If Kenny Norton Had Challenged Frazier In 1972?

I think Frazier catches Kenny eventually. Even against a shot Quarry we saw Norton's legs buckle from hooks. Norton certainly has the athletic ability to hang with Joe but not the chin, in my opinion.

 

Clinikill has an excellent point but I will go out on a limb of a possibility. If ever Norton has a chance to beat Frazier, this might be it. The record favors Norton in my opinion, with him winning six fights that year (including wins over Clark, O' Halloran, and James Woody) while Frazier had just two. I definitely agree that Frazier could still knock Norton out and that Norton's other abilities are not to question. However, we must keep in mind that Frazier probably never faced an opponent as powerful and as strategically challenging as Norton. I mean, Norton is an opponent who is not fun to be inside with, and Frazier wouldn't be taking body shots too well in 1972. But Norton also was a great jabber, so Frazier is absorbing punishment in or out. So I will go with a 50/ 50 for either man. Norton would win decisively if he wins and if Frazier wins it's a close scrape. I would guess Joe would hit the deck first.

Of course all our thoughts are questionable as well since both were good friends. For all we know it could be a dull chess match that ends in a draw or something.

 

1972 favors Joe, however 1975, give me Kenny.

 

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Going into a Frazier fight, Norton would have been coming off a controversial 10-round decision over Jack O'Halloran in March.

I don't think Ken Norton was "there" yet. Frazier was comfortable being in the ring with him. Norton was one of his chief sparring partners while he was a champ.

Would've certainly looked good on Joe's record, though.

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Norton is sooooooo underrated.
Anyway i think frazier would crack Norton's chin in the 10th or 11th round.
Since Joe is known for taking a nap in the early rounds, it would not be an early KO.
Once Frazier fully wakes up, Norton's downfall begins.
Norton was Probably slightly stronger IMO so he would be able to keep Joe off of him for a while. But joe was better conditioned and his strength would have stayed with him as Norton began to fade.
In the late rounds, Joe roars in and beat the hell out of Kenny and stops him.
This would be a " very hard to watch " fight for futch.

 

Especially against the likes of Stander and Daniels.

 

Right. I mean, Norton may have won. There's a very good case to be made.

I think it would've been more of a psychological hurdle Norton would've had to overcome more than physical.

Frazier took a long time off after the Ali fight. He absorbed so much punishment I don't believe he ever came all the way back from it. Some injuries you never fully recover from. And Yank almost had him starting from scratch in 1972, like he'd lost the fight.

So, physically, I think Ken was more than able to win.

But you get these matchups where young fighters respect the older guy and remember the older guy pummeling him in early years, and some never get over the notion that they can't beat them. Even when the older guy isn't the same fighter anymore.

I always think of the Juan Carlos Gomez-Yanqui Diaz fight. Both were amateurs on the Cuban team at the same time. Diaz was one of the top heavyweights. Gomez wasn't. They used to spar. Diaz was one of the top dogs. As pros, Gomez was far superior. And when Gomez became one of the top heavyweight contenders (#1 or #2), Diaz was brought in as a late sub for one of Gomez's fights. Gomez seemed a little intimidated. And Gomez got stopped in one in a SHOCKING result. But Gomez hadn't seen Diaz in years and all those old memories came back. And he felt a couple of Diaz's punches and kind of froze. Diaz seemed in Gomez's eyes like the same top dog he was many years before. And he wasn't.

Norton was able to get up for Ali because he worked with Frazier and his team and they all saw Ali as the enemy for years. Norton even mimicked Ali in sparring to help Frazier prepare.

But I don't know if Norton would've been able to mentally get there against Frazier.

It also would've been interesting to see who worked with who in terms of the trainers and camp members for a Frazier-Norton fight. Almost like Ali-Ellis, but not quite as close.

 

Prime for prime, Norton puts up a great effort but gets stopped in 7.

 

Quarry was 29 and Norton was 31 neither of them were washed

 

I agree. Quarry still had some left. More likely the cocaine and alcohol was having the effect on Quarry. I think Norton beat Quarry fair and square as he would have against a prime Quarry. Nothing to be ashamed of, Quarry gave an honorable effort in the 1975 tangle.

 

Amazing the speed they had

 

Sparring is one thing, a real fight is another.

I think Kenny would have scared the crap out of Joe early on, but (IMHO) Joe would have hung in there and finally gotten the win over Ken. It wouldn't surprise me to see both fighters down, Frazier early and Ken late. I think it's possible this brutal inside war could have gone the distance and been the fight of the year!