ken norton cause of death

Despite the bitter disappointment of losing to Ali in their third fight, Norton rebounded with three wins in 1977 – including victories over the highly rated Duane Bobick and Jimmy Young – and earned himself the position of mandatory challenger for the title, which was claimed by Leon Spinks after his shock victory over Ali in February 1978. He beat Norton, but just narrowly, winning a split decision. [27] The Associated Press scored it 143–142 for Norton. In 1974, Norton fought George Foreman for the world heavyweight championship and was knocked out in the second round at the Poliedro de Caracas in Caracas, Venezuela. m_gallery_pagetype = "embed"; [45][46], Ken Norton was twice voted "Father of the Year" by the Los Angeles Sentinel and the Los Angeles Times in 1977. Kenneth Howard "Ken" Norton Sr. (August 9, 1943 – September 18, 2013) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981, and held the WBC heavyweight title in 1978. Six months later, Norton and Ali fought again and this time Ali prevailed by a split decision, setting up a decider in 1976 at the Yankee stadium in New York. It was a tough bruising battle for Ali. Real or not: The latest on crossover fights featuring McGregor, Mayweather, Pacquiao and Khabib. "He was a great fighter in the ring and a great person outside of it. He was humane.". Can Kell Brook upset Terence Crawford? His first big break came with a clear win over respected contender Henry Clark. Ken Norton. style that reminded me of Archie Moore. Norton had been in poor health for the last several years after suffering a series of strokes, Kilroy said. [35], The win over the title-contending Cobb gave Norton another shot at a potential title-fight, and on May 11, 1981, at Madison Square Garden he stepped into the ring with top contender Gerry Cooney, who, like Cobb, was undefeated entering the fight. "I didn't think I would win that fight, because of (Norton's) Ken Norton's son Keith Norton was once the weekend sports anchor for KPRC in Houston, Texas. Despite obtaining a victory, Ali received a pounding. Luis Nery wins title, John Riel Casimero shines in TKO victory, Josh Taylor's incredible path to the top includes a near-death experience and a few motorcycle crashes. "I figured out quickly that wasn't a place I was He'd drag or slide the right foot along from behind. He is best known for his fight trilogy with Muhammad Ali, in which Norton won the first by split decision, lost the second by split decision, and lost the final by a controversial unanimous decision. "[14] Norton also took a complete course by Napoleon Hill on gaining wealth and peace of mind. He lost it for good in a tough split decision loss to undefeated Larry Holmes that June, thus becoming the only heavyweight champion to never win a title fight. It is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by The Fair Credit Reporting Act and should not be used to determine an individual's eligibility for personal credit or employment, or to assess risk associated with any business transactions such as tenant screening. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy, Former heavyweight champion Ken Norton died Wednesday at age 70. He would later embark on an acting career, appearing in several movies, and was a commentator at fights. Holmes went on to become the third-longest reigning world heavyweight champion in the history of boxing, behind Joe Louis and Wladimir Klitschko. Best Late Bloomers in Sports, 4. Norton always gave his father credit for his career, saying he learned how to train hard by watching him go for early-morning runs when he was a child. • Kenneth Howard Norton, boxer, born 9 August 1943; died 18 September 2013. The WBC then ordered a match between the new champion and Norton, its number one contender. [41], In 1975, at the peak of his boxing career, Norton made his acting debut starring in Dino De Laurentiis blaxploitation film Mandingo, about a pre-Civil War slave purchased to fight other slaves for their master's entertainment. Norton would come back in 1977 to win an eliminator against Jimmy Young and was declared champion by the WBC when Spinks was stripped of the title. The loss was even more shocking because Ali had only lost to Joe Frazier in their 1971 showdown and was campaigning for the title he would win again the next year against George Foreman in Zaire. Norton was down two times in the final round, resulting in the draw; Norton fell behind on one scorecard, kept his lead on the second, and dropped to even on the third (the unofficial AP scorecard was 5–3–2 Norton). "It's part of what I do. [10], In 2001, Norton was inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface. All rights reserved. Norton won a stunning split decision. Drum    Mandingo (7-May-1975), Author of books: His father, John Norton, was a fire service engineer; his mother, Ruth, was a hospital therapist. Norton was badly injured in a near fatal car accident in 1986. Who has the edge in Taylor-Ramirez? "He's been fighting the battle for two years," said Gene Kilroy, Muhammad Ali's former business manager. [24][25] The WBC responded on March 18, 1978, by retroactively giving title fight status to Norton's victory over Young the year before and awarded Norton their championship, which split the heavyweight championship for the first time since Jimmy Ellis and Joe Frazier were both recognized as champions in the early 1970s.[4][26]. [33], After the fight, Norton decided that at 37 it was time to retire from boxing. In a Ring Magazine article, Norton himself said that a right uppercut to Jerry Quarry was the hardest blow he recalled landing. Holmes said he had kept in touch with Norton through the years but hadn't spoken to him in several months. Almost six months later at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on September 10, 1973, Ali avenged the Norton loss but only after he got the return by a split decision. Despite having a sculpted body, Norton said he never lifted weights. Norton broke Muhammad Ali's jaw in their first bout, beating him by split decision in 1973 in a non-title fight in San Diego. [12][13] To quote Norton from his autobiography noted above, "These words (from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich) were the final inspiration in my victory over 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. [48] He followed his father in serving in the Marine Corps. He also was a member of the Sports Illustrated Speakers Bureau and started the Ken Norton Management Co., which represented athletes in contract negotiations. He was selected to the all-state team football team on defense as a senior in 1960. Although Norton was expected to face Ali for a fourth time, to fight for the WBC heavyweight championship, plans changed due to Ali's loss of his title to Leon Spinks on February 15, 1978. Will Lopez beat Lomachenko? The two judges, Harold Lederman and Barney Smith, scored the bout 8–7 for Ali, while referee Arthur Mercante scored it 8–6-1 for Ali. Born in Jacksonville, Ill. on Aug. 9, 1943, Norton attended Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State) on a football scholarship, but was plagued by shoulder injuries, and joined the Marine Corps, where he started boxing. Ali was quoted as saying, "I took a nobody and created a monster and now I have to punish him bad.". "Even many years later, he still looked the same. He later became the linebackers' coach for the Seattle Seahawks and the USC Trojans, both under head coach Pete Carroll and formerly worked as the defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders. Real or not: Canelo-GGG III in 2021? He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks. In his first defense of the WBC title on June 9, 1978, Norton and new number one contender Larry Holmes met in a classic fight. In this stance the left arm is positioned low across the torso with the right hand up by the right or left ear. Through the years, Holmes said, Norton insisted he had won the fight that catapulted Holmes to a long reign as heavyweight champ. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/ken-norton-9019.php Norton is the only heavyweight champion never to win the title in the ring, and boxing fans still talk about the bruising battle he waged with Larry Holmes for the title in 1978. I see it on TV, but I rarely think about it.". For the first time it appeared that Norton's career had perhaps hit a decline, particularly after the Holmes match[30] as Shavers took the former champion out in the first round. The AOG has learned of the following graduate or cadet deaths within the past 90 days. Norton decided to retire following the match and turned his attention to charitable pursuits.[36]. Norton died in Arizona, where he had been living since suffering a stroke last year. Norton finished with a record of 42-7-1 and 33 knockouts. During the ABC broadcast of the fight, broadcaster (and Ali confidant and friend) Howard Cosell repeatedly told viewers a dancing and jabbing Ali was dominating the action despite Norton's constant offense and Ali's inability to penetrate Norton's awkward defensive style. But Norton was unorthodox. Ken Norton Jr., a coach with the Seattle Seahawks, confirmed his father's death to The Associated Press before handing the phone to his wife, too distraught to talk. Norton dominated until sustaining an injury when he took a thumb in the eye in the eighth round, which immediately changed the bout. Norton was a forward-pressing fighter who was notable for his unusual stance characterized by the cross arm defense. He was voted by Ring magazine as one of the top 25 heavyweights of all time (No. Even immediately after their fight, Holmes said, he wasn't certain that the judges would go his way even though he thought he got the better of Norton. Few gave Norton, who possessed a muscular, sculpted body, much of a chance against Ali in their first meeting, held at the Sports Arena in San Diego, where Norton lived. Norton, a former US marine, had a cross-armed defensive style that troubled Ali. They fought six months later, and Ali won a split decision. 22), and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992. The unofficial United Press International scorecard was 8–7 for Norton, and the unofficial Associated Press scorecards were 9–6 for Ali (Ed Schuyler), and 8–7 Norton (Wick Temple).. The World Boxing Council awarded Norton the title when Spinks agreed to a rematch with the ageing Ali instead of a fight against Norton. Norton, who lost his title to Holmes in that fight in Las Vegas, died today at a Las Vegas-area care facility, his son said. In 1977 he married Jacqueline 'Jacquie' Halton, who gave birth to sports anchor Keith Norton, daughter Kenisha Eronda (1976) and son KeneJon (1981) before Jacquie and Ken divorced in 2000. Exactly four years later, after being KO'd in 58 seconds by Gerry Cooney, Norton hung up his gloves for good. What went wrong between Canelo Alvarez, Oscar De La Hoya and DAZN. In 1978, Norton was awarded a share of the WBC heavyweight title when Leon Spinks chose to fight Ali for more money and was stripped of the title. Frazier, who was close to Norton as a friend, never fought him. Norton was the All-Marine heavyweight champion three times before turning professional in 1967. supposed to be.". [13] In this bout, Norton broke Ali's jaw (he maintains in round eleven, though Angelo Dundee said it was earlier), leading to only the second defeat for "The Greatest" in his career.

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