Except Ali lost the entire half of the second fight and had to squeeze out a razor thin decision in the final round ... many feel Norton won that fight too ..
This one stands out. I think the equalizer here was Hearns being a little shopworn by 1988 and 1992, and Barkley being strong and having that style of punching in the middle of exchanges. This was one of those things where styles make fights and Barkley had a good one for Hearns. Norton against Ali..
Maurice Thompson- Stanley Ketchell Tiger Jones- SRR LC Morgan - Jose Napoles Luis Vinales - Bennie Briscoe
I disagree he lost the entire half of the second fight. You can argue he won rounds 9, 10, and 12. The only reason Norton came on in the later rounds was because Ali had slowed down, not because of anything Norton was doing, because of his age.
I believe you are being finicky about the wording. You know what @sas6789 meant when he started the thread and you know what @Mod-Mania is saying. Also, you're wrong. Thomas Hearns is an overall superior fighter to Iran Barkley. However, if you need more appropriate wording for the thread how about this. Name a fighter who was superior head to head over a fight who was superior pound for pound.
Yes at any rate Norton never faced peak Ali. Ali needed his 60's legs and sharpness to distance himself from Norton. It would certainly be fair to say Norton was a fair old dilemma for second career Ali to solve. The article you put forward the other day where Futch said (right after the first fight i think) that Norton wouldn't have beaten the Ali from even a few years prior said all that needs to be said really.
