I'll start with Joe Louis. Joe Louis = Norton loses. Ezzard Charles = Winnable for Norton. Jersey Joe Walcott = Winnable for Norton. Rocky Marciano = Tough fight but I think Marciano stops him late on. Floyd Patterson = Winnable for Norton. Sonny Liston = Norton loses. Prime Ali in mid to late 60s = Norton loses. Joe Frazier = The very best version of Frazier beats Norton. George Foreman = Well we already see this Norton got dismantled. Leon Spinks = Norton wins. Larry Holmes = Winnable for Norton a slightly past it Norton came close to winning. Michael Spinks = Norton wins. Mike Tyson = Norton loses. Buster Douglas = The best version of Douglas beats Norton for me. Evander Holyfield = Winnable for Norton would be very close. Riddick Bowe = Norton loses. Michael Moorer = Moorer hits hard enough to trouble Norton, and has a good uppercut to get underneath Norton's cross arm defence. Gun to my head I'd favour Norton but it's a dangerous fight for Norton. Old George Foreman = Norton could possibly win but I just can't see Norton not getting caught at some point. Shannon Briggs = Norton wins. Lennox Lewis = Norton losses. Hasim Rahman = Norton wins. Wladimir Klitschko = Klitschko hits too hard for me Norton loses. Tyson Fury = Norton gives him fits would be tough for Fury, but I think Fury could pull it out.
I had Kenny 3-1 against Ali and Holmes, who are the cream of the crop at HW. Won’t pick him against good punchers but Norton was skilled and had 15 hard rounds in him. Reckon he beats most pre Liston. Norton Holyfield would be interesting. I wonder if the uppercuts and hooks might be trouble for Norton. I can’t see him being comfortable with what Holyfield dished out on Cooper and Foreman who were using that similar guard.
Considering that Ken Norton beat Muhammad Ali and gave a prime Holmes fits, I imagine he might beat quite a few.
Norton to me is one of those guys that came around at the perfect time. I think the best guy he hangs with might be… ? Next to Ali and Holmes I can only think of Braddock, Carnera? And possibly Floyd but I think Patterson takes him out. I could be forgetting some names. Edit: Holyfield is a good match up - probably the best deal he could spin next to Larry and Muhammad.
Pre-Dempsey era aside: Tunney, Schmeling, Sharkey, Carnera, Braddock, Charles, Walcott (as of the time when he became the champion at 37), Patterson, 70's Ali naturally, Spinks, Holmes, Spinks. 90's is Here be Dragons territory with the likes of Bowe and Lewis. I'd still have him as a slight favorite against Holyfield though, as well as a strong favorite against Moorer, Briggs, and older George. I could potentially see him get the better of Frazier and Marciano (sparring footage against Frazier shows him with a decent control game and movement against smaller fighters; he was actually very good inside) but they could be monstrous if one wasn't able to take them out of there. Wouldn't be putting any money on it.
In the past 100 years, I would pick Ali, Louis, Holmes, Marciano, Foreman, Frazier, Tyson, Liston, Lewis, Holyfield, Dempsey and Tunney over Norton. I'd give Norton a chance against everyone else. Not going to say he'd beat everyone else because the only thing consistent about Norton was his inconsistency. The tools were there which is probably why he's getting touted so much in this thread. But you could never really be sure he'd take advantage of them. (You can tell Kenny disappointed me a few times back in the day ...)
He came around in what is considered the strongest Heavyweight era of all time your comment makes no logical sense.
Norton is a man who I see as being a foil for certain styles. I would expect him to beat a fair few, but also lose to a lot.
Joe Louis = Norton loses Ezzard Charles = Norton wins Jersey Joe Walcott = Norton wins Rocky Marciano = Norton loses Floyd Patterson = Norton wins Sonny Liston = Norton loses Ali = Norton loses Joe Frazier = Norton loses George Foreman = Norton loses Ali = Norton loses Leon Spinks = Norton wins Larry Holmes = Norton loses Michael Spinks = Norton loses Mike Tyson = Norton loses Buster Douglas = Norton loses Evander Holyfield = Norton loses Riddick Bowe = Norton loses Evander Holyfield = Norton loses Michael Moorer = Norton wins George Foreman = Norton loses Shannon Briggs = Norton loses Lennox Lewis = Norton losses Hasim Rahman = Norton losses Lennox Lewis = Norton losses Wladimir Klitschko = Norton losses Tyson Fury = Norton losses
