Norton Vs Frazier..2 of the best left hooks at that time, but does Joe find a way!?

They were friends and this was the major reason....or at least this was what was written back in the day within Ring and BI.

Prime vs prime I don't perceive this to be a great fight. Norton does his best to avoid Joe but as always finds himself with his back to the ropes by round 4. Eventually Frazier lands his hook squarely...I would say by round 8 and the fight is over. Norton just did not have the mobility to avoid big punchers for long.

 

Ken Norton's defensive style was a unique technique that always gave the great Muhammad Ali fits, as evidence in all three of there bouts. But it would be almost completely the opposite for Norton against Smokin Joe Frazier, as Frazier being a few inches shorter than Norton and being the physical type of pressure fighter that bobs and weaves his way in to his opponents and banging away at them until he wore them down. That would be the type of scenario that would unfold in a dream bout between Frazier-Norton with Smokin Joe getting the better of Norton with his usual pressure like style over the ladder's technique with Frazier registering a dramatic 9th round knockout in an unforgettable thriller!

 

I disagree that Norton had "good talent for ad******g to fighters styles", back him up and he was lost.
Likewise Frazier knew only one way to fight,come forward. Neither were adaptable fighters.

Frazier wins this because he would be doing what he was comfortable and best at, coming in throwing lots of leather,Norton would lose because he would be doing what he was worst at, retreating on his stiff legs. Frazier would work the body to bring Norton's hands down and when he had ,a left hook would find Norton's chin, he would go down, get up and be floored again, rise and be stopped on his feet. Middle rounds tko.

 

Norton or Frazier could win a decision. Frazier could stop Norton. I doubt Norton could stop Frazier.

 

They shared the same trainer at the same time in Eddie Futch.

 

I always felt this fight ends when Frazier steps up the pressure.

 

If there's a top flight heavyweight contemporary of his that Joe can blow out like Zyglewicz, Ken's the one. He got decked over a dozen times in several different bouts against multiple opponents, most often in the first couple of rounds. Frazier's often derided as a slow starter, but aside from the starching of Ziggy, he decked Daniels in the first, and only the ropes prevented Ramos from hitting the floor in the opening stanza. Smoke didn't exactly start slowly in Jerry Quarry I either. Overshadowed by JQs unsustainable 93 punch pace is the fact that Joe himself fired off 64 of his own in the first three minutes, hardly a sleepy beginning for him.

When inputting strategy for Frazier, I'd have him firing off counter rights to blunt Norton's up-from-under jab whenever Ken attempted it. His low bob and weave can easily get him underneath Norton's overhand right. Joe's hook is faster and harder than Kenny's and Norton's cross armed defense would leave the right side of his body open to it. Ken needed too much time to reposition himself to unload his fine right uppercut, and Frazier would see that one coming a mile away.

Joe had a much better chin, too good for a moderately hard puncher like Norton to dent. I believe Ken's power was comparable to that of Bonavena [keep in mind Ringo did not dent Frazier's in their rematch], Chuvalo and Jerry Quarry, than to monster hitters like Mac Foster, Lyle and Foreman. The reverse isn't true. If Frazier could stagger and hurt Ali, he could definitely stop Ken.

McVey has been running an interesting thread about contenders Joe missed during his reign. I wonder how Norton would have done against Cleveland Williams in 1972, a fine closing year for the Big Cat, where he won his only career 12 rounder over Daniels, while Norton broke through with his televised stoppage of Henry Clark. Cleveland was even then the kind of puncher Ken was always tip-toed around, rather than made to confront directly. He only fought Foreman because George held the title, but he otherwise somehow evaded the Big Cats, Mac Fosters, Lyles, and Shavers during his 1972-1978 pre-title contention phase, only taking on Earnie in 1979 when absolutely necessary to get back to Holmes. Norton may have been the best managed HW contender of the mid 1970s, but only prime Ali was capable of beating them all, boxers, brawlers, swarmers, counterpunchers and sluggers alike [a prerequisite for any great champion, something Ken never could have been].

Norton would cede the opening initiative to Joe, and that would decide the match, whether it ended early, or went the distance. This isn't Duane Bobick Ken's in there with. One didn't come from behind to overtake Frazier.

 

I could never understand why it was Frazier never fought Norton, or for that matter most of the big names of the golden era other than Ali and Foreman. No Norton, no Lyle, no Shavers, no Young.

 

Top Post! I wish I had made it!
ps I would pick the Williams who lost to Liston twice to ko Kenny.

 

Norton's only hope would be if Joe broke his hand on Norton's elbow. Even then I think Joe would win.

 

-I covered the first part. "They shared the same trainer at the same time in Eddie Futch. "

-Fraizer did fight most of the top names from the late 60s. But after 71, it was basically Ali or nothing for him.

Though in one of his last great wins, he beat a Jerry Quarry who was coming off wins over Lyle and Shavers.

 

This one has been done a million times and Frazier always gets picked much more than Norton does.

I'd favor Frazier in this, probably by late round stoppage but it would be far from easy. They knew each other well and sparred a lot. Some days Norton got the upper hand, some days Frazier did... they both have the same story about it in their autobiographies.

A prime Norton has the same physical advantages over Frazier that Foreman and Ali had. 6'3" with an 80" reach and ripped at 215-220 Lbs.

Norton was stopped in 2 by Foreman... so was Frazier. Frazier lasted until the 5th in his rematch vs. Foreman... Norton may have been able to last longer in a rematch vs. Foreman as well.

They both went 1-3 vs. Ali. A case can be made that Norton won all 3... a strong case can be made that he won 2 out of 3 (losing their 2nd fight). Frazier gave Ali hell in their rubber match but was not allowed to come out for the final round. Ali clearly won their 2nd fight. Frazier dropped Ali once. Norton broke Ali's jaw.

They both stopped Quarry in 5. Frazier fought Quarry at his best in their first fight, KO7.

They both stopped Ron Stander in 5.

Frazier stopped Chuck Leslie in 3 but Leslie managed to last the 10 round distance vs. Norton. It took Shavers 10 rounds to stop Leslie. Leslie lost 23 times but was only stopped 6 times... Bob Foster did it twice.

I think it would be a tough fight for both men.

 

He won Olympic Gold with a broken left thumb, and Chuvalo's said countless times his right was nothing to sneeze at.

Joe didn't come apart mentally at the seams when hurt by a huge shot, not against Bonavena, Ramos, Stander, Foreman 2X, Bugner, or Ali II. Ken did become unglued when Foreman, Shavers and Cooney slaughtered him. If heart is the difference, Norton would be in very serious trouble.