Posted on 09/18/2013 6:02:20 PM PDT by Perdogg
Former heavyweight champion Ken Norton, who beat Muhammad Ali and later lost a controversial decision to him in Yankee Stadium, died Wednesday at a local care facility, his son said. He was 70.
Ken Norton Jr., a coach with the Seattle Seahawks, confirmed the death to The Associated Press before handing the phone to his wife, too distraught to talk
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He done broke Ali’s jaw and we thank him for that.
>>>died Wednesday at a local care facility<<<
Sounds like a nursing home. Sad that family could not keep him at home.
He done broke Ali’s jaw and we thank him for that.
That was a good day! Great boxer.
R.I.P Ken Norton!!
RIP
Great boxer.
Semper Fi
Norton’s fight with Chuck Wepner in New Jersey was Sylvester Stallone’s inspiration to create the movie Rocky Wepner as the brawler representing Rocky and Norton representing Apollo. Very few know that Kenny Norton inspired the movie Rocky. Everyone should see the 1970 Norton-Wepner exhibition fight to catch why Sly loved the style of Kenny Norton.
Semper Fi, indeed.
A radio operator, no less.
I forget which fight it was, but Norton was up against the ropes rather helpless and whoever it was (I think it was Trevor Berbick) was hitting him with head shots that I felt sure were going to land him in the mortuary.
One tough fighter...
Chuck Wepner, “the Bayonne Bleeder” made it to the 15th round with Cassius Clay but not to the end of the 15th. Norton was usually soft spoken so it would seem that Clay would have been more like Apollo.
Norton said after a lousy decision went against him in his 3rd fight with Clay, “I didn’t have a 38 so they gave it to him”.
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