Ken Norton vs Max Baer

I get the idea that some people here, know in their hearts that Baer woudl probably bulldoze Norton, but are searching for reasons to pick Norton.

Styles make fights however.

 

Peak Norton should win this. He had more skill, greater conditioning and would set the pace to both outwork and outbox Baer.

Baer fought in spurts, swung wildly, often let his guard down with little to no head movement or evasive footwork in his locker - and he either didn't or couldn't cut the ring off all that well.


Baer has a puncher's chance but, beyond landing a decisive haymaker, he's going to get thoroughly worked on, over the distance.

 

Once again, I believe you nailed it! Max Baer's style is definitely all wrong for Ken Norton!

At that level, saying Baer was crude is basically saying he was a slugger. Do I think Max Baer was as good as George Foreman? No. But he was not THAT far off, and still was good enough for this assignment at hand. That is not a knock on Ken Norton. Styles! Muhammad Ali would not have had the problems with Max Baer that he had with Ken Norton. Again, styles!

 

I fancy Norton. Baer has the physicality but it was mostly against smaller men. Baer also couldn't box his way out of a paper bag.

 

I'm certainly not counting Norton out.

 

I’d love to see a post of you breaking down how potentially underrated Baer is. I like Baer a lot personally.

 

This has to be one of the worst lines I’ve read here. Have some respect for men who did what you will never.

 

I don’t know about greater conditioning, it’s been a long time since I sat down and watched Maxie properly but was Baer ever gassed? Quite sure he went 20 rounds a few times no? I have to ask how do you define greater skill exactly?

 

I suppose one way to look at it, is that he did everything wrong that it was possible to do wrong, and he still established himself as the best heavyweight in the world.

 

And they say Roy Jones Junior and Ali got by on talent alone.

 

Max Baer often gets sold short because of the back to back lossess to Braddock and Louis, before the eventuall twilight of his career, and fall into the saddening labirynth of six-rounders.

When at his best he clearly had the case of being the most dangerous among the champions ruling after the end of Gene Tunney, and the rise of Joe Louis (Sharkey, Schmeling, Carnera, Braddock.) He got through the likes of Levinsky, Risko, Loughran (would have likely lost if he was as limited as some claim) and demolished Schmeling and Primo. Extremely explosive, hard-hitting, and effectively awkward at times.

I wouldn't fancy Kenny against the best of Baer, as I wouldn't any boxer who doesn't have a granite chin, or isn't a defensive wizard. Norton can break any version of Max that has lapses in performance though.

 

Yes, I have seen his fights.

 

I'm not implying that Baer was poorly conditioned.

However, when I look at the footage of both fighters available to me, I don't believe Baer fought at the sustained pace that Norton did. Norton tended to demonstrate a higher workrate in my view.

A superiority in various central attributes, i.e. Ring IQ, spatial awareness, timing, depth/breadth of armory and offensive/defensive execution.