If prime Thomas had being in there against Kenny instead of Holmes ? The Holmes fight was one of Norton s best losing performances ,would he be to much for a prime Thomas Or could pinklon replicate him to get the belt ?
Kenny. Decision, of course. 8 rounds to 5 with a few even type decision. Close and a tough fight, but a clear winner. Norton's 2 fisted body attack is going to wear down Thomas. I also think the under rated oddball jab of Norton would work against the Thomas defense. Or maybe even nullify Pinklon's jab. If Norton---via bodywork or his own jab's effectiveness--can make the Thomas jab not that big of a factor, the fight is all his. Superior conditioning by Norton will take over the second half of the fight.
A great performance from Norton ,the last one really of his career. Prime Thomas could give Norton a great fight I believe ,a chance to shine. But against this Kenny he's facing a pumped.up motivated heavy, one that pushed a legend to the limits .So I see Thomas struggling in the championship rounds, with Norton going all out. Pinklon gets to the end ..Just. It's close but Norton has all three judges giving him the fight.
The key here is the jab. Holmes beat Norton primarily by banking early rounds with a steady staccato of jabs. They just never kept coming and kept Norton off his rhythm for a number of what proved to be crucial rounds. It was like a Chinese water torture. Thomas' jab was different; it wasn't the constant flick or rhythm upsetter than Holmes' was (and needed to be). Pinky's jab was a ramrod, thrown almost like a powerpunch. It would rock your head back and set up that nice right hand but it wasn't there with the necessary consistency to upset the rhythm of someone like Norton, and he didn't have the nimble mobility of a young Holmes to get out of tight spots either. Holmes would clinch or dodge and duck and slide away from trouble and try to reestablish things in ring center. Thomas was slower and less mobile, far more reachable than Holmes was.
Excellent breakdown. As u say ,a lot of the fight would rest on the jab ,that's the difference between Thomas and Holmes here. Norton would be caught by pinks jab but it wouldn't slow him down or break his stride as such. So ken would be in there scoring more, to such a degree that the latter round s could see Thomas in trouble. But his solid Chin gets him through to the end .
