Worst decision in a heavyweight title bout I have ever seen. Make the Lewis/Holyfield 1 draw look brilliant ... Norton won 10 rounds at least .
Agree. There weren't enough rounds to justify giving Ali this decision and the guys who judged the fight probably knew they lose jobs in the sport had Ali retired after this fight, which he should have. He shouldn't have fought Norton for a third time and should have retired after Manilla. Worse decision comparable with Lewis vs Holyfield I, and Hearns vs Leonard II.
I remember one of the NY newspapers saying "If Ali beat Norton last night..then the Japanese won World War II...Ali won this fight because he was Ali...Norton won this fight...
I had Kenny winning 9 rounds. Poor guy couldn't catch a break in title fight. The "myth" of Ali won the "Lip" another fight.
A very bad decision. The best Ali could hope for if you give him the close swing rounds 7 of 15 rounds....that's it. If the judges were honest or not incompetent, Norton is 2-1 vs. Ali and would gain the respect from the media in general that he lacked in his career.
I even go for 3-0 Norton... Ali - Norton II was also a robbery in Ali's favor, only not as bad as fight III. And I even go as far as saying, if they hadn't This content is protected Ali the match he never would have been able to fight for the HW title against Foreman in '74 what gave him the final push for the 'GOAT' mark.
Their second fight was EXTREMELY close. Imo,it was just about even coming into the final round,which Muhammad won,thus the fight. I admit Muhammad was lucky being given the decision in their third battle,but I would n't call it a robbery. Norton may have deserved the verdict,even though his trainer cocked up,big time,by telling to take it easy. It was still pretty close. A robbery is when one fighter is so OBVIOUSLY superior to the other,and the decision goes against him. The best example I can think of is the first Pernell Whitaker-Jose Luis Ramirez bout. Whitaker just about shut his man out,but given the short end of the stick. As for the inference that Ali was gifted the second fight,well this was 1973,and a lot of the boxing establishment was still prejudiced against him then. So that theory does n't hold any water with me.
I should have added that I reckon Lennox Lewis,in the first Holyfield fight,was unluckier than Ken Norton when it came to the verdict.
