Who gave Ali a tougher time? Frazier or Norton?

No, not all six were close. Norton beat Ali by at least three rounds in two of thier three matches.

I think Norton hurt and punished Ali more in their first fight, then Frazier did, though Frazier did have a legit 10-8 round over Ali in rd 11 of their first fight.

Hard to say who gave Ali a tougher time. One thing is for sure, Frazier gets far more credit for beating Ali than Norton does. One day fans might give Norton his due. He was every bit the foil for Ali too.

 

Norton by a hair, he knew how to nullify Muhammad, and arguably won 2 out of 3 fights against him.Frazier, just won one.

 

Frazier was the more grueling fight.

Ali found Norton the harder matchup.

Ali lost to Frazier, then decisively beat him twice.

Ali lost to Norton, beat him closely but clearly, and then engaged in the most controversial nip and tuck heavyweight fight of all time come the third.

I thought Ali stole the third fight, but I completely understand the argument of those who had Norton winning.

 

Frazier,...some think that Ali is like he is now because of his fights with Joe Frazier...

 

Could not have said it any better.:good

 

"decisively beat him twice"? :huh

 

I watched an in shape Ali live take the second Norton bout, and watched Kenny give Ali the last round and the bout in their third go, but I never saw Ali physically damaged against him the way he was in the first and third Frazier go's and that makes the difference for this thread.

 

If we are talking about physical hardship, Frazier gave Ali the tougher time

If we are talking about technical/stylistic hardship, Kenny takes the cake

 

Physically it was Frazier, stylistically, Norton.

 

I basically echoed Kid Bacon.

 

I've always believed that Norton won that third fight..even in giving the last round away.

 

And I agree with you :good.....

 

Ali was 2-1 against both. But Ali stopped Frazier, and many thought Norton won the third bout. Yet, Ali fought Frazier when he was in better shape, physically better, and more motivated. Ali was never quite the same again after Frazier I, and neither was Frazier. Norton caught him at the right time. The first and third Frazier fights had more brutality, but the Norton fights were just tight difficult style matchups all the way through, and interesting, but not quite as exciting or brutal as the Frazier fights. Head to head, I have no doubt that Frazier defeats Norton. I also think that with at all three at their very best, Frazier gives Ali a tougher fight than Norton does. Norton would always make it a tough close fight points wise with Ali, yet Ali suffers more brutal blows from Frazier and comes out of the fight more damaged.

 

Amen to that ! As I'm always saying,Ali was at his seventies best in the following -

Quarry II
Norton II
Frazier II
Foreman

 

Which one fought the better Ali ? In order of Ali's form,I would say it goes,from top to bottom,as follows -

Norton II/Frazier II
Frazier I
Frazier III
Norton I
Norton III

Joe just shades it.

Muhammad,no doubt,found Ken the trickiest,style wise but Joe was more punishing,physically.