Norton in 1973 vs FOTC Ali?

Norton would always be a problem for any version of Ali. When I first saw the thread title I though "Norton vs FOTC Frazier",..now that would be a different matter all together..for a different thread, so as not to hijack this one.

 

Norton by close decision

 

I think the extent to which Norton was Ali's nemesis gets a bit exaggerated.


1st fight, Ali was overconfident and not in peak condition, but more to the point he got his jaw broken in the 2nd round. It's remarkable he was able to finish, let alone make it as close as it was. That's not to say Norton didn't deserve the win - he landed a great punch and did damage with it - but it's not something that was ever likely to happen again.

2nd fight, Ali wins despite making life hard for himself by burning too much energy in the first half, standing between rounds and otherwise trying to box the way he did when he was young.

3rd fight, controversial decision, but Ali was visibly nearing the end of his career as a world class fighter. If Norton was his nemesis he should have been able to beat him convincingly.


In the FOTC Ali may have been a bit rusty but he was in good shape, still moving very fast, and a greatly superior fighter to the one Norton faced in '76. Norton was not as quick as Frazier with his feet or hands and the pressure he applied was steady, not the fast-paced relentless pressure you got from Frazier.

So I'm going with Ali by fairly clear decision, albeit with Norton coming on strong in the later rounds.

 

Plays out pretty much identical to Ali-Norton II, with 7-5 in rounds for Ali.

 

I think Kenny won all '3' bouts against Muhammad Ali,,,,,

so I wouldn't change here either.

 

I think Ali wins a close one on points, he took prime Frazier to the limit & Frazier was a bit better than Norton. That version of Ali was better than the fat **** that showed up for the first Norton fight in 73.

 

Ali definitely won fight 2 IMO.

 

:good

 

Nonsense, look at fight 2, the fight were Ali was at his best (Norton was good in all 3 fights to his credit, he knew he had to be), Kenny couldn`t touch Ali when Ali was on his toes in the first 5 rounds & even when Ali tired from round 6 onwards & fought more flatfooted he was giving as good as he got & swapping rounds, Ali won that fight & Ali of 66/67 would beat Norton decisively.