Is Ken Norton underrated?

I'm really not sure where most people rank Norton. I think he belongs in the #20-25 range out of all the historical heavyweights. I do think he's somewhat underrated in many head-to-head meetings discussed on here, as I doubt that a fighter on his level would actually be utterly incapable of ever defeating a big power puncher, which some people here seem to believe to be the case.

 

i'd have to say yes i just think he gets sold short because he froze against big punchers other than that he was a top fighter whose fights with ali and a prime holmes could have gone either way

 

Norton is perhaps underrated because four of loses - two to Ali, one to Holmes, could very well have gone down as wins. He probably beat Ali in 1976 having put many of the early rounds in the bank. But he was fighting an icon and the boxing establishment did not want to let Kenny win that one. Can you imagine how his historcal standing changes if he wins the third Ali fight? Or I should say if he had been awarded the decision he rightfully deserved. Not to mention the Holmes verdict was razor-thin.

 

I'm sorry I meant to say three of Norton's loses not four.

 

Well said. I think Norton is under rated in general. For some reason Norton doesn't get the same boost Fraizer did for beating Ali. Norton could have been the man in some decades. He was a good fighter. But as fate would have it Norton was active in a talented era of heavyweight boxing that included Holmes, Ali, and Foreman. I do think Norton beat Ali twice, and might have scored a knock down or perhaps more if the first fight between Norton and Ali was 15 rounds. Ali was hurting in this fight. His jaw was broken, his body was busted up by hard body shots, and he was tired.

I tend to view Norton as a top 18-25 type of talent.

 

yes.

but not in this forum.