How many linear champions do you think Ken Norton could have beaten .?

I'm going to go with the tested theory.
Norton stands a great chance to be awkward and potentially victorious against any boxer in the mold of Ali or Holmes. So I'd say his strongest points would have been in the early 1980s in the pre-Tyson days against the Alpha Champs (Witherspoon, Tucker, Thomas), Ali for the 2nd half of his career, Holmes during any point in his reign.

 

Good list, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't beat the lot of them but he'd win a fair few of them, I'd also give him chances against Patterson, Charles, Walcott, Tunney and even Dempsey, Johnson. Thats without including pre1900s who I think he'd beat but without film I'll give them a pass

 

Well, Ali in 1976.

So that's one. Just give him the decision in that fight and he'll be lineal champion.

Well, that's the only one I could think of.

 

He probably "could have" beaten most of them.

 

Wasted potential.. If he didn't freeze vs punchers, he could've been great.
So, I don't think he could beat many.

 

Ken was a great contender but the fact is he did not have it for the big night. norton never brought his "a-game" into a title fight. ken was a beter contender than many champions but the champions he was beter than all brought their "a-game" into title fights, some even surpassed their "a-game".
ali was begging to be defeated in yankee stadium, at that point ali was perhaps the weakest most vulnerable champion there has been. ken just blew it. the timing was right and he blew it. thats why he never was a lineer champ and why i couldnt bet on him against even leon spinks (for the title!). sorry.

 

:-(

You know you're a terrible poster sometimes.

 

The linear champions that Ken Norton could beat and could not beat would divide prety much allong stylistic lines.

Sufice it to say that he could have beaten some great ones who were technicians and could have lost to some less than great ones who were punchers.

 

Ken Norton would beat

James Corbett
Marvin Hart
Tommy Burns
Jess Willard
Gene Tunney
Jack Sharkey
Max Schmeling
James Braddock
Primo Carnera
Ezzard Charles
Leon Spinks
Michael Moorer
1990's George Foreman
Shannon Briggs
Hasim Rahman

Some of these like (schmeling, tunney, charles) are due to stylistic reasons.

 

I wouldnt bet a second hand chamber pot on him beating any of the fighters highlighted in red.

 

for what??

 

What you said is completely idiotic. Where was there wasted talent? He didn't freeze up against punchers, he just didn't have the best chin. And the ones that bulldozed over him are some of the biggest punchers in HW history.

 

excluding his last fight the guys who bulldozed over norton were beatable for someone of his pedagree and should have been within kens grasp. Norton beat two guys who beat foreman. he beat guys who beat shavers and garcia. styles make fights but championship material rarely get knocked out during their peak. never mind how strong the division was, ken proved he could win at that level by beating ali, young, quarry etc.

 

Hm, there are some he has a big advantage against. Be it stylewise, due to size or just beeing in another class. Those would be:
Corbett
Burns
Tunney
Sharkey
Braddock
L. Spinks
Douglas

Then there are fighters he would have a good chance with but I wouldn´t make him a fav over:
Fitzsimmons
Hart
Willard
Schmeling
Carnera
Charles
Walcott
Patterson
Johannsen
Ali
Frazier
Holmes
M. Spinks
Holyfield
Bowe
Moorer
Briggs
Rahman

Fighters I can´t see him win against:
Sullivan (yes, I say it)
Jeffries
Johnson
Dempsey
Louis
Marciano
Liston
Foreman
Tyson
Lewis
Wlad