Norton LeDoux War - Accurately Gaging Ken Norton

If I remember rightly Norton got thumbed in the eye, and then that turned the fight around ? Or maybe it was the body shots which i think he hurt Norton with in the 8th round ?

This fight has a very similar ending to Johansson vs London, Norton like Johansson was at the end of his career, and both men barely survived at the end against a tough journeyman.

 

Ledoux would have been hammered by prime Ken obviously but this was a good fight.

 

Norton had another entertaining scrap vs Tex Cobb aswell, despite being past his best Norton did well in both fights Cobb, LeDoux, showing alot of heart.

 

Oh sugar, I remember that one now. Didn't Cobb have one with Leon Spinks to?

 

Fergy if I'm being completely honest with you, I never even knew they fought. Looking it up it appears they fought in 88, which is a pretty strange time as both men were way past it by then. But is the fight worth watching ? I'll be sure to add it to my watch list, and also do a scorecard aswell.

 

I've read that Norton did not train with anything like the same dedication after his trilogy with Ali

 

Fightwise, no. But in terms of being a match between two of the more colorful characters in boxing history, sure.

Very slow and sloppy, though. Pretty much the end for both. I recall people were just surprised Leon lasted.

 

Ivr not actually seen the fight tbh, mate. But what I read about it in one of the mags at the time, was, it turned in to a bit of a brawl and both took some punishment.
I might have to get it on myself, to see just how it turned out.

 

Just seen DCs post. Maybe not so good as I imagined mate, after all these years.

 

Maybe the last fight, was just too much him.

 

@Dynamicpuncher I was at Cobb-Spinks in Nashville. Randall had lost I think four in a row at one point then lowered his opposition and put together a bit of a winning streak looking to get back into it.

Cobb was living in Nashville at the time and I was able to spend some time with him on a couple of occasions — once he drank I kid you not seven pitchers of coffee while we sat in a Perkins restaurant shooting the bull (kind of like a Denny’s type place) and he would belly laugh so loud at his own stories that every head turned. He was, indeed a character. His wife at the time was in the music business and was either managing or producing Ben Vereen and maybe some others, hence their move to the Music City.

So someone put together a fight at the auditorium and Leon still had a name. It was very competitive but sloppy as you might imagine. Randall had some sort of back problem and really labored — he ended up retiring for 4 1/2 years after that fight before his more suspicious and ill-fated comeback. Leon was just out of shape but definitely willing.

Worth watching? It’s not an exhibition of the sweet science at its finest but I’ve seen worse heavyweight fights. Cobb won a decision.

 

Check out Norton's jab...that punch would have turned so many more fights in his favor. For some reason he woefully neglected it, it's top notch imo.

 

You know, every time I read that I can't help but think about how damned hard he fought against Holmes. I think Ken is extremely unconvincing with that statement.