What happens if Norton beats Holmes?

What would the lineage look like if the judges had given Norton the nod over Holmes?

 

Probably a rematch with Holmes but weather or not that happens I can’t see Ken Norton staying champ long. As for the true lineage of the title, I imagine it’s something that would eventually be settled later.

 

If Norton doesn't rematch for a while, I wonder what Holmes does with himself, and whether he can pull off a victory over whoever succeeds past Norton.

 

Holmes never let a loss stop him from getting back on his feet. I imagine he’d re-emerge somehow

 

Well, I don't see Norton fighting Shavers after Earnie lost so one-sidedly to Holmes in their first meeting.

We may have seen Norton defend against Ron Lyle in late 1978 or early 1979. Lyle was supposed to fight Holmes in March 1978, but Lyle got arrested for killing a guy on New Year's Eve. (Holmes fought Shavers instead.) The authorities decided Lyle's shooting was justified. So we may have seen the Lyle who fought Ledoux fighting Norton for the WBC belt. We also likely get Norton-Ocasio, if Ossie wins the rematch with Young.

When Leon Spinks defeated Ali in February 1978, George Foreman and Joe Frazier announced they were coming back. Frazier actually trained and planned on fighting in South Africa, but the fight was cancelled. Foreman never actually did.

If Ken Norton was WBC champ for an extended period, I think George may have made a comeback in 1978 or 79. I don't know if we would've seen Ali-Norton IV. Ali wasn't too keen on it.

I don't think Norton holds the title for long, though. Cooney was streaking toward the top five in the WBC ratings.

So I don't know if Norton ever becomes lineal champ.

Interestingly, if Larry Holmes is never champ, Holmes doesn't fight Mike Weaver. Weaver doesn't put on that good showing and get a fight with John Tate. Tate doesn't lose to Weaver.

So, in 1979, Norton may have been WBC champ. John Tate may have been WBA champ (having won Ali's vacant belt).

And we may have seen a Norton-Tate unification in 1980.

 

Good post. I do think that Holmes would have re-emerged though

 

I'd be a much happier man.

 

He'd be a good boy

 

I think that WBC Champion Ken Norton takes a well deserved rest after his grueling title defense win over challenger Larry Holmes on June 9 1978. A rematch would have been a possibility, thus creating a trilogy. A title unification against WBA Champion John Tate would have sounded more intriguing, it depends on when that could have occurred as Tate was dethroned by Mike Weaver in March 1980. Gerry Cooney at that time was fighting unrated never heard of fighters, his management cared more about the all mighty cash instead of properly bringing him up in his career. The emergence of proven contenders, Tim Witherspoon and Greg Page were making their marks on the heavyweight division. But the most likely fight for Norton would have been a rematch with Holmes possibly scheduled for April 14 1979 as part of a double header of the rematch between WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Mike Rossman and Challenger Victor Galindez, a Saturday Spectacular, there was no such thing as Pay Per View back then, fans would be treated to two really good fights on regular over the air television on ABC's Wide World Of Sports, with Howard Cosell commentating.

 

Then it is possible to fight Ali - Norton 4

 

Probably would be a rematch, which goes in Larry's favor, and not as close.

 

Shavers ends up heavyweight champ, only to get stopped by Holmes.

 

Actually, I think Arum sends him to south africa to take on either the K man or Coetzee. It sells 60 to 80,000 tickets and if Kenny loses--which I think he does because that holmes fight took everything out of him---Arum has that Leon Spinks fight for the unified title.

 

Shavers promptly takes the title from Norton like the belt is a bike, Norton is Red, and Shavers is Debo. That's my belt punk!

 

Ali didn't want to fight Norton again so I believe Holmes would have gotten a rematch and probably won it.