Ken Norton Would Get Slept by Povetkin in Every Universe

Sure thing. Always open to exchange views on the fighters I admire. The respect would be worth pitifully little if I wasn't ready to challenge and debate the point of view I have on them.

And I think he is more than a good contender. He is a unique case of greatness of a late starter in a packed era, though given the circumstances of his career, he is prone to an understandable criticism.

 

What I've found a bit odd about Ken Norton is that he had close fights against "boxer" types regardless of how good they were.

Early 70s Ali with a broken jaw? Close fight.

Peak early 70s Ali? Close fight.

Late 70s shot Ali? Close fight.

Jimmy Young? Close fight.

Nearing-on-prime Larry Holmes? Close, or at least competitive, fight despite Norton being older.

Dunno whether it was psychological, stylistic, an effort-budgeting thing, or what.

 

I'm with Futch on Ali's jaw—it happened late in the fight.

 

Makes sense. I do wonder whether even a late break would be enough to change it from a close loss to a close win or a draw, depending on how much Ali had left with an intact jaw.

Either way, it still seems peculiar that every fight was reasonably close.

 

I think it's because Norton brought a good workrate, an awkward style and good skills to bear against guys that were light-punching and unable to deal with his physicality. He was simply a gnarly stylistic proposition. Whereas less skilled but more powerful fighters appreciated his being right in front of them and were more than willing to eat one to land one, exploiting his second-rate chin.

 

Yeah, I guess if a guy is just trading, it would be equally hard for an excellent slick guy and a merely OK slick guy to deal with.

 

Povetkin had a lot of difficulties when he fought not 2meters Heavyweight who have a profile of brawler boxers remember his fights against Christian Hammer or specifically with Marco Huck and Ruslan Chagaev.


I will say that here it's a draw or maybe Ken Norton by MD.

 

Well who does he share a tier with? You think he is genuinely “great”?

 

On this board today I read someone say Michael Hunter would squash Muhammad Ali and another claim Ken Norton would get slept by Alexander Povetkin.

What heavy - who never won anything or beat anyone - will be selected to squash a Hall of Famer tomorrow?

Will it be Hughie Fury kos Foreman?

 

"Big" Toney beats 70s Foreman

 

Norton had a dodgy chin and defence. Not just the KO1/KO2 losses to Foreman, Shavers and Cooney but a KO8 loss to 188 lbs journeyman Jose Garcia and dropped by several 60's/70's journeymen (Dutra, Gilmore, Eastling, LeDoux). The Povetkin who KO'd Perez/Takam etc. KO's Norton cold.

 

Being in the HOF or being called an ATG by members of this board does not make a fighter invulnerable. Fighting ability and how one fighter's strengths match up with another fighter's weaknesses are much more important in a h2h fight than being in the HOF or being called an ATG.

 

But what if you're called an ATG by a popular poster who gets likes? Doesn't that overcome disadvantages in weight, height, skill, and athleticism?