Your scorecard for Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton III?

So-called reputable officials also have bills to pay. And you have to be blind in both eyes or bat**** crazy to score that **** for Ali.

 

Quoted for truth.

 

Depends how you score it really it was a hard fight to score, you have Norton who was constantly plodding forward landing the harder shots but less often while pressing the action and then you got Ali staying on the outside throwing and landing more often but very few were power shots.

Even just rewatching the final round you have Ali landing more, staying on the outside using his flicking jab to score, landed a few decent right hands and a left hook but Norton lands 3 or 4 good right hands that land with a THUD that get the crowd frenzied then had a short rally at the end of the round. Norton's style certainly evokes more emotion and gets you fired up

 

OK, show me a multiple decisions in 15 round fights between two fighters who were or would be champions. I don't think you'll find many, hence my point that this is one of the worst decisions ( NOT FIXES ) in boxing history between two highly ranked fighters stands.

This wasn't a close 12 round 7-5 type of match where the wrong guy won. Ali was down at least three rounds.

 

Yes, we are talking about a 15 round fight, so compare apples to apples.

While the Lewis vs Holy draw was a bad call, it was closer than Ali vs Norton III. I have not seen Rios-Abril.

 

I agree, McGrain. I think what gets up most people's arses (myself included) is that this should have been Norton's big moment, and he would have had it were it not for the fact he was fighting a celebrity boxer. And, for a certain kind of fan, Norton is an extremely likeable boxer, whereas Ali is hated. I don't hate Ali, but I do have a lot of time for Norton, and I'm annoyed that he didn't get his big win.

However, that doesn't make it the worst robbery ever or anything like that. It's a mirror of this: I'm not an Oscar fan and if anything I'm closer to a Tito fan, but I do think he was robbed vs. Trinidad.

 

Could n't agree more,McGrain. Far more suspect results than Ali-Norton III are brought up a lot less.

 

Ali admitted he felt he lost: at 0:18
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I actually think Walcott vs. Louis 1 was a bigger robbery!!! Just playing McGrain Walcott did win though lol

 

Well, this clip should clarify the issue, Norton deserved the win - there have been WORSE decisions yes, but that's another issue; factis, Ali admits here what many feel, Norton should have been declared victorious.

In my eyes, Norton became the Heavyweight Champion of the World that night. Not only was Norton denied the championship, he was also denied his place on the roll call of champions...which is a robbery in itself.

 

Norton stated later that this fight really soured him on the politics of boxing and he never took it quite as seriously after this fight. He knew he won but he also was very fond of Ali as a person. He knew without Ali at the top those monster paydays would never materialize against a Holmes or a Young.

 

Same with the FOTC. If you take every round any judge gave Ali, You can come up with a 10-5 scorecard for Ali!

 

Norton 9-6