Where would you guys rank Ken Norton?

Interestingly enough, I have heard and read people say that Frazier regularly got the better of Norton in sparring. I can't say for sure how true these claims are, nor if they are even a reflection of what would actually occur had they fought in a pro ring for real. I have wondered in the past that if Norton had beaten Muhammad Ali in their second fight, or even managed to pull off the impossible by beating George Foreman in '74, that a match between he and Frazier could have come off, even though they were managed under the same umbrella. I'm thinking that under such circumstances, it might have behooved both of them to take the fight and place their friendship on hold, because the money would have put a great bulge in both their wallets.

 

I do know that Norton admitted in his book that he was KO'd by Frazier in their first sparring session. I've also heard a rumour that Norton started getting the better of Frazier by 1973 but I don't know how true that is.

With both in their primes, I see Frazier taking it. Norton was a lot more willing to give ground despite being at his best while coming forward and being the aggressor. He could bust Frazier up with combinations though but he didn't really have Foreman/Shavers type punching power to get Frazier out of there early.

According to Norton, he was willing to fight Frazier but there was never an opportunity for the fight to be made.

 

I read both Norton's and Frazier's autobiographies. I have Norton's autographed BTW! lol Anyway, they both mention the sparring sessions and say the same thing... some days it was Frazier, some days Norton. I don't know if tehy were just being kind to the other or if it was actually true. I wasn't there. I don't see why Norton couldn't have got the best of Frazier a few times.

 

Good information from both Hookie and GreatA.

One can only conclude that Norton vs Frazier was possibly one of the better heavyweight fights that was never made, to go right up there with Dempsey-Wills and Lewis-Bowe, but to a lesser extent.