Ken Norton vs Anthony Joshua

Norton was the much better boxer. In every way I can think of.

AJ gets stopped late.

 

I like Norton more than Joshua but I don't like Norton's chances in this fight Norton didn't fare well against punchers. If Joshua comes out cautiously and allows Norton to get into fight and gain confidence it might be a rough night for Joshua.

But I favour Joshua by KO as I said Norton doesn't have a good track record vs punchers.

 

Norton had no jaw..


None

 

Of course he did a glass jawed fighter doesn't go 57 rounds vs Ali and Holmes who are top 5 ATG Heavyweights if they have no chin.

He may of been vulnerable to punchers up to a certain extent, but only Foreman who has ATG power stopped Norton in his prime. Shavers and Cooney were when Norton was past it and even Shavers has ATG power, and Cooney's power is also very good his left hook is arguably top 10 of all time for Heavyweights.

 

Well the thing is how vulnerable do you think Norton is to punchers ? some people believe he loses to every Heavyweight with above average power but i don't think that's necessarily true. Only Foreman as i said earlier stopped Norton in his prime who is an ATG puncher, and the losses to Shavers and Cooney were past his prime and Shavers has ATG power and Cooney has elite level power.

Norton must of been somewhat durable to take Holmes, Ali's, best punches. Whilst they're not concussive hitters they hit hard enough and Norton went 57 rounds vs them.

The issue i have with Norton as much as i like him is that he can often freeze when hurt, and whilst i don't think Joshua has ATG power he does hit hard. And i think he hits hard enough to get Norton out of there if he hurts him.

But this all depends on what type of mentality Joshua comes into the fight with.

 

AJ chins him is the point

 

In gen pop, you're not going to find a bigger Kenny Norton guy, probably, than me. But I think AJ suffers from what I call "Golden Boy Underrating." Those guys that get pumped up so much, make so much money, are kind of pretty boys, the ODLH's and Nelo's of boxing, who will get superstar advantages in refs and decisions, and negotiations, etc, but the majority of harder core boxing followers just get sick of it and can't give them their due as far as quality. AJ is legit, is enormous, has good speed, and big power, and very good skill, and a more than fair chin. He's got some issues, like anybody, but no, I do not like how he matches up for Norton.

Have I been on the end of people saying Norton's chin is unfairly maligned when you consider context of him getting stopped, etc, and all the rounds he did with quality fighters? I have. I get it. But if you're forced to bet your own money on it, I cannot imagine being so blinkered that you are confident in picking Norton over AJ. That is such a bad bet, on the face of it. Oh, he might very well give it to AJ and baffle him with his style, but I think it's much, much more likely AJ catches him with an uppercut or hooks over the top of the head, or the temple and just stuns Norton into a KO loss shortly after. I don't even give it that long, at a guess. Because Norton is a forward fighter at heart, whose best defense is against straight punchers. As in, guys whose best punches are hitting in the front, not going to come up under or over and around his guard.

 

With Eddie Futch in his corner, I'm going with Norton by KO or the referee stopping the fight.

 

I agree Joshua has enough power but it depends how willing Joshua is to engage, Norton would be the best fighter hes fought in their prime other than Usyk.

I favour Joshua aswell but not a 100 percent certainty.

 

This is a tricky one as it depends on willing Joshua is to go on the offense.

Norton has more skill and guts than Joshua ever did so he could UD him, but the problem there is Norton has no chin against big punchers. Shavers and Foreman took him down with ease once they started landing and Norton acted as if he was paralyzed. I would say you can argue with certainty that Joshua will land 2-3 clean shots on him at some point and Norton will go down.

IMO, Joshua UD with 1, maybe 2 knockdowns along the way. I'd only favor a KO win if Joshua choses to be aggressive once he has Norton hurt.

 

This

 

Pretty much as I see it.

Though I would add... 40-odd years is a hell of a long time as far as sports science goes - Joshua's a bit taller, a bit longer and a decent chunk heavier, but he's probably carrying the extra muscle without as significant a disadvantage in fitness/stamina as you'd expect for that weight disparity today.

Joshua carries good power in a variety of shots, the odds are he'd be able to make something count - as long as he was able to make himself finish the job, I'd favour him here.

 

Interesting fight. AJ could win but I think he'd really need to go for it and I'm not sure he has the mindset for that. Most would say Norton has the weaker chin here but I can't imagine AJ making the final bell against Ali or Holmes.