If Ali Hadnt of broke his jaw against Norton?

I think it'd have been closer, but Norton would have edged it.

In the end, I don't think Ali was fully prepared for the kind of fight Norton would give him, and the quality of fighter Ken was.

He just didn't know when he answered that first bell he was fighting a great fighter.

With the broken jaw, the pain he would have been in definitely negatively affected him. But I can't see him avoiding the same fades he suffered unless he had prepared for Ken with a near demonic intensity, like he did in the rematch.


His second rematch was less of Muhammad figuring Ken out and more of him treating him like the dire foe he was, and coming prepared to dance, stick, and move for 12 rounds like he could only do at that phase when at his best.

 

It was a close fight the way that it was, I figure Ali would have been better without the injury.

 

Norton always said it was nonsense his jaw was broken for the whole fight and it was just hype. Says he broke it last round.

 

Muhammad was unprepared for Ken on that night. Would probably have still dropped a close decision to Norton,albeit with less daylight between them.

 

Eddie Futch said that it was the eleventh round.