Foreman for the world heavyweight championship. The fight was in Caracas, Venezuela. Foreman knocked Norton out in the second round. After a close first round, Foreman hit Norton hard. Norton went down twice quickly, and the referee stopped the fight.

Career Highlights

Norton vs. Quarry

In 1975, Norton won back the NABF heavyweight title. He beat Jerry Quarry by TKO (technical knockout) in the fifth round. Norton then got revenge on Jose Luis Garcia, knocking him out in round five.

Norton vs. Ali III

Norton in 1976

On September 28, 1976, Norton fought Ali for the third and final time. This fight was at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Ali had won back the world heavyweight championship in 1974. Many people think this fight was the start of Ali's boxing skills declining.

The fight was a very tough and bruising battle for Ali. It was one of the most debated fights in history. The judges' scores were tied going into the last round. Ali won the final round on the scorecards to keep his championship.

Many people, including some boxing experts, believed Norton should have won this fight. The unofficial scores from news agencies were split. Some had Ali winning, and some had Norton winning. Norton later said that this fight was the last time he felt fully motivated to box. He was very disappointed because he believed he had clearly won.

Norton Becomes WBC Champion

In 1977, Norton quickly knocked out Duane Bobick in one round. Then he beat Lorenzo Zanon. Norton then defeated Jimmy Young in a 15-round fight. This win was supposed to make Norton the next challenger for Ali's WBC title. However, Ali's team said they didn't want to fight Norton a fourth time.

Plans changed when Ali lost his title to Leon Spinks in 1978. The WBC ordered Spinks to fight Norton, who was their top challenger. But Spinks chose to fight Ali again instead. So, on March 18, 1978, the WBC decided to give Norton their championship title. They made his win over Young count as a title fight. This was the first time the heavyweight championship was split between two different boxers since the early 1970s.

Norton vs. Holmes

On June 9, 1978, Norton defended his WBC title for the first time against Larry Holmes. It was a brutal 15-round fight. Holmes won the title by a very close split decision. Two judges scored it for Holmes, and one for Norton. Many people consider this one of the greatest heavyweight fights ever. Holmes later said it was the toughest fight of his entire career.

Later Fights and Retirement

After losing to Holmes, Norton won his next fight. But then he faced Earnie Shavers, a very powerful puncher. Shavers knocked Norton out in the first round in March 1979.

In his next fight, Norton had a split draw with Scott LeDoux. Norton was doing well until he got an eye injury in the eighth round. After that, LeDoux came back strong, and Norton got tired. Norton was knocked down twice in the final round, leading to the draw.

After this fight, Norton thought about retiring. But he wasn't happy with how he had ended his career. So, he returned to fight Randall "Tex" Cobb in November 1980. It was an exciting back-and-forth fight. Norton won by a split decision.

His last fight was on May 11, 1981, against top contender Gerry Cooney. Cooney was undefeated. Very early in the fight, Cooney hit Norton with powerful punches. The referee stopped the fight less than a minute into the first round. Norton decided to retire after this match. He then focused on helping others through charity work.

Boxing Style

Ken Norton had a unique boxing style. He was a forward-moving fighter. He was known for his unusual "crab-like" defense. In this stance, he held his left arm low across his body. His right hand was up by his right or left ear. When punches came hard, he would bring both arms up high to cover his face. This left little room for his opponent to hit him.

Norton would also bob and weave while crouching. He would throw strong, well-placed punches. He was best when moving forward. He would often drag his right foot behind him. He used his incredible upper body strength to deliver his powerful blows.

Many people said Norton's best punch was his left hook. Others praised his overhand right. Norton himself said that a right uppercut he landed on Jerry Quarry was the hardest punch he remembered throwing.

Awards and Honors

Ken Norton received many awards and honors for his boxing career:

• 1989: Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
• 1992: Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
• 2004: Inducted into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame.
• 2008: Inducted into the World Boxing Council Hall of Fame.
• 1977: Received the Boxing Writers Association of America J. Niel trophy for "Fighter of the Year."
• 1973: Received the "Napoleon Hill Award" for positive thinking.
• 2001: Inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame in San Diego.
• 2011: Inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame.

Life After Boxing

On set of Mandingo (1975) with actor Perry King

While still boxing, Norton started acting. In 1975, he starred in the film Mandingo. He also appeared in the sequel Drum in 1976. After that, he had small roles in many other movies and TV shows.

After retiring from boxing, Norton worked as an actor and a TV boxing commentator. He also started his own company to help athletes with their contracts.

In 1986, Norton was in a very serious car accident. This accident left him with slow and slurred speech.

He appeared in a video called Champions Forever with other boxing legends like Ali and Foreman. In 2000, he published his autobiography, Going the Distance.

Family Life

Norton in 2010

Ken Norton was married three times and had four children. He had a son named Keith before his first marriage.

He married Jeannette Henderson in 1966. They had a son, Ken Norton Jr., who became a famous football player and coach. Ken Norton Jr. would often do a boxing stance after scoring a touchdown to honor his dad.

In 1977, Ken married Jacqueline 'Jackie' Halton. They had two children together: a daughter named Kenisha and a son named Kene Jon. They were married for over 24 years.

Norton was voted "Father of the Year" twice by newspapers in Los Angeles. He once said in his biography, "Of all the titles that I've been privileged to have, the title of 'dad' has always been the best."

Ken Norton's son Keith Norton also served in the Marine Corps, just like his father.

Ken Norton passed away on September 18, 2013, in Las Vegas. He was 70 years old. He had suffered several strokes in his later years. Many people in the boxing world shared their sadness. George Foreman called him "the fairest of them all." Larry Holmes said he "will be incredibly missed." Norton was buried in Jacksonville, Illinois.

Professional Boxing Record

See also

In Spanish: Ken Norton para niños

• Tomas Molinares - another world boxing champion who never won a world title fight