Ken Norton vs Holyfield, Both physical perfection,and simular styles..

Your ****ing crazy if you think Holmes almost beat Holyfield! Nobody, not even Holmes... thinks Holmes beat Holyfield!!! :deal

Holyfield was better than Norton. A prime Norton is a 1/2" taller with a 2 1/2" reach advantage and their weight is close. Both ripped, both strong, both have decent power and good left hooks. Holyfield had the better uppercuts, more speed, better footwork, and one of the best chins ever. Norton had the better jab.

Holyfield gets the decision.

 

Holyfield has a better Chin and would stop Norton.

 

Evander will break Norton down over the course of this fight as he did with many of his opponents.. He may even Flash Norton and get him out of there earlier..

Everyone always discounts Holyfields Power, I agree hes not in the league of say a Tyson, Foreman or a Tua but Holyfield can punch..

I remember him dropping Bowe with one hook and had he had anything left at that point it would have been over.. Until he met Foreman he knocked out everyone at heavyweight.. They were not all bums, Dokes could take a shot.. Though he grinded Dokes down over the course of that great War.. I also remember Holyfield buckling the knees of Ray Mercer at a time when Mercer had an inhuman chin forcing him to take a count!! So not to stay on that but Evander can hurt Norton I have no doubt..

I think its a physical fight, Norton will push Holyfield and make him fight hard.. He will tag Evander often but Evander will always answer back.. My guess is somewhere in the mid rounds Holyfield will catch Norton in the exchanges hurt him and finish him.. If Norton makes it to the late rounds he will be broken down like Dokes and Tyson were... Holyfield will use all he has, including his dome.. Evander is a rough guy in there and that is one of his strengths and that will play a role in him beating Norton..

 

One things for sure Norton-Ali II is one of my favourite fights ever to watch - and for me the second best winning performance of Ali's career and yet Norton (although certainly beaten) pushed Ali very very closely still - that level of performance against such a good Ali says to me that Norton would without a doubt - infact probably likely be too good for, say, a Holy of around the time of the Bert Cooper fight

 

Norton better jab,makes the difference in the fight Norton wins

 

u think holyfield can break norton down? ali and holmes tryed 4 times and couldnt do it. norton was tough, just couldnt take the massive punchers.

 

Evander would win this by decision.

 

Physically they match up Extremely Well and few can say that when compared to these two. both starting at the lower 200's and ending up approx 220's give or take a pound or two, and i'm sure Norton would not perceive Holyfield to be the One-Shot threat of a shavers or a foreman and if thats the case Evanders in for a Hard Night.

But i think ulimately Evanders more precise Combinations should see him home, Great Boxers Ali, Holmes and Young, who would seek to stay at long range found Ken's Cross Armed defence a real problem to deal with from a distence, and found it hard to discourage Ken's Advance, However Holyfield as we know will be seeking to cross that No Man's Land, and peel off his combinations from up close, As against Foreman and Cooper, those Uppercut-Hooks which Evander often starts his barrages with would find themselves a target coming in under Kens Crossarm Defence, Lifting his head into Volley Valley, if you are willing to come up close and personal, and have the ability to peel off these Hard and Accurate Combo's, then Ken's troublesome Defence starts to take on a more Swiss Cheese appearence.

But Ken could and would be tenacious His Side on Jab may give Evander a lot of Distraction and could act as a somescreen for the Big Overhand Right Norton often liked to suprise opponents with, and he could conceiveably find Evender like Bert Cooper Did, I cant see Evander Blasting out Norton, or Norton being "Edgy" as he sometimes appeared with the Big Hitters, Norton will be Tenacious and I cant help thinking its a Full distence Give-an-Take going down to the wire,

But ultimately i can see Evanders more cultered attack Winning through for a close hardfought decision. Ken's sometimes looping Shots, may lend him to being countered and beaten to the punch by Evander, and Evanders footwork probably has the edge on Ken's, Would Evander utilise his Movement and Boxing Ability ? he may try to, but with Norton Attacking with big hooks, and perhaps trying to Target Evanders Body, Evander will do what Evander does, Meet Fire with Fire, I think that they both get badly singed in this match, with Evanders willingness and capability to Rally Back form Kens Pressure perhaps making Ken that little bit more cautious in his persuit then he was against mobile "Pure Boxers" in Ali, Young and Holmes, Evander by a Singed whisker for me, could be a split vote denial for Ken

 

I don't see how Norton is going to be stopped in this fight. He was stopped in his prime by George Foreman, in my eyes the biggest hitter of all time. He was also stopped by Shavers when he was well past it, another man with ATG power, as well as Cooney, a notoriously big hitter. It seems to me that Norton had a solid chin, it's just, like many chins, couldn't cope with ATG power, (Frazier's chin may well be the same)

 

Yeah I truly do, I don't feel as though Ali or Holmes either one really went for the KO against Norton.. Now mind you its been quite sometime since I watched Norton-Holmes or any of the Ali-Norton Trilogy.. Ali is usually content to box a fighter like Norton.. Ali went the full tilt with many a fighter that I feel I know Evander would have stopped just on style alone.. I don't see Evander going 15 with Mac Foster or Buster Mathis.. That is not a knock on Ali at all, in my mind its a style thing and we all know styles make fights..

Holmes I feel doesn't have a big punch, Holmes is similar to Ali though not the fluid Boxer Muhammad was they share a trait or two... If memory serves Holmes and Norton exchanged blows quite a bit in the fight and neither hit the deck.. Holmes has a good right hand and by all means it could get you out of there but more often then not Holmes would take an opponent out late after an accumulation of those right hands.. Holmes to me never really attacked an opponent like Evander.. Now there are obvious exceptions to what I am saying but more often then not I feel as though Holyfield was much more aggressive and really wanted to KO his opponents..

I think the whole "blown up cruiserweight" thing made Evander lust for the KO's at heavyweight.. And to quote Foreman "Holyfield has the best left hook to the body I've ever tasted... I also remember in some sport center interviews after Holyfield-Bowe III Bowe pleading with Holyfield not to retire and telling him how damn strong he was and all that.. I know word of mouth may not mean a ton but I feel as I stated in my original post that Evander is being under sold here as a puncher as he always is.. But for me its more about his style and how I feel this fight plays out because of style rather then his punching power..

Evander will hurt you to the body, in his prime he hurt everyone to the body.. I don't think Norton ever really faced anyone like Holyfield.. I realize Norton faced arguably the greatest heavyweight champion of all time and another ATG in Holmes but again it goes back to style.. What rugged tough grinder did Norton face for me to draw a comparison?? Foreman is just shear raw power and that fight was over before it began same with Shavers.. Had Norton faced Frazier I may have a better read on the matchup as Frazier is quite a grinder as well and maybe the deadliest left hooker of all time..

I would like to have seen Norton in a long grueling fight with someone like Holyfield.. Maybe he was in one that I am unaware of and if that's the case please let me know.. In my collection of VHS boxing tapes I have plenty on Kenny so maybe one is slipping my mind currently.. I haven't watched anything on Norton in years.. I know the Holmes fight was a war but I also don't think that was a prime Holmes yet and Norton was pretty much at the end but still fought at close to the top of his powers.. Didn't Holmes also have a bicep injury or something?? If memory servers though he threw the hell out of his jab so who knows..

Anyway I'm sticking to my guns and taking Holyfield by late TKO..