How many Ken Norton’s could Foreman take at once in the ring?

Being serious for a moment…despite being blown away by Foreman, Norton was one of the few to pick Ali over George “By decision easily”. That prediction might seem at odds with how Norton himself fared but Norton explained he saw plenty of openings but was simply “too tight” to take full advantage. Clearly, Norton fully appreciated Ali’s own abilities, calm under fire and solid chin.

Norton’s own chin was intriguing. Good enough to take punches maybe rated 7 to 8 out of 10 but any higher than that, a quick collapse ensued. Who wouldn’t hold some trepidation facing the likes of Foreman, Cooney and Shavers? Normal and if you know the limits of your own chin then it has to be on your mind that one big hit on the button from truly elite punchers might see you off.

With all that , beyond normal fear, I think it was more the limitations of Norton’s chin and inability to fight on the back foot than his outright freezing that saw him KO’d. He was actually doing okay v Foreman until one long Foreman right caught him going away in round 2. It was a slippery slope thereafter. Until then, Ken was banging along a bit and doing okay, just as he did with Shavers and Cooney, bad policy that it was.

Not that it would’ve changed the outcome if Foreman hadn’t done it, but George availed himself of some no mean free connections as Norton rose from some KDs. Particularly the second KD, as Norton rose from sitting on the ropes, hands down, George swung a big left that connected very solidly. At least Kenny took that without folding right then and there but there were some huge shots to follow….

Finally, some of Foreman’s big bolo swings might’ve appeared devil may care but damn if they weren’t crazily accurate. Same goes for George swinging on Frazier, like his fists were locked into Joe’s jaw no matter how or where from Foreman launched his bombs.

 

-1

 

At the least, Kuato Kenny resides above Big Kenny’s belt line so he’s fair game for at least fists. Now checking for a precedent on swords. Ah yes, perpetrated by a beaten down and desperate Sailor Tom, there was the famous though less talked about shanking incident during the course of the Fitz Sharkey match that Wyatt Earp turned a convenient blind toward. Suffice to say, thereafter Ruby Robert became that much Rubier. Conversely, fans were later stunned by Earps ruling of a low foul shot by Fitz that no one saw. The ref’s treatment seemed a touch inequitable. I guess this was Sailor Tom’s so called redemption. A broad sword is next level but then again the game has changed and progressed over the last 120 years or so and that’s a good thing, right?

 

One.

 

…….is The Loneliest Number.

Let’s change it up to UNO.